Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe
This chocolate peanut butter cup cake is a chocolate cake with a creamy peanut butter frosting, peanut butter cups and a chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1½ cups strong black coffee, hot
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 4½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
Chocolate ganache:
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 30 miniature peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped, divided
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and sides; set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing for 2-3 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans. Bake for 20 minutes. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes.
- Cool the cakes for 15 minutes; carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to completely cool.
Make the peanut butter frosting:
- In a large bowl add the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt; mix on medium-low speed until creamy. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed, until the mixture is light and smooth.
Make the chocolate ganache:
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces so it will melt easily and evenly, and place in a small bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil.
- Pour the nearly boiled cream over the chocoalte and allow to sit for a couple of minutes; stir until melted and smooth.
- Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, but not firm (you want it pourable over the cake).
Assemble the cake:
- If the cakes baked have a domed top, level off the tops with a knife. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Cover with 1 cup of the peanut butter frosting and sprinkle 10 of the chopped peanut butter cups over the frosting.
- Place on top the second cake layer and cover with another 1 cup of the peanut butter frosting, with 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
- Place the final cake layer on top face-down (flat edge facing up), and frost with the remaining peanut butter frosting, finishing it as smoothly as possible.
- Pour the chocolate ganache into the center of the cake, letting it run over the sides of the cake. Top with the remaining 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour, until the frosting is set.
Serving the cake:
- Refrigerate the cake before serving, allowing the ganache a chance to set up. Slice and serve!
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Browneyed Baker, made for one of our dinner parties.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 870kcal, Carbohydrates: 99g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 56g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Monounsaturated Fat: 19g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 767mg, Potassium: 531mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 57g, Vitamin A: 629IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 4mg