Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Incredibly rich and moist chocolate cake layers are filled with the best creamy peanut butter buttercream frosting for an unreal layer cake! Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this chocolate peanut butter cake recipe!

The inspiration for this cake came from a few different things; first when I made my peanut butter frosting recipe last year during quarantine, second a chocolate PB cupcake my sisters love at a local bakery, and third just because I love me some peanut butter and chocolate. We love chocolate and peanut butter together, especially in these Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.

I knew that I could trust my best ever chocolate cake recipe to be the cake layers for this easy layer cake. That recipe is easy and quick, no need to use a box cake mix here! Then I knew I could fill the cake with that PB frosting so it was only the decoration that was left. Since the cake is choc PB flavor I wanted everyone to know right away but if you looked at it frosted in PB frosting you wouldn't know, I knew I wanted to add a chocolate aspect to the cake to visually clue people into the flavor combo.

Ingredients

For this layer cake, you'll need three components; chocolate cake layers, peanut butter frosting, and chocolate ganache.

• Granulated Sugar. Just good old plain white sugar is needed.
• All-Purpose Flour. Also known as plain flour. I cannot stress enough how critical it is that you measure your flour properly, too much or too little flour can drastially effect the cake.
• Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. You must be careful not to use natural cocoa powder as the acidity that has been removed from the dutch process cocoa powder effects the rest of the ingredients. I use Bensdorp Dutch Cocoa Powder.
• Chemical Leavening Agents. Baking soda and baking powder are both used to help the cake rise nicely. The baking soda is activated by the acidity in the sour cream.
• Salt. Salt enahances all of the other ingredients flavor profiles, don't skip it!
• Large Eggs. Your eggs should be at room temperature so they can evenly incorporate with the rest of the ingredients. You can do this quickly by placing the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using them.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Vanilla pairs beautifully with chocolate.
• Vegetable Oil. While in a butter or vanilla cake you might want to use butter for the flavor, in a chocolate cake you wouldn't taste the butter anways so oil creates an incredibly moist and tender cake.
• Sour Cream. Sour cream tenderizes and adds an intense moisture to the cake. Make sure its at room temperature so it incorporates properly!
• Whole Milk. I like to use full-fat milk to add the moist richness ot the cake.
• Hot Coffee. You may be worried that the cake will taste like coffee, but trust me it won't! The hot coffee enhances the chocolate flavor as well as blooms the cocoa for a richer, intense chocolate flavor.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

For the peanut butter frosting you'll need:

• Butter. Your butter needs to be softened to room temperature so that it can become light and fluffy.
• Creamy Peanut Butter. Your peanut butter should be at room temperature so it can evenly combine with the butter. Don't use a natural/ no-stir kind of peanut butter, use a standard store-bought peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Try my peanut butter Carmelites next!
• Confectioners Sugar. To achieve a buttercream with no lumps its imperative that you sift your powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve. You can add a little more powdered sugar if you desire a thicker frosting.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. This is what helps you get a creamy, light frosting that is not too sickly sweet.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Vanilla pairs nicely with the peanut butter, it just gives it a little something extra.
• Salt. I prefer to add just a little to help balance some of the intsene sweetness that American buttercreams provide.

And finally, for the chocolate ganache you only need two things:

• Chocolate. The key here is good quality! You can use good quality chocolate finely chopped or I like to use Callebaut Chocolate Callets. At a push you can use chocolate chips but I prefer not.
• Heavy Cream. The warmed cream is poured on top of the chocolate which will melt it.

Now for the decoration, I like to use chocolate and roasted peanuts. Another recipe I love is my chocolate peanut butter pie recipe.

Instructions

If you want to see more in-depth instructions check out my post on how to make chocolate cake and how to make peanut butter frosting.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease two 8-inch round pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.

Cocoa powder is naturally quite lumpy so sifting ensures you don't get lumps of dry cocoa in your cake! Mix everything together to combine and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer or large bowl with a whisk combine the eggs, vanilla, oil, sour cream, and milk mix until fully combined.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix until fully incorporated.

Add in the hot coffee and mix until evenly combined, be careful don't mix too fast as the hot liquid can splatter. The cake batter will be very thin. Pour evenly into prepared pans.

Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean/ only moist crumbs, no wet batter. Set the cakes on a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cakes are fully cooled begin making the PB frosting.

Make sure to check out my post on how to make peanut butter frosting to see step-by-step photos. This is a soft peanut butter frosting, if you want a sturdier, thicker frosting just add some more powdered sugar.

When ready to assemble place a small dollop of frosting on the serving plate (this helps hold the cake in place so it doesn't slide around) if you want to try and keep the plate clean place three strips of parchment paper around the edges so that you can easily pull them out from underneath the cake when done decorating. Now add the first cake layer.

You could use a serrated knife or cake leveler to cut any potential cake domes off, I do this when taking the cake to a party but for a family party, I don't bother. I add about 1 heaping cup of frosting to the center of the first cake and use an angled spatula to spread it into an even layer, bend down to eye level with the cake to make sure the frosting is in an even layer.

Frosting a cake is MUCH easier with a cake turntable but it is 100% not necessary you can totally do it without!

Add the second cake layer bottom side up, the bottom side of the cake is generally straighter than the top so this helps create an even top of the cake.

Using a straight icing spatula press and gently spread chunks of frosting on the side, then you can evenly spread the frosting together creating a crumb-free coat of frosting. Now chill the cake for 20-30 minutes to chill the crumb coat and set it.

Then you'll add a much heftier layer of frosting the same way you did the crumb coat but a thicker coat of frosting.

Get the cake as smooth as you can then use the back of the small angled spatula held against the frosting while you spin the cake to create swirls. Chill the cake for another 20 minutes while you make the chocolate ganache.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat warm the heavy cream. In a bowl add the chocolate, after the cream is warmed pour it on top of the chocolate.

Let sit for 5 minutes then whisk everything together until evenly combined and glossy. Set aside.

You can pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cake and push it down the sides this will create thicker waves of chocolate drips OR you can use a squeeze bottle to make your own drips then pour the rest of the ganache in the center of the top of the cake and gently spread to cover. Add roasted peanuts and chocolate chunks or chips on top. You could get fancy and make chocolate curls for the cake if you wanted!

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, but I doubt it will last that long. I hope you all love this chocolate peanut butter cake as much as my family does!

For another peanut butter treat check out my Reese's S'more Bars or my Buckeye Brownies.

How to freeze

Let the chocolate cake layers cool completely. Once cooled wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap the cake in a second layer. Two layers of plastic wrap helps prevent any freezer burn.

Store the cakes on a flat surface for the first few hours of freezing, this initial time ensures the cakes freeze in the proper shape. After frozen feel free to store the cakes on top of each other or on their side.

To thaw the cake layers set them on the counter at room temperature for an hour or two before using, cold cake layers are actually easier to frost.

You can also freeze the PB frosting by storing it in a freezer-safe container then placing it on the counter at room temperature for a few hours before you want to use it and remix the frosting together.

More cake recipes

Another chocolate cake recipe my sisters adore is my salted caramel chocolate cake recipe. It's so, so good!

Growing up the layer cake we had the most often was this coffee layer cake recipe.

Lemon Blueberry Cake is a lush, light, delicious cake!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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