Peanut Butter and Chocolate Tiered Cake

Ingredients

• Cake:
• ¾ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• Peanut Butter Frosting:
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 16 miniature peanut butter cups (such as Reese's®)

Step 1

Warm your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper to make sure the cakes don’t stick. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and peanut butter until smooth using a mixer. Slowly add the brown sugar and beat well. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until everything is combined.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this dry mix to the peanut butter mixture in parts, alternating with the milk—start and end with the flour mixture. Mix gently on low speed after each addition until just combined, then stir in the vanilla. Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans and pop them in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Step 3

While the cakes are cooling, melt the unsweetened and semisweet chocolate together over simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Set this aside to cool a bit. Using a mixer, beat 1 cup of butter until creamy, then gradually mix in the melted chocolate, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla until you get a nice, spreadable frosting.

Step 4

For the peanut butter frosting, beat the peanut butter with ½ cup of butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar and milk, alternating between the two, until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Give it an extra beat for a few minutes to make it nice and fluffy.

Step 5

Once the cakes are completely cool, take one layer and spread a generous amount of the chocolate frosting on top. Place the second layer on it, then cover the whole cake with the remaining chocolate frosting. Use a piping bag with a decorating tip to pipe a thick border of peanut butter frosting along the top and bottom edges of the cake. Dollop the rest of the peanut butter frosting evenly around the top edge and press a mini peanut butter cup onto each dollop. Serve right away and enjoy!