Peanut Butter Fudge Chocolate Cake

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Peanut Butter Fudge Chocolate Cake

Today we have a very special cake for you.  This Peanut Butter Fudge Chocolate Cake is incredible.  4 layers of moist chocolate cake covered in a thick rich peanut butter frosting that tastes just like peanut butter fudge.  Piped on top is a fabulous simple ganache and a sprinkling of peanuts.  I love to make cakes and it makes me happy when they are beautiful, so for this occasion I chilled the ganache and made a beautiful border on the top and bottom.  You can pour the warm ganache over the cake, if you prefer.

The chocolate cake is a fantastic one bowl cake.  I even used a whisk to make it.  It doesn’t get much more simple than that.

So what is the occasion for such a lovely cake???  Slow Roasters, we are having a party!!!  Mary over at Barefeet In The Kitchen is celebrating her 1 year blogging anniversary today!  She is not one to toot her own horn so we are going to toot it for her.  Make sure you stop over today and check out her AMAZING RECIPES.

Last but not least is today’s Peanut Butter Fudge Chocolate Cake that Mary made me for my birthday last year.  Delicious!  I changed it up a little and the frosting taste just like peanut butter fudge.  Amazing!!!

Thank you for all your support and inspiration Mary!  It has been a beautiful adventure and we are so blessed to have shared it with you.

Recipes adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen and Smitten Kitchen 


decorated peanut butter fudge cake

Peanut Butter Fudge Chocolate Cake

Donna Elick
This Peanut Butter Fudge Chocolate Cake is incredible. 4 layers of moist chocolate cake covered in a thick rich peanut butter frosting that tastes just like peanut butter fudge. Piped on top is a fabulous simple ganache and a sprinkling of peanuts.
5 stars from 1 review
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Method Oven
Servings 12

Ingredients
 

For the cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process, I used Pernigotti
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
  • 1 recipe Peanut Butter Fudgy Frosting, recipe to follow
  • 1 recipe Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache, recipe to follow

Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 pounds about 7 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
  • 1 1/2 cups peanut butter, I used half chunky and half smooth

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ganache

  • 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 6 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup half-and-half

Instructions
 

For the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously butter the bottom and sides of two 8″ round cake pans. Trace the bottom of the pans onto wax paper or parchment with a pencil and then cut out the circles. Place the paper in the bottom of each pan and butter the paper.
  • Place water in a microwave safe glass with instant coffee and warm for 30 seconds, or until the coffee granules dissolve. Set aside.
  • 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 batter between 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. Once cakes are completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap and place and put them in the freezer for a few hours.
  • To frost the cakes, torte the cakes (cut them in half horizontally). Place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer and the next. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting (You can smooth a thin layer over the cake, called a crumb coat and then put in the freezer to set, for about 30 minutes). Remove from the freezer and frost the cake with the remaining frosting (reserving ½ cup for the top).
  • Smooth the remaining peanut butter frosting over the center of the cake. To decorate the cake with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache make stars with the 1M (large star tip) around the entire top of the cake. Repeat this again. Making 2 rows of stars on the top of the cake. Using the medium start tip make a star border around the bottom of the cake.
  • Sprinkle the center top of the cake with chopped peanuts.
  • Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the ganache and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar (about 2 cups 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. Frost cake.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ganache

  • In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate and peanut butter. 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. Allow to come to room temperature and thicken. You may choose to chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours. Place 2/3 the thickened ganache into a piping bag with a large star tip (1M) and the remaining ganache into a piping bag with a medium star tip (#32).

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 1445cal | Carbohydrates: 165g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 84g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 729mg | Sugar: 133g | Fiber: 7g | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 5mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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15 Comments

  1. Donna! You almost made me cry with your sweet post. I love you, girl. Thanks so much for all of the mentions. You are the best!

    P.S. What are the odds that there is a slice left from that cake??? You are the QUEEN of cakes. FOUR layers? I thought three was difficult enough! Your version is beautiful!

  2. Donna!! This cake looks professional. Seriously! It belongs in a magazine. Not to mention how incredibly delicious it looks too. I'm a sucker for anything chocolate and peanut butter and this would knock out any of my pb/choc cravings!

  3. Ooh! Peanut butter and chocolate was (and still is) my favorite ice cream at Baskin Robbins. I might give this a try.

  4. What a beautiful cake! Looks delicious. I love reading Mary's blog – she is so dedicated and talented. You know what I like most? When she says a recipe is good, she means it. Everything I have made that's she has posted has been great. So sweet of you to celebrate for/with her! Thanks 🙂

  5. Gorgeous photo and really sweet post. I love this food blogging community!! Also will be making this cake for Father's Day. I'm not even gonna try piping to make it pretty — pouring chocolate ganache all over an already-delicious cake sounds like fantasy to me 🙂

  6. Wowzwers! This is right up my alley! What a beautiful cake…and I bet it tastes awesome!

  7. This cake was a hit when I made it for my boyfriend's birthday earlier this month! If you are a peanut butter fan you will love it! Most everyone enjoyed it, someone did say that they would have liked it more if it had more of a chocolate taste to it, but overall everyone enjoyed the cake. It was moist and delecious!

  8. absolutely amazing!!! the cake is moist, chocolatey, fudgy, and very delicious. while i didn't try the frosting or ganache, the cake is definitely one the best homemade chocolate cake recipes i've tested. thank you so much for the recipe!

  9. Followed directions exactly, didn't seem done at 35min so let it bake for another 5. It still collapsed rather badly after I took it out of the oven. 🙁

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