Layered Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream

Ingredients 0/18

Step 1

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper so the cakes don’t stick. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth, then gradually add the brown sugar, mixing well. Crack in the eggs one at a time, beating after each until fully combined.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this mixture to your peanut butter batter in thirds, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix everything on low speed just until combined, then stir in the vanilla. Divide the batter evenly between your pans and pop them in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 3

While the cakes are cooling, melt the unsweetened and semisweet chocolate together in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring often until smooth. Once melted, take it off the heat. Next, beat 1 cup of butter until creamy, then mix in the melted chocolate along with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Step 4

For the peanut butter frosting, beat the peanut butter and half a cup of butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternating with a little milk, until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Give it a good beat for a few more minutes to make it nice and fluffy.

Step 5

Now, take one cake layer and spread a generous amount of the chocolate frosting over it. Place the second layer on top and cover the whole cake with the remaining chocolate frosting. Using a piping bag fitted with a decorating tip, pipe a thick line of the peanut butter frosting around the top and bottom edges of the cake. Add 16 dollops evenly spaced around the top, and press a mini peanut butter cup onto each one. Serve right away and enjoy!