Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake

Chocolate and peanut butter is by far my favorite combination of food. It's my go-to flavor of Baskin Robbins ice cream and I'll never turn down a Reeses Cup, so it was obvious to me when I came across this recipe that I HAD to make it. However, "when?" was the question. Well, Valentine's day duh! Ben and I had no problems picking this as our dessert, plus neither of us had ever baked a cake this big. We added our own touch by topping it with chopped up Reeses, which I would highly recommend. It was delicious and rich, however next time we will change up the peanut butter filling and make it more peanut buttery and less cream cheesy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake
adapted from The Other Side of Fifty

1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg whites
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
2 tsp espresso powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pans with cooking spray and flour generously.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down bowl and beaters.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Beat into creamed mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Scrape down bowl and beaters and continue mixing on medium speed for one minute. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake for 28-30 minutes and until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. This actually ended up being about 35 minutes in my oven with the 6"x2" pans.

Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely on cooling rack.

When cakes have completely cooled, slice them in half horizontally, now giving you four separate cake layers. Place one layer on plate and spread peanut butter filling over the top. Repeat with remaining layers but do not top the last layer with peanut butter filling. Pour ganache over the top of the cake and let it run down the sides.

Peanut Butter Filling

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup marshmallow creme (Fluff)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
Pinch salt

Mix all of the filling ingredients together with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Chocolate Ganache

1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine the above in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 15-20 second increments until cream is hot enough to melt the chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth.

Top with desired amount of Reeses Cups (I used minis).

All the dry ingredients

Butter, sugar and vanilla

Using our new hand mixer!

My arm got a serious workout!

Who wants to lick the mixer??

Two beauties

That's how you cut a layer of cake!

Mmmm, the peanut butter layer goes on.

Ready for the ganache!

We added some extra chips :)

OMG

Chop, chop, eat. Chop, chop, eat.

Almost done....

Final product!