Reese’s Peanut Butter Birthday Cake

My daughter’s favorite candy …by far is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. So for her birthday, I wanted to make a cake that had plenty of peanut butter cups on it…

When I found this cake, I thought it would be perfect. Chocolate cake with peanut butter icing and covered in peanut butter cups.. what could be better?

I make a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing but it is a little heavy and my daughter doesn’t really like it.

Reese’s Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
 

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (optional)

For decorating:
1 ½ – 2 batches peanut butter frosting
miniature Reese’s cups, halved and/or chopped

 Directions

Melt 4 oz. of bitter sweet chocolate over a saucepan, very slowly. Allow to cool.

Sift into a separate bowl all the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda. 

With two sticks of butter at room temperature add sugar and beat for 2 minutes until creamy.  Add two eggs and two egg yolks, one at a time beating well after each egg addition. Add vanilla when the mixture is complete.  Reduce the mixture to low. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, alternate with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Remove from the mixture and gently fold in the melted chocolate.

In 9 inch greased and floured pans, divide the chocolate cake between the pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 26 to 30 minutes. Remove when a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on a cooling rack, removing from pan 10 minutes after the cake has come out of the oven.

Once the cake is thoroughly cooled, I frosted with peanut butter icing. Taking Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups and gently place on the cake making sure to have good contact with the icing. 

Freeze the leftover peanut butter cups. Cut with a sharp knife and sprinkle on the cake.

So good… she loved it. It made her birthday very special. 

I am joining Designs by Gollum on her Foodie Friday blog. She has an amazing blog and so pretty.