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5 from 6 votes

Chocolate Layer Cake with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

This Chocolate Layer Cake with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting is rich, chocolatey and absolutely decadent. It's the perfect dessert for a special occasion!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Cooling time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, chocolate, peanut butter
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 763kcal
Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup hot coffee, freshly brewed

Peanut Butter Frosting

  • 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 Tbsp. whole milk
  • 1 semisweet or milk chocolate bar, to make chocolate curls for garnish, if desired

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 by 2 inch round cake pans with no-stick cooking spray. I use Bakers Joy.
  • In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients just until incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until incorporated.
  • Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in pans for about 30 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks to cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting

  • In the bowl of a stand alone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter at medium speed until smooth. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, about one minute. Add the vanilla and one tablespoon of milk at a time and continue to beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Set one of the cake layers on a serving plate and evenly spread half of the frosting over the cake spreading to the edge. Top with the second layer, rounded side up and spread the remaining frosting over the top. Garnish with chocolate curls.
  • FOR THE CHOCOLATE CURLS - Draw a vegetable peeler across the side of a semisweet chocolate or milk chocolate bar.

Notes

Don't worry, the added coffee will not give the cake a coffee taste. It just enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
I just used a large round piping tip (Ateco 806) to pipe my frosting, but you could also just spread the frosting instead of using a piping tip.

Nutrition

Calories: 763kcal | Carbohydrates: 115g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 859mg | Potassium: 481mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 85g | Vitamin A: 472IU | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 3mg