chocolate peanut butter cake

Yes, I'm serious.

Some days, you just get the urge to bake a cake.  That was me, this weekend.  And not just any cake -- I wanted a chocolate cake.  And what goes better than just about anything else with chocolate cake?

Peanut butter frosting.

So I basically made a giant peanut butter cup in reverse:  chocolate on the inside, peanut butter on the outside, and decorated with a very generous layer of crushed peanut butter cup candies.  If this does not qualify me as a full-fledged genius, I don't know what would.

So much for that silly vow about only making small portions of dessert recipes (sigh).  But in all honesty, we all knew that one wasn't really going to last.

And this is going to become a very regular birthday cake in our little home, and quite possibly a non-birthday cake, as well. Because there's something very indulgent about baking a giant cake when it's *not* somebody's birthday, isn't there?   I think I will be doing it a lot more often.

In my other exciting news, the video section of Sugarlaws is finally back up any running! So if you've only discovered this blog in the last six months or so, take a look at my Podcasts page to see videos of me making a few of the dishes on this site.  Hopefully I'll have another one up for you guys soon!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Recipe

For the cake:

2 cups sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 vanilla bean, cut in half and seeds removed

2 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup brewed coffee

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round pans (do not use springform pans for this recipe -- they will leak!). Line the bottom of each pan with a cutout layer of parchment.

Mix the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until well combined. Add the eggs, salt and vanilla bean seeds and mix thoroughly. Dissolve the cocoa powder in the cup of coffee and add to the sugar mixture. Meanwhile, sift together the baking powder, baking soda and cake flour. Add half the dry ingredients to the batter, and then add 1/2 cup of the milk. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and then the other 1/2 cup of milk. Mix to combine, and pour the batter into the two cake pans, tapping them to eliminate air bubbles in the batter.

Bake the cakes for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with crumbs attached. Allow the cakes to cool completely, and then freeze them briefly for about an hour (this is a new cake trick I've learned and it makes them SO much easier to work with!).

For the frosting:

1/2 cup peanut butter (not the crunchy or all-natural kind)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, softened

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, mini size, roughly chopped

Bring a pot of water to a simmer on the stovetop. In a separate bowl over the simmering water, beat together the egg yolk and 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, until the mixture is hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes (or transfer the mixture to a new bowl), and then beat in the peanut butter, and then the butter. Beat in 1 cup of confectioners' sugar and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream with 1 cup of confectioners' sugar until the whipped cream forms stiff peaks. Add the whipped cream to the rest of the frosting and beat until combined. Chill in the fridge until the cake is ready to be frosted.

To frost the cake, place one layer on a cake stand, and spread a generous half cup of the frosting on top of it, not allowing the frosting to come quite to the edges of the cake. Place the second layer on top and frost the entire cake with a thin crumb coat. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting, and press the chopped peanut butter cups into the sides to decorate. Serve!

Serves 12-16, depending on how thin you cut the slices.