Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Squash Cupcakes!!

 Here's another recipe from one of my more well used cookbooks at the moment, Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood. Having previously tried her Banana Courgette Bread and Aubergine Brownie which both turn out well, i was looking forward to try another one of her healthier but still tasty recipes! So i went 'a-flipping' and having just made some peanut butter cookies, the words peanut butter just popped out and of course since I'm not one who would pass up a chance to make something or rather anything with peanut butter this recipe became the chosen one! ;) 

The cupcake wasn't light as a cupcake should be as it was rather like a brownie, chocolatey, dense and the squash did its part to keep the cupcake moist. Though not a typical cupcake, it still taste pretty good especially with that awesome peanut butter icing! I was a little naughty  as i made a little more than the recipe called, fully intending to lick the bowl clean after I was done!!!! haha I think it'll be pretty good with a peanut butter icing filling too...peanut butter overdose?? I think not!!! ;) HO HO HO!!!

Adapted from  Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

100g unsalted peanuts or ground almonds

3 medium free range eggs

200g brown sugar

200g peeled and finely grated butternut squash

100g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Icing:

60g smooth peanut butter 

2 tbsp golden icing sugar, sifted

2 tbsp cocoa powder

pinch of salt

5 Tbsp boiling water

Method

- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cases.

- If using peanuts, blitz them in a food processor until totally ground. Set aside.

- Whisk the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until pale coffee coloured and fluffy. Next, whisk in the grated squash followed by the flour,peanuts or almonds, baking powder, cocoa and salt, until everything is well combined.

- Spoon the batter into the paper cases and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool the muffin tin on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the cupcakes and continuing to cool completely.

- To make the icing, put the peanut butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a small bowl and mix with the back of a spoon to form a paste. Next, slow incorporate the boiling water with balloon whisk, one spoonful at a time until  you get a smooth paste. Ice the cupcakes when completely cold.