Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

A delicious, rich, warm chocolate cake with a hint of peanut butter that tastes even better when served with berry sauce and/or vanilla ice cream.

Yield 6-12 servings
Time 45 minutes
Tools
  • cake pan, preferably with a removable bottom
  • parchment paper
  • small microwave-safe bowl
  • wooden spoon
  • large bowl
  • electric mixer or whisk
  • rubber spatula
  • toothpick
  • plate
Ingredients
  • bittersweet/semisweet baking chocolate* (see Notes for amount)
  • ½ c sugar
  • 2 T peanut or other nut butter
  • ⅛ t salt
  • 6 T butter, slightly softened
  • 4 large cold eggs
  • 1 T whiskey
  • 1 t vanilla
  • powdered sugar (optional)
  • warm berry sauce (optional)
  • vanilla ice cream (optional)
Directions Preheat oven to 350.

Chop the chocolate, place in bowl, and microwave at 50% for 1½ minutes. Stir until completely smooth.

Combine chocolate with sugar, peanut butter, and salt. Cut butter into pieces and beat in until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, then the whiskey and vanilla. Keep beating at high speed until mixture is light and fluffy.

Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan, and spread the batter in.

Bake for 25 minutes, then test doneness with a toothpick. It should come out clean when inserted near the edge, but have a few crumbs stuck to it when inserted in the center. If it’s still wet, bake another 5 minutes and retest.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife along the edges if necessary to unstick it from the pan, then invert it onto a plate and remove parchment paper.**

Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar and serve warm.

Notes *The amount of chocolate depends on the type you use:

  • 4 oz unmarked or 50-62% chocolate
  • 3½ oz 64-66% chocolate
  • 3 oz 70-72% chocolate + an extra T of sugar

**You can let the cake cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store for 3 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months.

Adapted from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet: Recipes and tales from a life in chocolate, in which it’s called "Peanut Butter-Chocolate Torte with Strawberry Sauce"

Buy it: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

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