Chocolate Peanut Butter Celebration Cake

As you will know if you follow us here at the Perky Pancake, I absolutely adore the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.  Reeses Pieces are divine but when you add dark chocolate into the equation then you have a sensation on your hands.  Enter stage right, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, and, enjoying it’s blog debut today,  Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.

This is not a cake for the faint hearted.  Four layers of rich, 70% cocoa chocolate cake are slathered with peanut butter cream cheese frosting and, just in case that wasn’t enough, cloaked in a layer of peanut butter chocolate ganache.

If you wanted to take it to the next level you could adorn this beauty with some peanut brittle too.  A perfect, if admittedly slightly untraditional, cake to celebrate with friends and family this Easter.  Happy Easter everyone!  Enjoy your long weekend.

PS apologies for the poor photographs…night time creations are not photo friendly and I ran out of time in the morning before delivering the cake to it’s birthday recipient!

This time last year:  Fruity Nutty Truffly Morsels
This time 2 years ago:  Avocado “Pesto” Pasta
This time 4 years ago:  Sweet Potato & Kale Cakes

Thanks to the Smitten Kitchen for the ganache and frosting recipes and BBC Good Food for the chocolate cake recipe

Serves 20 (in thinnish slices)

For the cake:

200g unsalted butter, chopped into cubes
200g dark chocolate, broken into smallish pieces (70% cocoa)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
300g light brown muscavado/soft sugar
4 large eggs
200g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the frosting:

285g cream cheese at room temperature
115g unsalted butter at room temperature
600g icing sugar, sifted
170g smooth peanut butter (preferably a commercial one like Skippy because the oil doesn’t separate out)

For the peanut butter ganache:

225g dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa)
50g/3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (same as above on the commercial one)
40g/2 tablespoons honey or golden syrup
120ml double cream

To make:

1. Grease and line 2 x 20cm loose bottomed cake tins. Preheat the oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan/350ºf.
2. First make the cake.  Put the cocoa in a bowl and add 100ml hot water.  Whisk together until smooth and set aside.  Put the butter and chocolate in a bowl and melt in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.  Leave to cool slightly.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.  With the whisk still running, add the chocolate and cocoa mixtures and mix well.  Sift over the baking powder and flour and fold in using a large spoon until well mixed.
4. Divide between the 2 cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes until coming away from the edges of the tin slightly and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
5. Meanwhile make the frosting.  In a large bowl beat together the butter and cream cheese using an electric whisk until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the icing sugar, scraping down the sides often and beat for about 4 minutes until fluffy.  Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.
6. You need to cut your 2 cakes in half so you end up with 4 layers of sponge.  It’s best to put the cake in the fridge or even freeze it first so it’s easier to do this.  Use a serrated knife and cut confidently!
7. Place your first layer on a cake plate/base dotted with a couple of spots of frosting to hold the sponge in place.  Spread 1/5 of the frosting all over the sponge then lay your next sponge on top.  Repeat with the next layers.  Apply a thin layer of frosting to the top and sides of the cake.  This is the “crumb coating” and prevents any dark crumbs showing through your frosting.  Chill the cake in the fridge for about 20 minutes once you’ve added the crumb coating.
8. Meanwhile make the ganache.  Put the chocolate, peanut butter and honey/syrup in a bowl over a pan of boiling water (be careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water).  Whisk together until fully melted.  Take off the heat and whisk in the cream.  Set aside (though for best results use when just slightly warm still).
9. Once chilled, spread the remaining buttercream over the cake, trying to get the finish as smooth as possible.  Chill again for about 10 minutes then pour/spread the ganache over the cake to finish.  Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.