I have come to the conclusion that I really just don't care much for chocolate unless it has something to do with peanuts or peanut butter. This Chocolate Covered Peanut Cake is pretty much everything you could ever want when dreaming of THE chocolate cake. The one of my dreams anyway!
Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combination that I personally LOVE! I really should own stock in Reese's because they are really the only candy that I care to eat. And to be clear, I really only care for the holiday shapes that are more peanut butter than chocolate, cause those are more protein than sugar, right?
That's what I like to tell myself anyway.
What you need:
This is a simple cake that requires a few simple ingredients that build just the right flavors you want in a chocolate cake. It is just sweet enough and perfectly decadent.
When it comes the chocolate, I like to use a bar of good dark chocolate. Because you are adding butter and sugar to the cake the darker the better. Even something bitter-sweet will be offset, I like the dark or bitter-sweet that I pick up at Trader Joe's, their pound plus bars are the best for baking.
Building the perfect Chocolate Cake
I love baking this cake in a 9x13 inch pan because for me it provides the perfect cake to frosting ratio when eating. And I'll talk more about the frosting later, but it is pretty heavenly!
Line your pan with overlapping parchment paper and place the batter inside. Smooth the batter so it is evenly dispersed through the pan.
When done baking, let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes and then you can turn it out if you choose. You can also serve the cake directly out of the pan if you want. Just be sure it is completely cool before you top with the frosting.
When it is time to frost with this AMAZING frosting, scoop ALL of it out of the bowl and place it on top of the cooled cake. To achieve the beautiful swirls, use the back of a spoon to press the frosting across the cake.
Now, this is what makes this a Chocolate Covered Peanut Cake. Sprinkle a handful each of salted peanuts and chocolate-covered peanuts across the top.
Chocolate Covered Peanut Cake
These are my favorite flavors all mixed into the perfect cake, well, my perfect cake anyway!
Ingredients
for the cake:
- 16 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temp
- 1 ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 4 lg Eggs, room temp
- 6oz Dark Chocolate, melted
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cup Water
for the frosting:
- 1 ½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, room temp
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- ¾ cup Heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Chocolate Covered Peanuts, for topping
- Salted Virginia Peanuts, for topping
Instructions
for the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F and coat a 9x13 cake pan with pan spray and line the bottom with parchment.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add in the sugars and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined. Mix in the melted chocolate and vanilla and blend to combine. Place the baking soda, salt, and one cup flour into the bowl and with the mixer on low-speed drizzle in half the water. Stop the mixer, add in the remaining flour, and again with the mixer on low-speed drizzle in the remaining water. Blend the mixture until well combined and no traces of flour remain, being careful not to over mix so the cake doesn’t become tough. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake has begun pulling away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool the cake in the pan for about 15 minutes, then remove it to a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely, about 2 hours or overnight.
for the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the peanut butter and butter together until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt to the bowl and mix on low speed until the sugar is worked in. Turn the mixer up to high and beat for about 1 minute until the frosting is uniform and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and beat for about 30 more seconds. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. To adjust the thickness of the frosting, add more powdered sugar to thicken, or more cream to thin to your desired texture, for the top of the cake you want a stiff yet silky texture.
- Spread ALL of the frostings on top of the cooled cake and use the back of a spoon to get even swirls.
- Top the cake with chocolate-covered peanuts, and salted peanuts just before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
If you make this recipe, please let me know by leaving a review at the bottom of this page!
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MY FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS!
Here are a few links to some of my favorite kitchen tools! You get a car, YOu get a car, YOU ALL GET A CAR…in my best Oprah voice
These Rösle Silicone Tongs are a little pricey but they will last you the rest of your life and are the softest in your hand. This is important for someone like m that cooks so much. It reduces strain, I have 4 sets in my kitchen!
These are my FAVE Nordic Ware Sheet Pans, every kitchen should have at least 2 sets of these! I think I have at least 4 of each of these.
This is my favorite pressure cooker, the Fagor is the same concept as the “Instant Pot” but easier to use in my opinion, if you don’t have one you NEED one, it will be your best friend in the kitchen!
A sharp knife is the most important tool in the kitchen, these Japanese steel “Shun” knives are my favorite! And this is a great starter set to build on. Once you try them you will be in love so use this as a foundation you can build on for years to come.
This Scanpan 11″ skillet is just the right size for almost anything you will need to cook and my best friend and a real workhorse in my kitchen, it’s also a great deal at $99. Scanpan is the best in the world for healthy cooking. It is coated with a proprietary ceramic-titanium coating that is durable while allowing you to use fewer fats and oils when cooking. It is a coating only they use. I could talk all day about my love for these pans, message me if you want more info. Here are some other sizes that are available if you are looking to outfit your kitchen with some new goodies. 8″ & 10″ Skillet set or 8″ Skillet, I still need this one for my kitchen Also, I don’t really know how to cook small so the 12.5″ is my other fave!
This giant vat of olive oil is my favorite, I decant it into a smaller bottle for my counter. Or put this spigot on top of a wine bottle!
My favorite baking dish that is so easy to clean even burnt on cheese slides right off!
This Tovolo jar scraper has to be my single favorite kitchen tool, it is definitely the most used tool in my kitchen. If you are NOT a gadget person, this is the only necessity I say is a MUST beyond the wooden spoon.
A great wood spoon is essential, this Olive Wood one is my favorite, I have more than I can count. But can you really ever have too many?
A food scale can be a very important tool in your kitchen, this one is the one I use every day!
If you love Joanna Gaines as much as I do then the ‘Magnolia Table Cookbook’ is a must in your kitchen, get a copy HERE!
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