I decided to start my week with a chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting and it was a great choice! How can you have anything but a great week, when that's the way you kick it off? This cake has three layers of half dark/half regular chocolate cake and is filled with a creamy peanut butter buttercream and then topped with chocolate ganache drizzled over the entire cake. I know you're going to love this one!
If you are looking for other tasty chocolate cakes, I suggest these:
White Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cake, Cookie Dough Brownies, S'moreo Cake
Jump to:
Why you will love this cake
- Moist chocolate cake-Who doesn't love a moist high quality chocolate cake? These cake layers are incredibly moist because they are made with hot water which helps to really make the chocolate flavor blossom. I also used half dark chocolate and half regular which gives the cake more depth and flavor.
- Easy to make-This cake is easy to make and it's so hard to mess up. All you have to do is mix all the wet ingredients into the sifted dry ingredients and you're ready to go!
- Peanut Butter Buttercream-This frosting is made from creamy peanut butter which makes the frosting extra creamy. My favorite peanut butter brand is Skippy.
- Chocolate drip-A drip on a cake is just so classic. The extra chocolate running down your cake and mixing in with the peanut butter frosting is just a bonus.
How to make the moist chocolate cake
- Pull wet ingredients-By that, I mean pull the eggs and buttermilk out of the fridge 2 hours before baking. Room temperature ingredients will give the cake a better rise.
- Mix dry ingredients-In a bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Mix on the lowest speed, just until it's all incorporated.
- Mix wet ingredients-In a separate bowl, mix together all of the wet ingredients (minus the hot water). Once mixed, very slowly add in the hot water. Go slow so the hot water doesn't cook the eggs.
- Add in the wet ingredients-With the mixer on the lowest speed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low until combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure it is all mixed in.
Ingredients List
- Dark Cocoa Powder -I use half dark and half regular cocoa powder for this recipe. I get mine from amazon. You can find it here:
- Baking powder & baking soda-These ingredients give the cake its rise. I get a new container of each every month to make sure they are fresh. This guarantees I get a great rise on all of my cakes.
- Oil-I use vegetable oil.
- Eggs-I always make sure they are at room temperature when I start to bake by pulling them out of the fridge a couple hours before I need them.
- Hot water- This helps the chocolate cocoa powder flavor blossom.
- Cream-This is for the ganache. I use heavy whipping cream.
- Smooth peanut butter-I use smooth and creamy Skippy peanut butter.
- High Quality Chocolate Wafers-I use Ghirardelli's dark chocolate wafers.
Substitutions
- Cocoa powder-You can also use all dark cocoa powder or all regular cocoa powder instead of half and half, but the chocolate flavor and color won't quite be the same.
- Oil-You can also use olive oil or canola oil.
- Hot water-You can also use hot coffee or hot chocolate instead.
Step by step instructions
Here is how to make and bake this chocolate cake.
STEP 1: Mix dry ingredients together. Make sure to sift the flour and cocoa powder to avoid any lumps.
STEP 2: Mix wet ingredients together. When you add in the hot water, go very slowly to avoid over heating the eggs. Next, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on low.
STEP 3: Bake the cakes. Pour the cake batter evenly into the three 8 inch cake pans. Bake for 28-34 minutes.
STEP 4: Make the peanut butter buttercream. To make the peanut butter buttercream, beat the butter on high for two minutes and then again after adding in the peanut butter.
STEP 5: Sift the powdered sugar. Sifting the powdered sugar is essential for making the smoothest buttercream.
STEP 6: Make the ganache. Making ganache is so easy. Just heat your cream in the microwave until bubbly, pour over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir to combine.
Expert baking tips
1. I like to break up my cake baking into two days. I bake my cakes and make my fillings on day 1. The next day is when I assemble my cake.
2. When I assemble my cakes, I make sure that my chocolate cake layers are cold or frozen when I start applying the frosting to them.
3. A crumb coat is necessary for a smooth looking cake. Apply a thin layer of frosting around the cake and freeze for 10-15 minutes.
4. Use an offset spatula to apply the frosting. I love mine from Wilton.
Do I need the chocolate ganache?
The drip is optional. I highly recommend it because it does give it a smooth Chocolate flavor through out the cake.
Storing and freezing
This chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting can be made ahead of time. After you make the cake, it can stay wrapped with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This cake can be served at room temperature or cold!
FREEZING
This cake can be frozen in individual cake slices. Wrap each slice in cling wrap. Freeze for up to 30 days.
Thaw for 1 hour before enjoying.
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Recipe
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- ½ cup regular cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For the peanut butter buttercream
- 5 ½ cups powdered sugar measured and then sifted
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter I use Skippy
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoom of salt
For the ganache
- 1 cup chocolate chips high quality, like Ghirardelli.
- ½ cup 120 g heavy whipping cream.
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat your oven to 325 F. Use either 3 8-inch pans. Spray the bottom of the pans, line with parchment paper, and then spray again. Set aside.
- In a stand sized mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low until evenly combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, hot water, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil until evenly combined.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. There should be no flour streaks. With a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure the batter is evenly combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the pans (about 15 ounces in each 8 inch pan) and bake for 30-33 minutes. After they are done baking, let them cool for 15 minutes in the cake pans and then transfer them to a cooling rack and let them finishing cooling there.
- After the cakes have come to room temperature, level the tops of the cakes, if needed, and then wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them in preparation for frosting the cake.
For the peanut butter buttercream
- In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and cream to the bowl. Once mixed, beat on high for 3 minutes, scrape down the bowl and beat for 1 more minute. It should look light and fluffy.
- Use a wooden spoon to mix frosting one last time to get rid of air bubbles.
For the ganache
- In a microwave proof bowl, heat the cream until it becomes bubbly, while the cream is heating, add the chocolate wafers to a small bowl.
- Once the cream is hot, add it to the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 5 minutes, Stir to combine.
Assembly
- Level each of the cake layers. Spread a small amount of frosting on a cake board to help hold the cake in place.
- Place the first cake layer, bottom-side down, in the center of the cake board. Using an offset spatula, spread about ½ to ⅔ cup frosting evenly across the cake layer. Drizzle some of the chocolate ganache right on top.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the peanut butter frosting layer and repeat step 2.
- Place the final cake layer, bottom-side up, on top of the second peanut butter frosting layer and give the cake an even crumb coat, making sure to fill in uneven areas of the cake to create an even foundation for your main frosting. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the crumb coat.
- Frost the rest of cake and then add the drip ganache. Serve cold or room temperature.
Haripriya says
I've tried the peanut butter frosting with my own eggless chocolate cake. It's delicious! Thanks for the recipe ☺️
Molly Murphy says
Wow! I love to hear that! thank you! 🙂