Chocolate Peanutbutter Cake

Chocolate peanutbutter cake – the most popular cake from my baking business. I made more of these cakes than any other during my 4 years in business. It’s the best combination of chocolate cake (fine crumb, soft and moist texture) and smooth, peanutbutter cream filling. It took me a while to come up with this amazing combination, but I finally perfected it. I encourage you to try this for yourself!

Lets start with the chocolate cake first. This is the perfect recipe for this cake – and most of my chocolate cakes. It is from Hersheys.com.

Combine dry ingredients:

2 c sugar
1 3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Mix with a hand whisk, or sift into a bowl and set aside..

Add to stand mixer with a whisk attachment:

2 large eggs
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

Combine til well-blended. Then add the dry ingredients slowly, while mixer is on low. Increase to med. speed.

Then add 1 c boiling water, slowly with mixer on low.

Batter will be THIN.
Prepare 2 – 9″” round cake pans with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper circles. You can purchase these pre-cut, or just make your own as I do. Place your cake pan on 2 sheets of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the pan onto the paper, using a sharpie marker. Then cut out the circle with scissors. This will make 2 pan liners. Pour batter into 2 pans, using a 1 c measuring cup. This recipe will make enough batter for almost 3 cups of batter per pan. Dividing the batter evenly will ensure the same size cake layers.

Bake cakes at 350 degrees, for 25 min. Check for doneness using a toothpick inserted in center that comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

To make the peanutbutter cream filling:

Add 1-8 oz pkg cream cheese at room temp, 1 c peanutbutter, and 1/4 c powdered sugar into a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Blend til smooth. Then add 1 1/2 c Cool Whip (you can add more of less of this, as you like). Blend til smooth. Stir in 1/4 c mini chocolate chips.

Prepare cake layers. 2 of my highly recommended accessories are a rotating cake pedestal, and an offset spatula. I can’t function without these 2 items! Remove cake layers from pans. Remove parchment paper from bottom of cake layers. I like to use pre-cut cardboard rounds under the cake. These are available in craft stores or online. I use a 12″ circle for a 9″ cake.

Place peanut butter cream filling on top of 1 cake layer. Spread to edges using offset spatula.

Place second cake later on top of cream filling. Smooth out extra filling using a rubber spatula. This does not have to be “neat” as it will be covered by frosting.

So lets make the frosting! See my blog post for “butter cream cheese frosting” – this is a chocolate version.
I delete 1/2 c powdered sugar, and add 1/2 c cocoa powder to the recipe. I add a few Tbsp heavy whipping cream to this version, as the cocoa powder makes a stiffer frosting.

1 – 8oz pkg cream cheese at room temp
1 stick butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c cocoa powder
1-2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

Frost the cake with a “crumb coat” first – a light layer of frosting to catch all of the crumbs. Then go back over the cake with a thicker layer of frosting.

Decorate it to your preference. I like a pretty “swirl” on top. I have used a “cake comb” on the sides to make nice decorative lines around the cake. And I like to pipe some frosting around the top and bottom to finish it off.