Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter and chocolate ganache
A rich dark chocolate cake filled with a creamy peanut butter and cream cheese icing and covered in fluffy cocooale ganche frosting
Equipment
- 2 8 in cake pans
- parchment paper
- hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
chocolate ganache frosting
- 8 onces 60 percent chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- dash kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
peanut butter cream cheese filling
- 8 onces cream cheese, room temp.
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp.
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 tsp pure vanillla extract
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
cake
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup Hershey's special dark cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temp.
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temp.
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 1 cup stronge hot coffee
Instructions
start the ganache frosting
- Bring the cream just to a boil, do not let it sit and boil
- Place the chocolate chips in a bown, and pour the hot cream over them
- Let it sit for five minutes, then stire to combine and make sure all the chips have melted
- Let the ganache sit in a cool spot until it is room tempurature, this could take up to 2 hours
cake
- Turn oven to 350 degrees, line the bottom of 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and then butter and flour them
- I used my 8-inch cast iron skillet, because i didnthave any cake pans, be creative right!
- In one bowl place all the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. With a whisk mix until well combined
- In another bowl add, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla
- With your mixer on low speed, mix the wet ingredient 3 to 4 minutes
- With your mixer still on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl until combined
- Slowly add in your hot coffee, and mix just until combined, do not over mix
- Divide between your pans, and place on the center rack of your oven
- Check after 25 minutes, you are looking for a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, if it is not done check every 5 minutes, it could take 35 to 40 minutes
- When done, remove from oven and place on wire racks for 30 minutes
- after 30 minutes remove from pans and let them sit on the racks until completely cool
Peanut Butter Filling
- With your mixer on medium speed, mix the cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes, add the salt, vanilla, and peanut butter and mix for three more minutes, 1/2 cup at a time, add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl, after all the sugar is added, mix for three more minutes, set aside
ganache frosting
- With your mixer on medium speed, whip your cooled to room temperature ganache, for three to four minutes, add the vanilla, espresso powder, and salt, and mix for one more minute, add the butter a little at a time, and mix for three more minutes, set aside
build cakes
- Now that your cakes have cooled and your frostings are made, its time to build your cake
- Place one cake on a plate or cake stand flat side up
- spread three cups of the peanut butter filling over the cake, and place the other cake on top, with the round side facing up
- with the peanut butter filling, lightly ice the sides and top of the cake to create a crumb coat
- Now frost your entire cake with the ganache frosting
- I like to let my cake sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, it lets the filling firm up for easier cutting
Nutrition
Calories: 1109kcalCarbohydrates: 116gProtein: 17gFat: 69gSaturated Fat: 29gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 846mgPotassium: 514mgFiber: 5gSugar: 85gVitamin A: 1304IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 136mgIron: 4mg
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