The cake is super-moist with big peanut butter flavor coming through. That Italian meringue buttercream is light and has just the right amount of berry flavor. If you are not super familiar with making meringue-based buttercreams check out my How to Make Italian Buttercream Post. It has all the tips and tricks, along with a full how to video, to help you make the perfect buttercream every time.
Pro Tips for making these PBJ Cupcakes
If your buttercream is “soupy,” just pop it into the fridge for a couple of minutes, then beat it. It should thicken up. I find consistency problems arise mostly from the meringue being too warm when the butter is added. Chilling it will help improve the consistency. If you want to really pump up the flavors, you can make this into a filled cupcake to which you could add a peanut butter ganache or jam. You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference. Instead of a raspberry reduction you can use the juice from thawed raspberries, or even your favorite jam.
If you’ve tried these peanut butter and jelly cupcakes then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!