Of course I made this for my family too. The truth is, the cake that I gave to my neighbor was supposed to be a test-it was my first time making it. I am truly glad that it turned out quite well. She even called me the next day just to squeal good things about it. I told her it wasn’t my original recipe. She really has to thank Pixelated Crumb for that. By the way, if you have time, you can visit their site. They have other recipes that you might want to try for the family. This chocolate peanut butter cake is just one of those.
See what our friends from Pixelated Crumb have to say about this recipe:
“I’m telling you, this cake is amazing. Make a cake right now and share a couple of slices with your neighbors. World peace, here we come.”
Any food will taste better if you share it with other people. I love to call it “paying it forward”. if you’re lucky enough to eat something as good, isn’t it always better to share it with others?
Ingredients
2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups Domino sugar
3/4 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons Clabber Girl baking soda
1 teaspoon Morton salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup Daisy sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon McCormick vanilla extract
2 Eggland’s eggs
10 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) Land O Lakes unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups Domino confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup Jif smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)
8 ounces Hershey’s bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons Jif smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons Karo light corn syrup
1/2 cup Borden half-and-half
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
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 among the 3 prepared cake pans.
Bake for approximately 25 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. Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least half an hour, or up to a couple of days, in advance.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup 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.
In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. 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. Use while still warm.
To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate the frosted cake for at least half an hour to set the frosting.
To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.
USE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW.
Quick Tip: If you only have two 8-inch pans, you can just bake them in batches.
Thanks again to Pixelated Crumb for this amazing recipe.
