Peanut Butter Bourbon Chocolate Cake

Peanut Butter Bourbon Chocolate Cake

Prep time 60 mins
Cook time 30 mins
Total time 1 hour 30 mins
Author: Ready To Yumble
Serves: 16 slices

Peanut Butter Bourbon Chocolate Cake combines layers of moist and rich chocolate cake with a craveable peanut butter bourbon frosting. Top the whole thing with ganache and peanut butter cups for the ultimate celebratory dessert!

Ingredients
For the cake:

• 2½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1½ cups buttermilk
• 1½ cups strong black coffee, hot
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 4½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 6 tablespoons bourbon (you can substitute milk or a different whiskey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar
• About 20 mini peanut butter cups, chopped

For the ganache:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• To garnish:
• About 10 mini peanut butter cups

Instructions
To make the cake:

1. Start by spraying 3 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, cut to fit. Spray again, then dust the inside of the pans with flour. Tap out excess flour.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot coffee, then add the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk well to combine. (The hot coffee will warm up the buttermilk, allowing everything to mix better. If you use all cold ingredients, the oil will turn a weird consistency. Use hot coffee, or you can use room temperature coffee, buttermilk, and eggs.)
5. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pans, splitting it as evenly as possible between the three pans. (A kitchen scale is helpful here - weigh the pans to make sure they all have about the same amount of batter. But it doesn't have to be exact, and eyeballing is acceptable.)
7. Bake cake pans for about 25-35 minutes, depending on your oven. About halfway through baking, rotate the pans on the oven racks so they cook evenly. They are done cooking when a toothpick poked into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs - but not wet with batter.
8. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 20 minutes on a wire rack. Then carefully remove from pans and let cool completely on the rack.

For the frosting:

1. In a stand mixer, or large mixing bowl, beat together peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add bourbon and vanilla; continue beating until incorporated.
2. Add the confectioner's sugar a little at a time, and beat on medium-high speed for a couple minutes until nice and fluffy. If the frosting seems stiff, add a little extra bourbon or milk and beat again.
3. Frost the cake:
4. Place a (completely cool) cake layer on a cake plate. Top with about a cup of frosting and smooth evenly. Sprinkle with about 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
5. Place the second cake layer on top. Spread with another cup or so of frosting. Sprinkle with another 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
6. Top with final layer of cake. Spread the top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
7. Refrigerate cake for about an hour. The frosting should be cold and set.

For the ganache:

1. Place the chocolate in a small mixing bowl.
2. Microwave the cream until quite hot. (Or, you can heat the cream on the stovetop until just simmering.)
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for a couple minutes, then gently stir. If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, pop the mixing bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir gently again, repeating as necessary.
4. Let ganache cool until thick but pourable.

For final assembly:

1. Take the cake out of the refrigerator. Slowly pour chocolate ganache over the top of the frosting, allowing some to drip down the sides.
2. Top with an additional 10 chopped peanut butter cups. I like to pile them in the middle, or you can sprinkle them evenly over the top.
3. Refrigerate cake to set the ganache, and keep chilled for storage.
4. To serve, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then slice and eat. Or, you can cut the cake while cold, then let the slices sit at room temperature for about ten minutes. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Notes
Cake layers (unfrosted) can be made a couple weeks in advance. To store, wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap, seal in plastic bags, and freeze. Let the cake layers defrost in the refrigerator overnight before assembling.

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Butterlust.

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