Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 heaped Tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Frosting:

225g cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup soft peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole peanuts

Method

Cake:

Pre-heat oven to 175 C. Butter a cake pan and line with a round of parchment paper on the bottom.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Boil the water. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the cocoa powder, then the boiling water; boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Pour over the dry ingredients and give it a gentle stir.

Whisk together buttermilk, egg, baking soda and vanilla. Stir into the chocolate batter and mix just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out nearly clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool before turning out onto a cooling rack. Cut to form 2-3 layers.

Frosting:

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until smooth.

Add the peanut butter and beat again, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add the butter and beat until smooth again. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla.


Lather on the cake once completely cooled, top each layer with whole peanuts.

Decorate with frosting as desired, and top with remain nuts,