Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Time: about 1 1/4 hours, plus time to make frosting. An homage to the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, this cake is for the true peanut butter and chocolate lover.

Yield: Makes one 9-in. cake, serving 16

Ingredients

• Cake
• 2 1/4  cups  cake flour
• 2 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1 1/4  cups  sugar
• About 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2  cup  creamy peanut butter
• 2  large eggs
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 2/3  cup  milk
• Peanut butter filling
• 3/4  cup  creamy peanut butter
• 8  ounces  cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1  cup  powdered sugar
• 1/4  cup  milk
• Assembly
• Fudge Frosting
• 2  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, quartered
• 1/2  cup  dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and peanut butter until creamy. Crack eggs into a small dish (do not beat) and add vanilla. Add eggs to the butter mixture 1 at a time, scraping down the inside of the bowl as needed. Beat in flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour and making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next.

2. Butter and flour 2 round 9-in. cake pans. Divide batter evenly between pans.

3. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Cool cakes 5 minutes. Invert onto a rack, remove pans, and let cool to room temperature, at least 40 minutes.

5. Make filling: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat together peanut butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk until smooth and fluffy.

6. Assemble cake: Dollop 1 tbsp. peanut butter filling onto a cake stand (to hold cake in place). Place 1 cake layer on stand. Spread with remaining peanut butter filling. Top with second layer. Starting with the top, then working down the sides, frost cake with fudge frosting. Decorate the top edge with candy pieces and peanuts.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

603 (51% from fat)

Protein:

11g

Fat:

34g (sat 16)

Carbohydrate:

71g

Fiber:

3g

Sodium:

445mg

Cholesterol:

76mg