Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Attention all peanut butter lovers-this one's for you! A fluffy cake infused with rich peanut butter and layered with a rich chocolate buttercream frosting. Grab a cold glass of milk because you're going to need one, trust me.

I've had many requests for peanut butter desserts, and the most requested is probably a peanut butter cake. I have to admit, it's never been on my list of "really want to try" cakes. Don't get me wrong, I like peanut butter! But I love chocolate more. This cake though? OMG. It's gooood! 

What started out as brainstorming wedding cake flavors (I'm obsessed already, I know) (I I just got engaged) turned into wanting to make a peanut butter cake. Do I want a peanut butter cake at my wedding? No. But I didn't have enough eggs for the original recipe I was going to make... and then I started thinking up other cake flavors I could make, because once you're in the mood to bake a cake, there's really no other option. 

I still ended up having to go to the store for eggs, but my procrastination led me to decide on making a peanut butter cake and there was no changing my mind. It sounded fun-don't question my logic.

For someone like me who isn't peanut butter obsessed, this cake is delicious! It's so peanut buttery and fluffy. The chocolate frosting is really the perfect paring of flavors. It's like eating a giant peanut butter cup, but in cake form. If you're feeling really adventurous, you could even make peanut butter frosting! Or even add peanut butter in the chocolate frosting. Go crazy!

Speaking of crazy.. please send help- I can't stop obsessing over wedding planning!

Peanut Butter Cake

Yield: 3 8-inch layers

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tea. vanilla extract
• 3 1/3 c. flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tea. baking soda
• 1 tea. salt
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 c. buttermilk

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare 3 round 8-inch pans.
2. Mix together oil, peanut butter, and sugars in a large bowl.
3. Stir in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla and mix well.
5. Add 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir to combine.
6. Add buttermilk and combine.
7. Alternate adding the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour.
8. Divide batter evenly among pans, and bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted has only a few crumbs.
9. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before turning out to cool on a cooling rack.
10. Cool completely before frosting.

Cake recipe adapted from Pastry Affair

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 10 T. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tea. salt
• 4-5 c. powdered sugar
• 4 T. heavy cream

Cooking Directions

1. Start by creaming the butter until smooth.
2. With the mixer on low, slowly add the cocoa powder in 1 Tablespoon at a time.
3. Mix in salt.
4. Alternately add powdered sugar and heavy cream to achieve desired consistency.
5. If too thick, add more heavy cream. If too thin, add more powdered sugar.