Espresso Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling

Today is my Brother's Birthday, so I wanted to bring something home as my contribution to the big feast. I decided to make a dessert - bake a cake (slash looked for an excuse to use my Kichenaid Mixer).

I wanted to do a peanut butter and chocolate combination because I know he likes that as do many others who will be joining the party ... so I thought making peanut butter filling was a good idea since I had cream cheese handy. Then I spotted the espresso and took a spin off the generic chocolate cake by incorporating it into the batter.

Buon Compleanno!








Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup of Milk
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup of Water
2 Eggs
2 cups Flour
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 tbs Ground Espresso
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Peanut Butter Filling:
8oz package of Cream Cheese, at room temperature (Philadelphia)
1 cup Smooth Peanut Butter (jiffy)
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Topping:
1/2 cup Heavy Cream or Milk
5 oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1 tbs Peanut Butter

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 inch cake pans. You can line the bottom with parchment paper if you have it, so that it is easier to remove from pan. Set aside.

In your standing mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the sugar, milk, oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well.  Next, add the flour, espresso, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix together to combine all ingredients.

Pour the cake batter evenly between the 2 greased cake pans.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before combining with the filling.

Peanut Butter Filling:
In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Put in refrigerator until ready to prepare the cake layers.

Ganache:
Heat the heavy cream or milk in small saucepan to boil. Turn off the heat, add the chocolate and peanut butter, and let sit. Once the chocolate and peanut butter have melted (about 5 min) whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool and thicken for at least 15+ minutes. You can speed up the process by putting it in the refrigerator.

Finish: Place one cake layer on a serving plate. If the layers baked unevenly, slice off the top until it is even so that the cake isn't lop-sided. Spread the filling on top the first layer. Add the second cake layer.

 Spoon the ganache over the cake letting it drip over the sides.