chocolate cake with whipped peanut butter frosting, ganache drizzle, topped with peanuts

ridiculous & necessary

this is a cake i baked for labor day. i was gonna make a cobbler or pie or something. then i got bored with fruit and decided i wanted something sweet and salty and insane. it was way easy, and unbelievably indulgent… -well, ok, i’m sure you can believe the level of indulgence this cake was at. it was super rich, but i was able to manage 3 slices that night. don’t judge me, jack had 3 slices too. (i also had 3 hot dogs, 3 cheeseburgers, and heaping amounts of sides. it was a holiday.)

i love this chocolate cake recipe because it is fairly light for a wheat-free chocolate cake. most wheat-free chocolate cakes tend to be on the dense side, but this one has proven time and time again that it remains light and airy. this allows for the super rich, chocolate-peanut-butteryness to be layered on top unapologetically. the cake recipe is adapted from elana’s pantry. i adjusted the types of oil, sweetener, and a few tiny tweaks. for the frosting, i use jif natural “no stir”. be sure to use the shelf stable peanut butter, because this will not work with the stuff you have to put into the fridge. yes, there is a little molasses in the shelf stable, that is why i didn’t add any sweetener to the frosting recipe. be sure to use jif brand, too. my future brother-in-law works for smuckers and we have to support him! hi greg!

this cake was inspired by a misadventure i had with a reese’s peanut butter cup at a football game a few weeks back. i really wanted it, but when i ate it all i could do was complain that it was too sweet. it had been so long since i’d eaten candy at all, i forgot that it is rendered flavorless by the awful amount of sugar in it. “where is the peanut butter?” i thought, “where is the chocolate?” -all i tasted was sugar, and then i got a tummy ache. -and yes, i did eat both of them despite the tummy ache and sickeningly sweet coating it left in my mouth.

i made a promise to myself that day. “i swear i will make a peanut butter chocolate dessert that will blow the minds of friends and family alike. one where the potential of peanut butter is not overshadowed by the headache inducing amounts of sugar. a dessert where the chocolate is dark and decadent, not melty and creepy.. a dessert that i can feel good about eating 3 slices after a holiday binge.” ok, ok, there are no excuses for eating 3 slices of cake in a half an hour, but if you want to give justifying it a whirl, be my guest.

chocolate cake with whipped peanut butter frosting, ganache drizzle, topped with peanuts…

holy moly, let’s break it down:

chocolate cake

3/4 cups coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

10 eggs

1 cup olive oil

1 cup – 1 1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp vanilla extract

method: preheat oven to 325f. prep 2 round 8″ cake pans by coating in oil and lining bottoms with parchment paper rounds.

sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. no lumpers.

mix all wet ingredients together with whisk, or hand mixer if you have one.

combine wet ingredients with the dry, and mix thoroughly. pour batter evenly into pans. bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. careful to keep this from over baking, as this cake tends to burn easily. cool for half an hour before carefully going around edges with a knife and inverting onto cooling racks. cool for another few hours before assembly.

whipped peanut butter frosting

1 cup natural, no-stir, creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 tbsp vanilla

method: in large heat-proof mixing bowl, heat all 3 ingredients over medium heat. i used double-boililer method for this. stir constantly until chips are melted smoothly and thoroughly with peanut butter. it smells good. dip a spoon in and take a bite while no one is in the kitchen.

stick the bowl into the freezer for 15 minutes. whip with hand mixer. if it’s still too glossy, stick it back into the freezer for 10 minutes. you’ll want the texture to be a little stiff, like any icing. be careful not to over whip this, because the fat in the peanut butter will get melty and glossy again if you’re not careful!

place bottom layer of cake onto cake stand or giant plate. spread frosting over bottom layer of cake. stack second layer on top and coat the whole cake with this tasty concoction. don’t get too messy! stick it in the fridge for a bit before topping with ganache.

ganache drizzle

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp butter (room temp)

1 tbsp vanilla

method: over low heat, warm heavy cream until it begins to steam. pour over chocolate and vanilla and stir until completely melted. stir in butter until everything is evenly combined. let it stand for a few minutes at room temp before using.

pour over cake, and top with a handful of salted peanuts.

oh jeez. eat this thing UP!

*BREA! i thought of you the whole time i was making this thing!

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