Chocolate–Peanut Butter Fun Cake

By GadgetGirl

This chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting gets a generous (and fun!) garnish of chopped chocolate and peanuts.

Ingredients

• special equipment:
• Chocolate Cake
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/4 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 cupsugar
• 3/4 cupnatural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoonskosher salt
• 1 teaspoonbaking soda
• 1/4 cupvegetable oil
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 1/2 cupfinely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (3 1/2 ounces)
• Peanut Butter Buttercream
• 1/2 cupsugar
• 1/4 cupegg whites (from about 2 large eggs)
• 1 1/2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
• 1/4 cupcreamy peanut butter
• 6 tablespoons(3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cupchopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (about 1 3/4 ounces)
• 1/4 cupchopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
• An 8x8x2-inch cake pan

Details

Servings 16

Preparation

Step 1

Chocolate Cake
• Preheat oven to 350°. Coat bottom and sides of pan with nonstick spray; line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add oil, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups water; whisk until smooth. Fold in chopped chocolate. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until a tester comes out clean when inserted into center, 35–40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.



Peanut Butter Buttercream
• Combine sugar and egg whites in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot to the touch, 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat; using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until cool and thick, 5–6 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then peanut butter. With mixer running, add butter a few pieces at a time, beating to blend between additions. Season with salt.

•Run a thin knife around pan to release cake. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Spread peanut butter buttercream over top. Garnish with chopped chocolate and peanuts. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

•Cut into 2-inch squares.