Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake with Caramel Popcorn
Peanut butter chocolate cake combines thick chocolate cake layers with luscious creamy chocolate peanut butter frosting. Top with caramel popcorn for crunch and extra sweetness!Yield: two 6-inch cake layers & 6 cupcakes OR two 8-inch cake layers
Servings: 12
Calories: 495kcal
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup strong espresso cooled
Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting:*
- ½ cup Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolatey Dreams Peanut Butter *
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temp
- 2 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional Toppings:
- Halloween nonpareils or sprinkles of choice
- Caramel Popcorn
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 6-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper. Line muffin tin with 6 cupcake wrappers. Set aside.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking power, salt and sugar.
- In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, olive oil, and eggs. Slow add wet mixture to dry mixture. Mix on slow speed until almost incorporated. Then slow add the cooled espresso and mix until just combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Fill muffin tins 3/4 full of batter. Divide the remaining batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake cupcakes for 25-30 minutes. Bake cakes for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tin and cool to room temperature on wire racks. Allow cake to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before unmolding and then cool on wire rack.
Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together chocolate peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix until frosting is fluffy and smooth. Scrape down bowl as necessary during mixing. If frosting is too thick, add additional cream 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
Notes
*If you do not have Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolatey Dreams, make the frosting using regular smooth peanut butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 495kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 507mg, Potassium: 232mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 52g, Vitamin A: 286IU, Vitamin C: 0.05mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg