Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake

I have addressed my issues with keeping sweets in our house many times on this blog before, so I won't bore you with another rant on how wildly obsessed I am with eating an entire pan of cookies in one sitting and then follow it with a nice healthy appetizer to try.  Instead, I will actually share a wonderful cake recipe that I found on another blog and let you be the judge and jury on whether or not you can resist devouring the whole thing in one sitting.  I do however, refuse to be responsible for your guilt and/or stomach ache afterwards. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I jumped at the opportunity to host Todd's family celebration of May Birthday's this year and what better way to celebrate a birthday then with cake? Finally, a good reason to fall off my "healthy" wagon.

I know what you're thinking when you read this title. You're thinking, "Holy Hannah, that sounds heavy and rich!"  Yet it is not. This cake has a wonderful airy texture and the filling is delightfully thin, fluffy, and not to over bearing on the peanut butter flavor.It's truthfully awesome.

One of my favorite comments when I made this cake was, "SERIOUSLY KRISTEN... THIS CAKE IS TO DIE FOR!" I have never dubbed myself as a "baker" per say, (Most of the time I would prefer to be making "to die for" entrees or pretty yet delightful appetizers,) but I do try.  I always dabbled a little bit but when it came to cakes and pies I was never shy to the boxed mix aisle at the grocery. Thankfully, I have been reading a lot of blog recipes lately and Annie's Eats has AMAZING items that I always want to try. Her blog gave me the courage to skip the box and go home-made!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake 
Serves: About Twenty (20)

Ingredients: 

For the cake:

1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp. (9 3/8 oz.) all-purpose flour

1½ cups (4½ oz.) unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pans

1 tbsp. instant espresso or coffee powder

1½ cups boiling water

¾ cup sour cream

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2½ cups plus 2 tbsp. (18 3/8 oz.) sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1¼ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

For the filling and frosting:

¾ cup heavy cream, chilled

3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, divided

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of coarse salt

To garnish:
See here where Annie, of Annie's Eats uses Reese's peanut butter and really dolls hers up!

I, on the other hand, decided to use six (6) miniature Snickers bars, chopped and drizzled with caramel topping.  (Your base cake is done, so you can be creative with your toppings!)

Directions: 

To make the cake: 

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Butter the edges of 3 9-inch round cake pans and dust with cocoa powder, shaking out the excess.  Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and boiling water.  Whisk until smooth; set aside to cool slightly.  When cooled down a bit, whisk in the sour cream and vanilla.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Slowly blend in the sugar and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes more.  Blend in the eggs one at a time.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk to blend.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the sour cream mixture, beating each addition just until incorporated.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake the cake layers for about 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans during halfway through to ensure even baking.  Transfer the baked cake layers to a wire rack and let cool in the pans at least 30 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wire rack.

To make the filling and frosting: 

Combine the heavy cream and ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and stiff peaks form, being careful not to over mix.  Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl.  In the now empty mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.  Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high.  Blend in the vanilla extract and salt, and continue to whip on high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Use a large spatula to gently fold about a third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter frosting.  Once the first addition has been evenly incorporated, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain.

To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving platter.  Spread an even layer of the frosting over the top of the cake.  Top with a second cake layer and another layer of the frosting.  Place the final cake layer on top.  Frost the top and sides of the cake using a thin crumb coat at first.  Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.  Once the crumb cake is set, frost the remaining cake. Finish by topping with crushed Snickers and drizzled caramel sauce, or the toppings of your choice.  Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Happy Baking!

Source:
Cake: Slight variation (I only changed my toppings) of Annie's Eats; originally from Baking Illustrated.
Frosting: Annie's Eats.