PEANUT BUTTER CUP CAKE

HOLY PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!

Have I ever expressed my love for Bakerella? Well, please let me take this opportunity to tell you folks how obsessed I am with her (in a completely non-creepy way!) She has the most fantastic blog and everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, she makes is lights out and super creative. She was even on Martha Stewart in April for her cupcake pops! The first thing I do every morning when I boot up my computer is check her blog hoping for an update. Last week she posted a Peanut Butter Cup Cake which had me drooling by the very sight of it. I had already quickly mentally scanned by cabinets and fridge for the ingredients and knew I would be making this the moment I got home from work. Devils food cake. Chopped up Peanut Butter Cups. Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache. Chopped up Peanut Butter Cup garnish. 'Nuff said?

Bakerella's recipe starts with a boxed devil's food cake mix, however, being that I avoid boxed mixes like the plague, I made David Lebovitz's Devil's food cake from scratch found here. I doubled the amount of peanut butter cups that the recipe called for and tossed them in the cake and used the remaining to garnish. The chocolate peanut butter ganache was so delicious and aesthetically was gorgeous! I used 2-6inch rounds rather than the required 9inch to create a layer cake and made 6 cupcakes with the remaining batter. My little cousin's birthday is this week so I froze the cake and will be serving it on father's day with candles! 

INGREDIENTS

adapted from Parents.com

• 1  box (18.25 ounces) devil's food cake mix click here for the recipe I used for the cake from scratch*
• 3  eggs (omit if using recipe from scratch)
• 1  cup buttermilk (omit if using recipe from scratch)
• 1/2  cup vegetable oil (omit if using recipe from scratch)
• 2  cups chopped chocolate-covered peanut butter cups (about 8 ounces), plus more to garnish *I used about 2 1/2 bags of Reese's*
• 8  ounces dark chocolate, chopped *I used 4 ounces of dark and 4 ounces of milk*
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 1/2  cup creamy peanut butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line with waxed paper; coat paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high; beat for 2 minutes, scraping down side of the bowl after 1 minute. Fold in 2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups.

3. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let layers cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto wire racks and cool completely.

4. Place chopped dark chocolate in a medium-size bowl. Bring cream just to a boil and pour over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts. Add peanut butter and whisk until smooth.

5. Trim top of cake layers flat with a serrated knife. Put 1 cake layer on cooling rack and place on a baking sheet. Pour 1 cup frosting on top; spread evenly with a spatula. Top with remaining cake layer. Pour remaining frosting over the top, allowing it to spill over the sides. Smooth top and sides with spatula. Refrigerate 1 hour to set. Transfer cake to serving plate and garnish with chopped candy, if desired.