As I was looking at my last several posts, I realized y’all must be starving! All we’ve been talking about is sewing and I have been a bad hostess by not offering you something to eat or drink 🙂
I am going to remedy that today and then some with this decadent chocolate and peanut butter layer cake. I could probably stop with that and give you the recipe and we would be in good shape. However, I will tell you a little more about it so your resistance will be even further weakened.
I made this cake two weeks ago for an employee’s going away party. A little bird told me she liked the chocolate/peanut butter combination so I pulled out this recipe that I had made once or twice before several years ago. Everyone at the office really enjoyed the cake and we ate over half of it at the party (9 of us girls there).
The recipe comes from the cookbook Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes. It is a great cookbook to have in your collection because many of the recipes look like something you would want to try (I have made several so far and all have been delicious).
It starts with sour cream and chocolate cake layers that mix up easily in a single bowl and without an electric mixer if you don’t want to use one. You then fill and frost the layers with a cream cheese peanut butter frosting that reminds me of decadent peanut butter cheesecake — YUM! Finally, you top it with a thick layer of chocolate and peanut butter glaze.
This cake is great because you don’t have to be a professional cake decorator to make it look impressive. And if you keep a decently stocked pantry, you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. Cake for supper? Absolutely!
Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare three 8″ round cake pans (I used Baker’s Joy spray, but the recipe suggests buttering the pans then lining with buttered parchment). Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixer bowl and whisk together to combine. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk by hand or blend with an electric mixer. Gradually beat in the water then blend in the vanilla and vinegar. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well-combined. Divide evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes then turn the cakes out on the rack to finish cooling. To finish the cake, spread 2/3 cup of the frosting between each layer and use the rest to frost the top and sides. You can also save a little to decorate the top after you apply the glaze. Next, spread the glaze over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides. Decorate with remaining frosting, if desired. Enjoy! Combine cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar, mixing thoroughly for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended. In the top of a double boiler (or in the microwave like I did), combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup and heat until melted and smooth, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm. Adapted from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes.Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Cake:
Frosting:
Glaze:
Susie Homemaker, MD 
Hello, this cake looks wonderful! Couple questions….
1) So you didn’t use parchment paper on the bottom of the pans and it turned out fine?
2) What temperature is the 1 1/2 cups water? Hot, Cold, Normal?
3) How long did you let the cakes cool in the pans before inverting them onto cooling racks? How long do you let them cool on the cooling racks before frosting?
Thanks : )
Hi Savannah. Thanks for stopping by. This cake is definitely a delicious showstopper!
To answer your questions:
1. I did not use parchment, just Bakers Joy spray. The cakes turned out of the pan fine but feel free to use parchment if you are nervous about this.
2. I just used tap water. I don’t think the temp matters in this instance as I don’t think it is being used to “bloom” the cocoa powder.
3. I cooled the cakes for 20 minutes before turning out of the pans then cooled completely before frosting.
I hope this is helpful. I would love to hear how your cake turns out!
🙂
Thanks for the prompt response : )
I will just use the nonstick spray like you did. Why mess around with parchment paper if you don’t need to ; )
– What brand of Dutch processed cocoa powder did you use?
– I will be using my own peanut butter frosting recipe for this cake since my husband is not a fan of cream cheese. I think I’ll add some chopped PB cups in between the layers too for an extra kick. Do I store this cake at room temperature then since there will be no cream cheese in the frosting?
– Did you have to level the cakes before stacking?
– Did you use a whisk to combine the ingredients or a hand mixer?
I will definitely let you know how everything turns out : )