Peanut Butter Cup Cake

This is NOT a cupcake. I wrestled with the title of this post, because this cake needs to bear the name of my absolute favorite food in the world - the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. This is a peanut butter cup...wait for it...cake. Not a peanut butter cupcake. Now, onto the recipe!

When dreaming up this cake, I wanted to use my favorite Cocoa Frosting and stay true to a peanut butter cup: luscious peanut butter coated with creamy chocolate. Thus, this variation on basic yellow cake was born, Peanut Butter Layer Cake. Naturally, I had to add peanut butter cup pieces to the cake as well. When I tried the cake the first time, there just was not enough peanut butter flavor to compliment the chocolate frosting. How did I fix this? I added more frosting! Is there such a thing as too much frosting? My Peanut Butter Cream Frosting brings all the flavors in the cake together in the perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate, inspired by the masterfully crafted Reeses Peanut Butter Cup! I´ve said this before and will say it again- HOW can they not sell these in Europe?

After the Peanut Butter Layer Cake has cooled completely, place one layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread with a generous layer of Cocoa Frosting.

 

Roughly chop a dozen mini peanut butter cups.

Scatter the pieces on top of the frosted cake layer.

Top with the second cake layer and frost with remaining Cocoa Frosting. Dump the frosting on top of the cake, then gradually work your way outward, smoothing the frosting toward the edges and down the sides of the cake with an uneven spatula.
 

If you want a polished final product, dip the spatula in hot water and run along the sides of the cake to smooth the frosting. This step is purely aesthetic. The cake will taste the same either way!
 

Chop a few more peanut butter cups and scatter on top of the frosted cake. 

Prepare a piping bag (or resealable plastic bag with a corner cut off) and fill with the Peanut Butter Cream Frosting. 

Pipe the frosting as desired on the top and around the base of the cake. Piping frosting around the base of a cake is a great way to hide mistakes and little imperfections at the base of a cake. The professionals do it too!

 

Cut into the cake and share Reeses peanut butter chocolate perfection with your family and friends!

Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

I have discovered something truly shocking during my time abroad. Spaniards think peanut butter is gross! It seems they more than dislike it. I know I'm making a generalization here as I have not met the entire country, but on a few instances I have gotten this impression. I was presenting to the 5th grade class about food in America and was explaining how we are all raised on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They asked what the PB&J stands for and when I told them peanut butter, crema de cacahuete, they wrinkled their noses in disgust! Another time I generously offered a Reese's peanut butter cup to a friend and he declined because of the peanut butter. This is one cultural difference I can not understand. 

No matter where in the world I'm living, I will always regard peanut butter as the king of spreads. For me, it reigns over Nutella, Biscoff, cream cheese, and jelly. This frosting pairs perfectly with the Cocoa Frosting and Peanut Butter Layer Cake to make the fabulous, 100% American, Peanut Butter Cup Cake that I will post later next week. Stay tuned and enjoy this recipe in the meantime.

 To make this very quick frosting, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.

 

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth and fluffy, 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar. Add the buttermilk 1 Tbsp at a time until desired, spreadable consistency. Beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes. 

Frost cupcakes, spread on graham crackers, or put in a piping bag to create the Peanut Butter Cup Cake! To frost an entire cake, double or triple this recipe.

Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

Recipe by Sweet & Savory

Ingredients:
 
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp buttermilk

Directions:

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter together on high speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Add the buttermilk 1 Tbsp at a time until the mixture reaches frosting consistency. Beat the frosting for 2-3 minutes on high speed.

Chocolate Ganache

Let's play a game of "hypothetical situations." Let's pretend we buy into the "2012 is the end of the world" idea and we believe we only have 10 months left to live. Ok? Now, what do you want to do? In this situation, and just off the top of my head, I would apply for the highest credit limit for which I could possibly qualify and go on a shopping bender. I'd sample from the collections of Louis Vuitton and Manolo Blahnik before flying first class to Europe for an extravagant vacation. And while I was there, I would eat EVERYTHING! I would eat everything and feel no remorse. My usual reserve for decadent dishes would be tossed out the window. What's an extra 20 pounds compared to the end of the world? The treats I have designated solely "special occasion" treats, for both their out of this world flavor and nutritional content, would become my everyday, go-to foods. And chocolate ganache would be one of them.

