Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Name: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 200 g unsalted butter; 50 g cocoa powder; 100 g dark brown soft sugar; 125 g caster sugar; 10 ml vanilla extract; 225 g plain flour; 4.5 g baking powder; 2.3 g bicarbonate of soda; 2 ea large eggs; 300 g icing sugar; 150 g unsalted butter; 200 g smooth peanut butter; 5 ml vanilla extract; 1.5 g fine sea salt; 60 ml double cream; 35 g dry roasted peanuts

Recipe from Nigella · original post · full recipe on nigella.com

A dark, damp, melt-everything-in-the-pan chocolate layer cake filled and covered with a whipped peanut butter buttercream, topped with chopped dry roasted peanuts.

Serves 10 75 minKid-friendly

VegetarianBake

Ingredients

unsalted butter — plus extra for greasing200 g
cocoa powder50 g
dark brown soft sugar100 g
caster sugar125 g
vanilla extract — 2 tsp10 ml
plain flour225 g
baking powder — 1 tsp4.5 g
bicarbonate of soda — ½ tsp2.3 g
large eggs — at room temperature2 ea
icing sugar — for the buttercream300 g
unsalted butter — softened, for the buttercream150 g

Cooking for a different diet?

Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.

Dairy-free
- 200 g Dairy-free butter instead of unsalted butter
- 60 ml Oat cream instead of double cream
Use a firm dairy-free block rather than a soft spread so the buttercream holds; the cake bakes for the same time.

Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.

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Not priced

unsalted butter · 350 g
cocoa powder · 50 g
dark brown soft sugar · 100 g
caster sugar · 125 g
vanilla extract · 15 ml
plain flour · 225 g
baking powder · 4.5 g
bicarbonate of soda · 2.3 g
large eggs · 2 items
icing sugar · 300 g
smooth peanut butter · 200 g
fine sea salt · 1.5 g
double cream · 60 ml
dry roasted peanuts · 35 g

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan. Butter two 20 cm sandwich tins (not loose-bottomed, as this is a runny batter) and line them with baking parchment.
Cut the 200 g butter lengthways into four pieces and put into a heavy-based, fairly wide saucepan over gentle heat. Add 250 ml just-boiled water and whisk in the cocoa and both sugars; keep on a low heat, whisking gently, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the 2 tsp vanilla and let stand for 5 minutes.
Mix the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Whisk the eggs together in a small jug.
Pour the eggs gradually into the pan, whisking all the while, until completely absorbed. Then whisk in the flour slowly and gently until you have a smooth batter, and pour evenly into the tins.
Bake for 18–20 minutes, until the cakes are shrinking away at the edges and a cake tester comes out cleanish (it is a damp cake, so a few crumbs are fine). Cool on a rack for 10–15 minutes, then turn out, or leave in their tins until cold.
For the buttercream, sift the icing sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together for 3 minutes in a mixer (5 with a handheld whisk) until light and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla and salt.
At a slightly lower speed, add the icing sugar a spoonful at a time until half is in, then the rest in 3 batches. Turn the speed up and beat for 2 minutes (3 by hand-held whisk), scrape down the sides and beat again briefly.
Still beating, add the cream a tablespoon at a time, then keep beating for 4 minutes (6 with a handheld whisk) until soft, aerated and moussy.
Place one cake flat-side up on a plate and spread with about a third of the icing right to the edges. Top with the second cake, domed-side up, and spread another third over the top.
Spread the remaining buttercream around the sides to cover and smooth, then decorate with the chopped peanuts.