The Best, Most Decadent Cake Ever
I mean, just look at it. You can’t argue with that.
I made this cake for Nick’s birthday. He’s a pb and chocolate kinda guy…although he has been getting slightly sick of the combination lately, as I’ve been making a ton of pb+c baked goods. Oops.
This recipe is shamelessly stolen from SmittenKitchen.com, one of my favorite food blogs. Please, make this cake. It’s as tasty as it is gorgeous.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely.
4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half
1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.
A couple tips: The cakes are very, very fragile. Chill them before frosting and assembling. Also chill the frosted cake before you glaze it, so that the glaze hardens in suspended motion down the side of the cake. Yum.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:43 am
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July 1st, 2009 at 8:10 am
jeeeeez woman! food porn much? heavenly!
July 1st, 2009 at 9:49 am
omg, i made this cake for my dad’s birthday and it was gone in seconds! truly delicious! i decorated with wedges of PB cups and made a smaller batch of the ganache so i could just have a drizzle all over the top. that reduces some of the calories but i guess it doesn’t count if you eat half the cake…
and if you have extra ganache you can dip bananas in it! healthy, right? no?…
July 1st, 2009 at 10:13 am
I’ve been wanting to make this – yours looks great!
July 9th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
All I can say about that is … wow.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Wow, that looks insanely good! Gorgeous glaze over the frosting.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Everyone keeps raving about this cake, I really want to try this recipe out someday! It does look absolutely fantastic in those photos.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Thanks for the comments! It is incredibly delicious, and rich. Just make sure you have a special occasion and a big group of people to bake it for! And I never thought about dipping bananas into that ganache…oh man.
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