Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Posted by jessica on 8-22-08 with 6

Recipe Notes

Total Cooking Time

35 min

Active Cooking Time

about an hour-ish

Difficulty

Regular-Easy (2 out of 5)

Yields

serves 12 to 16 (thin slices)

Description

This is a moist and decadent triple layer chocolate sour cream cake with peanut butter frosting and chocolate peanut butter glaze. It is amazing. Smitten Kitchen sites Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes for the original recipe.

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Pantry Tags

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Smitten Kitchen, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, Good With Milk

Ingredients

¤ 2 Cups of all purpose flour
¤ 2 1/2 Cups of sugar
¤ 3/4 Cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, dutch process is prefered.
¤ 2 Tsp of baking soda
¤ 1 Tsp of salt
¤ 1 Cup of Vegetable Oil, use something neutral like canola, soybean or vegetable blend.
¤ i Cup of sour cream
¤ 1 1/2 Cups of water
¤ 2 Tbs of distilled white vinegar
¤ 1 Tsp of vanilla extract
¤ 2 eggs
¤ 1/ 2 Cup of coursely chopped peanut brittle, I skipped this
¤ 10 Oz of cream cheese
¤ 4 Oz of unsalted butter, at room temperature
¤ 5 Cups of Confectioners Sugar
¤ 2/3 Cups of smooth peanut butter, use a commercial brand so the oil does not seperate
¤ 8 Oz of semisweet chocolate, coursely chopped
¤ 3 Tbs of smooth peanut butter
¤ 2 Tbs of light corn syrup
¤ 1/2 Cup of half-and-half

Instructions

Chocolate sour cream cake

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 paper and butter the paper.
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.
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.
It is recommended to put the cakes in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm them up before trying to frost them. They are indeed very soft cakes and I should have taken this advice given the heat in my kitchen!

Peanut butter frosting

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. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate peanut butter glaze

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. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Frosting the cake

For the peanut butter frosting - Place one layer, flat side up, on a 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.
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. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle. (I did not have peanut brittle so I skipped this)