Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

when i first spotted the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake by bakerella and then by crepes of wrath last summer, i knew i had to make it myself. however, finding a reason to make such a massively dacadent and monstrous cake was difficult. i couldn't very well just make it on a sunday just for the hell of it. such a master piece requires a raison d'etre. buu's memorial day bbq turned out to be that reason. yeah i know.

when nuria and i displayed The Cake, the collective gasp was loud. my friend Mike said he wanted to make love to it. buu's husband (who the cake was for, because he loves chocolate and peanut butter together) was astounded by the actual visual of this magnificent creation. days after, buu's boss asked about The Cake, because his daughter had been in attendence of the bbq. a week after, Mike still talked about the cake. yeah, it made that kind of impression.

some things just stick with us, not just the calories to our hips. buu's already requested another creation for her next bbq. my first "real" unraveling was at her bday party and i'm glad that this particular creation has made such an impression to so many people. now what to make next? :)

Ultimate Chocolate Cake
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa at Home 2006

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

26 oz. peanut butter cups, chopped

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and/or line 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chop up peanut butter cups and stick them all over the cake!

Chocolate Frosting

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon kahlua
2 teaspoons water

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes.

Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy.

Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Today's song: Another Bad Creation, Iesha