Dark Chocolate Cake with Creamy Peanut Butter and Rich Ganache

Directions

1. Make the ganache first, this needs to sit and come to room temperature, and that can take an hour and a half up to 2 hours
2. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and bring the cream just to a boil, do not let it sit and boil.
3. Pour the cream over the chips and let this sit for 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes whisk until all the chips have melted and it’s nice and smooth, then set it aside to cool.
5. Turn your oven to 350 degrees, and line 2 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour them.
6. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl, flour,sugar,cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Whisk all together until evenly combined.
7. Place all wet ingredients in another bowl, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and with your mixer on low speed mix well for 3 minutes.
8. With your mixer on low, slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients until well mixed.
9. Slowly pour in your hot coffee and mix just until combined, don’t over mix
10. Divide your batter between the 2 pans, and place on the center rack of the oven
11. I start checking at 25 minutes, and then check every 5 minutes.
12. You want the top of your cake to bounce bake when poked in the center, and for a toothpick to come out clean, when inserted in the center of the cake.
13. When done remove to a wire rack, and let cook for 30 minutes.
14. After 30 minutes remove from pans and leave to cool on the racks.
15. Four the peanut butter filling
16. With your mixer on medium speed, mix the cream cheese and butter until well combined and smooth, about 3 minutes.
17. Add the peanut butter, and mix another 2 minutes, until well combined.
18. Add in the salt and vanilla, and 1/2 cut at a time add in the powder sugar, mix for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until it’s nice and fluffy.
19. For the ganache frosting
20. When your ganache has come to room temperature, mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, and then little by little add the butter, when the butter in fully mixed in add the vanilla and salt, mix until nice and fluffy 1 to 2 minutes more
21. Now let’s build a cake
22. Divide your peanut butter filling, 2 cups for the filling, one cup in a piping bag, and the rest for crumb coating.
23. If you do not wish to pipe a boarder around you cake, then fill the center with as much peanut butter goodness as you like and save enough to crumb coat.
24. Now that your cakes are completely cool, place one cake flat side up on a serving place, and evenly spread your peanut butter filling on top.
25. Top with your second cake, round side up.
26. Using the peanut butter filling spread a thin layer around the sides and the top of your cake.
27. With an offset spatula, frost your entire cake with the ganache frosting.
28. If you like, using a star tip, use your peanut butter filling to pipe a border around the base of your cake.
29. I like to let my cake sit in a cool spot, or in the fridge, this lets the filling get solid and makes for easier cutting.
30. Hope you enjoy making and eating!