Why do I hold ganache (gun-aush) in such high regard? This dark, smooth, semi-sweet sauce has two basic ingredients; chocolate and heavy cream. I know. How could that be anything but delicious? The technique to making this thick, creamy piece of heaven is heating heavy cream, pouring it over chocolate, and using the residual heat from the hot cream to gently melt the chocolate into a smooth, decadent sauce. The ratio of chocolate to heavy cream will determine the thickness of the ganache. For example, thicker ganache becomes the smooth center of a chocolate truffle while thinner, sauce-like ganache becomes a rich glaze on cakes or a fondue-like dipping sauce for fruit. This recipe is for a saucy ganache. It is very simple to prepare, but not so simple to resist eating in one sitting!

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I use decaffeinated, instant coffee granules in my ganache. It is very common to use instant coffee in recipes for chocolate cakes, cupcakes, and sauces because the bitter coffee enhances the dark undertones of the chocolate. The combination of semi-sweet chocolate and coffee results in a more pronounced chocolate flavor. You will not taste the coffee in the final product, but if you are not a coffee fan, simply leave that ingredient out.

 

Place the chocolate chips in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a boil. Boil for only a few seconds, then remove from heat.

Pour the hot heavy cream into the bowl with the chocolate chips. Whisk the cream and chocolate chips mixture until all the chocolate chips have melted. Whisk in instant coffee.

The ganache will be smooth and thick. It will become even thicker as it cools so if you are using it to glaze a cake or cupcakes, let the ganache cool briefly first.

My two favorite things to do with ganache are pouring it onto the top of a cake and letting it drip down the sides and...

treating it like chocolate fondue. Oh, and my third favorite thing to do is eating it plain on a spoon, but in order to preserve my dignity, I won't provide a picture of that!

Chocolate Ganache

recipe by Sweet & Savory

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp instant coffee

Directions:

Place chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a boil and allow to boil for a few seconds. Remove from heat.

Pour heated cream over the chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate chips are melted and the ganache is smooth. Whisk in instant coffee.

Cocoa Frosting

In my house growing up, each member of the family had a unique birthday cake. It was their cake baked for them on their special day. Call it birthday induced egocentrism manifested in pastry form. It is one of my favorite family traditions. My dad was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, my mom was angel food covered with soft, white peaks of 7-minute frosting and drizzled with bittersweet chocolate. My two sisters were yellow cake with cocoa frosting and pound cake with sweet cream and berries, respectively. But my cake was and is chocolate through and through. Chocolate layer cake with cocoa frosting. I've had this cake every year on my birthday as long as I can remember. Last year, I decided to deviate from my chocolate, chocolate cake with a toasted coconut layer cake with coconut cream, and I'm not kidding, my cake collapsed. It was like the cake gods were telling me to not mess with a good thing. (I like to blame this cake mishap on a higher power, rather than my shortcomings as a baker) Well cake gods, I got the message. It's chocolate cake with cocoa frosting for me from here on out!

This recipe is very simple. 10 minutes, five ingredients, one bowl, and pure chocolate heaven! Just make sure your butter is at room temperature before you get started.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa and powdered sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add cocoa and powdered sugar mixture to the butter. The frosting will look very dry and clumpy at this point. Add the milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, until frosting reaches spreadable, smooth consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl and whip with the mixer speed on high for 1-2 minutes more. 

There you have it! Frost a cake, cupcakes, or spread on graham crackers.

Cocoa Frosting 

recipe by Sweet & Savory

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

3 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup cocoa

4 cups powdered sugar 

8 Tbsp milk 

Directions:

    

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa and powdered sugar. 

With the mixer on low speed, add cocoa and powdered sugar mixture to the butter. The frosting will be clumpy and dry at this point. Add milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, until frosting becomes smooth and spreadable. You may not use all 8 Tbsp.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat for 1-2 minutes more. This recipe yields enough frosting for a 2 layer cake with extra for spreading between a few graham crackers.