Signature Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Triple-Layer Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Filling and Chopped Roasted Peanuts, a Chocolate Buttercream Crumb Coat and Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting with a Reese Peanut Butter Cups Topping.

This signature cake is one of my favorites to bake…and I only put it together on special occasions and for family and special friends.  It’s that yummy. 

Now, these pictures of this particular cake was a lovely birthday cake from one fiancée to her sweetie.  Before you can say "hmmm..mm..mmmmm" it became his favorite!  I was so happy they both enjoyed it and they had some fun sharing it with friends and colleagues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture belongs in a Ladies Home Journal magazine. 
This is an 8" round, triple-layer, chocolate peanut butter cake with peanut butter cream filling.

In April, our oldest daughter graduated college.  Before her big, Sunday dinner, congratulations! party, I suggested this absolutely sinful cake as one of several I was willing to bake for her and she readily agreed.  (I mean really?  Who’s gonna turn down chocolate and peanut butter?)  We baked several cakes and dozens of cupcakes for the party - this was just one of our favorites from that day.
 

She helped me in the kitchen which means she took pictures and licked the frosting whisk.  I could use more help like this.

 



Marie requested a 9" round triple-layer cake - there were easily 18 servings & most folks took a slice home.



The two of us baking and having fun in the kitchen - we have great times together!

When my life partner/husband/best friend finished the 982-mile Ride Across Britain 2013 last week ....

 

AND our dear friends cleared the final hurdle after successfully defending a dissertation… I baked an itty bitty version of this favorite cake. The four of us went to dinner and we brought our own dessert. Good times were had by all!

This is a 6" round, triple-layer chocolate peanut butter cake sitting in its to-go bakery box. 
Please ignore the obvious cut as the result of the photo shoot before heading out the door.
Reference...between the four of us, not even half this cake was consumed after dinner.

This signature dessert begins with my favorite chocolate cake.  While the cake is cooling, I prepare the peanut butter cream filling, set it aside in a separate bowl, clean the mixer and make the chocolate buttercream icing for the crumb coat.  With both of these recipes done, I chop the peanuts that will sit between the top of the peanut butter filling and the chocolate cake.

Stacking for the 6” round cake goes like this: small bit of buttercream on the cake board or cake plate to anchor the bottom layer of cake, one layer of chocolate cake, nearly half the peanut butter cream filling, chopped nuts, middle chocolate cake layer, peanut butter cream filling, chopped nuts, and the top chocolate cake layer.

I did  not dowel this cake – if it had been any taller, I would have inserted two bubble-tea straws for support.

I crumb coated the cake with chocolate buttercream and set in the fridge overnight.

The next morning I prepared chocolate ganache.  This was the first time I attempted to frost a cake with whipped chocolate ganache – and I am so happy I tried.  That’s part of why I do what I do…I want to try new things.  And on those occasions when things don’t turn out, I hope I am ok with that and still willing to try again.  So far, so good.  But it’s something I must practice.

Anyway, after making the ganache, I popped it into the fridge so it would cool completely.  Then I did school work.  I wanted a nap, but wrote a paper instead. 

With the paper done and the ganache cooled, I transferred it into the mixing stand bowl and let’r rip.  I added a wee bit of the left over chocolate buttercream (maybe ½ cup?) to bring some sweet to the bitter dark of the ganache (but not too much!  The cake and filling and crumb coat had plenty of sweet).  It was wonderful.

I’m still not perfect when it comes to making smooth cakes and I wished I’d remember to use a design tool I had planned to try out.  I forgot.  Maybe next time.

The end result was a sweet little cake that packs a huge flavor!  No two cakes look the same since I’m still working out what my favorite design.

I’m grateful my husband and our friends are accepting of me bringing a cake to dinner that has been cut, photographed, then put back together before our walk to the restaurant.  I’m grateful for friends who invite us out…and I’m grateful for the amazing opportunities my life continues to offer me and the support from my family.