-For-Recipes-Index
20130407-247361-peanut-butter-mousse-chocolate-cake.jpg

[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

If you love Drake's Funny Bones, you'll go peanuts over this super rich layer cake.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore working on her new baking cookbook, and as a recipe developer for HungryGoWhere Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com . Follow Yvonne on Twitter.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

  • For the Cake:
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup hot coffee
  • 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) cocoa
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  •  
  • For the Peanut Butter Mousse:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup cream peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  •  
  • For the Peanut Butter Ganache:
  • 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Procedures

  1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.

  2. In medium bowl, stir chocolate into coffee and set aside. In large bowl, whisk sugar, buttermilk, egg, yolk, oil, salt, and vanilla until combined. In small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder until combined. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet until combined. Whisk in the coffee mixture until smooth.

  3. Pour 1/3 batter in one pan and the remaining 2/3 in the other pan. Bake until just firm, about 20 to 25 minutes, respectively. Let cake cool in pans for 15 minutes, then invert cakes onto wire rack to cool completely before assembling cake.

  4. For the Peanut Butter Mousse: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese with sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until creamy and light, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Switch to whip attachment and beat cream on high speed to stiff but not dry peaks. Fold cream into peanut butter mixture. Keep chilled until ready to use.

  5. Slice the larger of the two cakes into two layers. Place on serving plate and stack cake layers with peanut butter mousse. Keep chilled until ganache is ready to use.

  6. For the Peanut Butter Ganache: Using the microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, heat the chocolate and cream until melted and smooth. Gently whisk in peanut butter. Chill until just firm enough to frost, about 30 minutes. Frost cake and serve.