Caleb James Abernathy turned two years old on Tuesday, November 24th. Two. The number of years since a 3:47 AM birth at Camp Lejeune while his father held my hand and his grandmother brought chicken broth.
The party was Saturday. Ten people in our living room (COVID rules relaxed slightly for small groups). Tamara brought Jackson. Beth brought her baby. The daycare friends came with their parents. Everyone wore masks except the kids, who are too young and also too chaotic for mask compliance.
The chocolate cake was a masterpiece. I say this without humility. Two layers, rich chocolate, chocolate buttercream, a '2' candle, and dinosaur sprinkles because Caleb's approval is measured in dinosaurs. He blew out the candle on the third try (the first two were more spit than blow, which is the two-year-old birthday experience).
The smash cake sequel: Caleb didn't just smash this cake. He EXCAVATED it. He dug into the layers with his hands, extracted fistfuls of buttercream, examined them, ate them, and then decorated his face, his hair, and the surrounding three-foot radius with chocolate. The photo is the best photo I've ever taken. Chocolate-covered grin. Dinosaur sprinkles in his eyebrows.
Ryan filmed everything. Mom and Dad FaceTimed. Dad sang 'Happy Birthday' from Norfolk — Kevin Abernathy, singing, on camera, for his grandson. The man who doesn't sing, sang.
Mom: 'The cake looks perfect, Rachel.'
'It IS perfect, Mom.'
'The frosting — is it Swiss meringue or —'
'American buttercream.'
'Good choice for a toddler. Less delicate.'
She approved the frosting. She APPROVED. Donna Abernathy approves of my birthday cake buttercream. I'm putting this on my resume.
Caleb opened Mom's care package: the outfit (camo-patterned overalls, because Grandma Donna has a sense of humor), the toy (a play food set with plastic vegetables — the training continues), and the apron. 'Caleb's Kitchen.' Embroidered. Tiny. Perfect.
Caleb put on the apron immediately. He wore it for the rest of the party. He wore it to bed. He's wearing it right now as I write this.
He's a chef. He's two years old and he's a chef and he has an apron to prove it.
Happy birthday, Caleb. The cake was chocolate. The sprinkles were dinosaurs. And the apron says you're mine.
You'll always be mine.
The chocolate was always going to be the star of Caleb’s party — it had to be, because that’s what two-year-olds who excavate buttercream with their bare hands deserve. If you’re looking to carry that same celebratory chocolate energy into your next birthday moment, these Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes are exactly the move: rich chocolate cake with a whole peanut butter cup hidden inside, crowned with a peanut butter buttercream that even Grandma Donna would approve. They’re the kind of cupcakes that photograph beautifully and disappear fast — dinosaur sprinkles on top are, of course, entirely optional but strongly encouraged.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 24 miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3—4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 regular-size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, halved, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
- Mix the batter. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and well combined.
- Fill and hide the surprise. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter into each liner — just enough to cover the bottom. Place one unwrapped miniature Reese’s cup in the center of each, then cover with additional batter until each cup is about 2/3 full.
- Bake. Bake for 18—20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the edge (not the center, where the candy sits) comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the peanut butter frosting. Beat the softened butter and peanut butter together with a stand or hand mixer on medium-high speed for 2—3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low after each addition. Add the vanilla, salt, and heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until you reach a smooth, pipeable consistency. Beat on high for 1 minute.
- Frost and finish. Pipe or spread the peanut butter frosting generously onto each cooled cupcake. Top each with a halved regular-size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Add sprinkles if you have a two-year-old with opinions about dinosaurs.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 385 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 280mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 243 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
