Ingredients
Cake:
1 3/4 cups (225 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1/4 c (30g) cornflour
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
1/3 cups (38 g) good cocoa Powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
7 oz (200g) dark couverture chocolate (minimum 50% cacao)
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2-2 cups icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (approx)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting:
300 grams dark couverture chocolate (minimum 50% cacao)
150 grams heavy cream
1 tablespoons butter
Topping:
1/2 cup toasted salted peanuts, chopped.
Directions:
Grease & line 3- 6” cake pans and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Sift together flour, cornflour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a large saucepan pan, heat together butter, chocolate & coffee. Whisk till everything has melted and homogenized. Cool for a few minutes.
Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Whisk in some of the chocolate mix to temper. Add tempered eggs, sour cream/yogurt and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and whisk together.
Fold in the dry ingredients till combined.
Pour batter evenly into prepared tins.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or till done.
Remove cakes from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Turn cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the frosting, place chocolate & cream together in a microwave safe plastic container.
Heat in the microwave for 40 seconds. Remove and mix well. If any of the chocolate is still unmelted, heat for 10 seconds and mix. This can be repeated as needed till the chocolate is all melted. Do not overheat else chocolate will burn!
Add butter to the chocolate mixture and mix to combine. Set aside to cool.
For the filling, start with beating butter till it turns pale. Add in the peanut butter & vanilla and whisk to combine.
Slowly add in the sugar a cup at a time. Once approx. 1 1/2 cups have been added, taste to check the sweetness. You can add more sugar if needed.
Whisk in cream as needed to make a soft spreadable filling.
Take half of the cooled frosting in a bowl and whisk till it thickens to a piping consistency. Place this frosting in a piping bag with a round tip.
To assemble: Flatten the cake top by carefully trimming off any domes.
Place a dollop of frosting on a cake board/plate and place first layer of cake on it. Using the piping bag create a border of frosting along the perimeter of the cake creating a well. Fill the well with half the prepared filling and scatter some chopped peanuts over it. Repeat for the second layer. Once 3rd layer is placed on top, crumb coat with a thin layer of frosting.
Place cake in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes or till the crumb coat is dry to the touch.
Take the chilled cake and cover with the rest of the chocolate frosting. Scatter rest of the chopped peanuts over the top or on the sides to decorate. Get creative!
Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cutting into the cake. This is a wonderfully dense mud cake with salty peanut deliciousness. enjoy!