Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

I was so excited to recently get a copy of Zoe Bakes Cakes, a book from one of my favourite bakers Zoe Francois.

On a wild and windy Bank Holiday Monday, I had plenty of time to experiment and try one of the most decadent cakes I’ve ever made. I’ve adapted the recipe a little as I found you only needed a much smaller than recommended amount of the Peanut Butter Cream and Chocolate Ganache.

I’ve also swapped out the original Devils Food Cake to use my own Chocolate Coca-Cola cake recipe. I know a lot of you have sucessfully baked the Coca-Cola cake already. It’s very similar, just bake it instead in a 23cm x 10cm loaf tin.

There are three stages to the cake - just make sure to chill the cake and the cream well before assembly.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 250g self-raising flour
• 3 heaped tblsp good quality cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 280g caster sugar
• 200g butter
• 250ml regular Coca Cola
• 100ml buttermilk
• 2 large free range eggs, gently whisked
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Peanut Cream Filling:

• 250ml double cream
• 1 tblsp icing sugar
• 65g smooth peanut butter

Chocolate Ganache

250ml double cream 250g good quality dark chocolate Chopped salted peanuts to decorate

Method:

1. Grease and line with parchment a 23cm x 10cm loaf tin. Preheat oven to 180C / 170C fan / Gas 4.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarb soda into a large bowl then stir in the caster sugar.
3. In a small pot, gently melt the butter and coca cola together before pouring over the dry mixture in the bowl. Add in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla then combine everything gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for approx 40 minutes until skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.
4. Leave the cake in the tin until it cools fully. When completely cold, tip the tin upside down so that the bottom of the cake is facing upwards. This gives you a nice smooth even top to decorate.
5. Meanwhile prepare the Peanut Butter Cream by gently melting the peanut butter and half the cream in a small sauce pan. Stir until combined, remove from heat then add the remaining cream. Cool completely in fridge until you are ready to use then simply whip with the spoonful of icing sugar until the cream forms stiff peaks. Transfer back to the fridge until ready to assemble cake.
6. To make the ganache, bring the cream gently to a simmer in a small pot then add the dark chocolate to the cream. Remove from the heat, stir gently to make sure all the chocolate is covered by the cream then allow to sit for 3 minutes. Next stir with a spatula until the chocolate is totally melted into the cream and the ganache is smooth and glossy. Leave to cool and stiffen a little - you don’t want the ganache too runny.
7. To assemble, pile the peanut cream on top of the cake. Try to keep it stacked on top rather than drooping over the sides. A spatula run around the sides and across the top will keep it somewhat straight. I’d suggest popping it back into the fridge before putting the ganache so that it’s good and chilled.
8. Finally pour the ganache gently down the middle of the cake, allowing it to flow a little over the sides. My attempt was a bit heavy handed so there was a lot of run-off! While the ganache is still soft, top with the chopped salted peanuts.
9. PHEW!