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.

Peanut Butter Layer Cake

I survive on a steady stream or Diet Dr. Pepper and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. There are always Reese's miniatures in my freezer and cans of DP in my fridge. Everyone has those snacks they never tire of, those that fall into the daily "pick me up" category, and these are mine. I'm experimenting with candy bar themed cake flavors for a friend's wedding cake, so naturally, the first candy I was inspired to make into cake form was a Reese's. (I'm feeling Snickers and Skor next) I have a feeling the perfect marriage of chocolate and peanut butter flavors in this cake will be a good luck charm for my friend on her big day!

For this cake, I flavored my go to yellow cake recipe with peanut butter, then frosted the cake with Cocoa Frosting. The actual Reese's candy had to make an appearance, so there are peanut butter cup pieces on top of and in between the layers of the cake. Finally, I whipped up a peanut butter cream to pull the cake together. Since there are multiple components to this recipe, I'll be splitting the cake into 2 posts. It will be worth the wait because this cake is delicious and an interesting take on the standard yellow cake with chocolate frosting. 

**Note on baking at high altitudes: The recipe as written will cause the centers of the cakes to fall at high altitudes. The leavening in the cake batter (baking powder in this case) causes the cake to rise higher at high altitude than at sea level due to the difference in air pressure. During baking, the cake centers rise too high and do not have enough support from the gluten support network (flour) to stay risen. So, they sink in the center leaving the middle of the cake gummy and flat. This problem is easily fixed by decreasing the leavening and increasing the flour. To avoid this, decrease the baking powder to 1 1/2 tsp and increase the flour by 3 Tbsp.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat two 8-inch cake pans with butter and flour.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on high speed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.

Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until smooth. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

 
With the stand mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the milk followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture. Repeat alternating additions, incorporating the remainder of the milk and flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times, stopping when all the ingredients of the cake batter just come together.

Evenly divide the cake batter between the two buttered and floured cake pans. Tap the pans against the top of the counter 2-3 times to release any air bubbles formed while mixing.

Bake for 25 minutes, until the cakes turn golden brown on top, and the edges of the cake pull away slightly from the cake pan. Let cool 10 minutes in the cake pans, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost with Cocoa Frosting and peanut butter cream.

Peanut Butter Layer Cake

cake recipe adapted from How to Boil Water 

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pans, room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups flour, plus extra for cake pans
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk, room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the milk followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture. Repeat alternating additions, incorporating the remainder of the milk and flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times, stopping when all the ingredients of the cake batter just come together.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Tap pans a few times on the the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

When cool, frost with Cocoa Frosting and peanut butter cream.