Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

We have recently been away to watch and support our youngest son Joey (and his team) represent Victoria at the Australian Junior Volleyball Championships on the Gold Coast. The week before this event (an event that he has been training for for months) he came down with a vicious virus that beat him up quite a bit. It robbed him of his energy and appetite and even saw him at the hospital one night. Though he managed to be just well enough to fly out with the team, he played the first few matches still sick. As the week progressed, he slowly recovered. He is still on the Gold Coast at a training camp, eating meals for elite athletes. I'm guessing I'm going to have to make another batch of these cupcakes for when he gets home. I'm pretty sure he'll have his appetite for something decadent by then, if I know my boy.



Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
Makes 12

For the Cupcakes:
125ml water
110g unsalted butter, chopped
1 egg
80g plain, unsweetened Greek yoghurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150g plain flour, sifted
¾ teaspoon baking soda, sifted
220g caster sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes
75g peanut butter (I use a natural one)
25g cocoa powder, sifted

For the Frosting:
300g caster sugar
75ml cold water
2 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 160C.  Line a 12 hole cupcake pan with paper liners.  Set aside.

Put the water and butter into a large saucepan and heat until the butter has melted.  Remove from the heat and add the egg, yoghurt, vanilla, flour, baking soda, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.  Placea third of the batter into a separate bowl and add the peanut butter.  Whisk until incorporated and smooth. Set aside.

Add the cocoa powder to the remaining batter and mix until smooth. Spoon the peanut butter batter into the bottom of each liner.  Top with the chocolate mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:
Put the sugar, water, egg whites, cram of tartar and salt into a heatproof bowl.  Whisk with a hand held electric beater until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Don't let the pan touch the water. Continue to whisk the mixture at high speed for 7 minutes, or until stiff and glossy.  Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and pipe generously onto each cupcake.