Signature Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Now, these pictures of this particular cake was a lovely birthday cake from one fiancée to her sweetie.  Before you can say “hmmm..mm..mmmmm” it became his favorite!  I was so happy they both enjoyed it and they had some fun sharing it with friends and colleagues.

This picture belongs in a Ladies Home Journal magazine.  This is an 8″ round, triple-layer, chocolate peanut butter cake with peanut butter cream filling.

In April, our oldest daughter graduated college.  Before her big, Sunday dinner, congratulations! party, I suggested this absolutely sinful cake as one of several I was willing to bake for her and she readily agreed.  (I mean really?  Who’s gonna turn down chocolate and peanut butter?)  We baked several cakes and dozens of cupcakes for the party – this was just one of our favorites from that day.
 

Marie requested a 9″ round triple-layer cake – there were easily 18 servings & most folks took a slice home.

The two of us baking and having fun in the kitchen – we have great times together!

This is a 6″ round, triple-layer chocolate peanut butter cake sitting in its to-go bakery box.  Please ignore the obvious cut as the result of the photo shoot before heading out the door. Reference…between the four of us, not even half this cake was consumed after dinner.

Stacking for the 6” round cake goes like this: small bit of buttercream on the cake board or cake plate to anchor the bottom layer of cake, one layer of chocolate cake, nearly half the peanut butter cream filling, chopped nuts, middle chocolate cake layer, peanut butter cream filling, chopped nuts, and the top chocolate cake layer.

I did  not dowel this cake – if it had been any taller, I would have inserted two bubble-tea straws for support.

The next morning I prepared chocolate ganache.  This was the first time I attempted to frost a cake with whipped chocolate ganache – and I am so happy I tried.  That’s part of why I do what I do…I want to try new things.  And on those occasions when things don’t turn out, I hope I am ok with that and still willing to try again.  So far, so good.  But it’s something I must practice.

With the paper done and the ganache cooled, I transferred it into the mixing stand bowl and let’r rip.  I added a wee bit of the left over chocolate buttercream (maybe ½ cup?) to bring some sweet to the bitter dark of the ganache (but not too much!  The cake and filling and crumb coat had plenty of sweet).  It was wonderful.

The end result was a sweet little cake that packs a huge flavor!  No two cakes look the same since I’m still working out what my favorite design.