Print
Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake
Yield 16 slices
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp (9 3/8 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups 4½ oz unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pans
- 1 tbsp instant espresso or coffee powder
- 1½ cups boiling water
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups plus 2 tbsp (18 3/8 oz) sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
For the frosting
- ¾ cup heavy cream, chilled
- 3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, divided
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of coarse or sea salt
To garnish
- Mini peanut butter cups halved
Notes
To make the cake in two 9-inch pans, reduce the amount of batter by one third.
To make the cake in three 9-inch pans, increase the amount of batter by one third.
The baking times for alternate sizes may differ, so use the toothpick test to monitor doneness.
Source: Everyday Annie, adapted from Baking Illustrated