Peanut Butter and Chocolate

 

This week’s bake is a Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake from Yammie’s Noshery.

It’s a gluten free chocolate cake filled with peanut butter cream frosting, chocolate ganache and topped with mini peanut butter cups.

The Reese’s peanut butter cup was invented by Harry Burnett "H. B." Reese in 1928.   One of Reese’s customers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania reported supply problems with another confectioner who made a candy consisting of peanut butter covered with chocolate.  Reese developed an automated manufacturing process and the candy became part of his assorted chocolate line. Soon the company was packaging 120 individually wrapped pieces per box that sold for a penny per cup. Each candy wrapper prominently displaying the slogan: "Made in Chocolate Town, So They Must Be Good". 

The product gained in popularity and quickly became Reese's primary focus. During World War II, economic constraints and scarcity of materials led him to discontinue his other candies. In 1943, the five-cent cup was introduced and as packaging machine and plant automation were placed into production, the sales of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups doubled every four years. 

 In 1969, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups became the best-selling product of The Hershey Company.    As of September 20, 2012, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were the No. 1 selling candy brand in the United States with sales of $2.603 billion. 

Here is the recipe:

Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

from Yammie’s Noshery

 

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used a mix of dutch process and regular)

1 teaspoon salt

 

Cake Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease three 8 inch cake pans (depending on how many layers you want) and line with parchment paper.

Melt the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stove top.

Meanwhile beat together the eggs and sugar for about five minutes at high speed until pale and more than doubled in volume. Add the vanilla to the eggs and beat until combined. Sift in the cocoa and salt and mix again until combined. Stream in the melted chocolate and butter and beat until combined. Divide into prepared cake pans and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out with some crumbs attached but no longer wet.

 

Peanut Butter Buttercream Ingredients: 

I cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

4-6 tablespoons heavy cream (any milk would work, even dairy free, but heavy cream makes the fluffiest frosting)

 

Peanut Butter Buttercream Instructions:

Cream together the peanut butter and butter. Add the salt and vanilla. Alnerately add the powdered sugar and cream. If too thin add more sugar, if too thick add more cream. Beat until fluffy

 

Ganache Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (I used half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet)

1/2 cup butter

 

Ganache Instructions:

Melt in the microwave at 50% power, stirring ever thirty seconds. 

 

Assembly:

Layer each layer of cake with a layer of slightly cooled ganache and a layer of buttercream. Then frost the cake with the rest of the buttercream and top with remaining ganache. Top with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Here are some pictures from the bake:

Have a great day !