Ingredients
For the brownie cake Layers:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (85 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup fresh vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the peanut butter frosting:
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (270 grams) creamy conventional peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 1/2 cups (313 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
For the chocolate drip:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Chopped peanut butter cups, optional
Directions
Make the cake layers:
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
-
In a heatsafe bowl, combine the butter and chocolate and microwave for 45 seconds. Stir and continue to heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until melted and smooth. Whisk in the sugars until combined. Let cool.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
-
To the cooled chocolate mixture whisk in the eggs, one at a time, Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds until very well combined. Add in the oil and vanilla and whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients and gently fold to combine.
-
Divide the batter between the three cake pans, and tap on the counter to prevent air bubbles.
-
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are dry and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs attached. Be sure not to overbake, the cakes will continue to cook after being removed from the oven.
-
Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. At this point the brownie cake layers can be stored in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days before assembling.
Make the frosting:
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about another 3 minutes.
Assemble the cake:
-
Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread with about 1/2 cup of the frosting. Repeat with the remaining two cake layers, leaving the top layer flat side up.
-
Apply a thin layer of crumb coat icing to the entire surface of the cake, scraping away any excess with an offset spatula or bench scraper to create a spackle-like coating. Refrigerate until hard, about 15 to 20 minutes.
-
Spread the remaining frosting in an even layer all over the cake. Refrigerate while you make the chocolate drip.
Make chocolate drip:
-
Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer then immediately remove from heat and pour over chocolate. You can also do this in the microwave. Cover for a few minutes then stir until smooth.
-
Allow to cool until it has thickened but is still pourable, about 10 minutes. Don’t place ganache in the fridge to cool. Test the consistency of the drip by pouring down the side of a glass. If it’s too thick, microwave for 5 to 10 seconds. If it’s too thin, allow to continue to cool. Spread the drip all over the top of the cake and allow it to drip down the sides.
-
Allow to set slightly before garnishing with the peanut butter cups, if using.
-
The cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Your timing is PERFECT! I have to make a chocolate cake for my son’s birthday next week and this one will the one. My only question is: What is a ‘crumb coat’ icing?
It’s the idea of basically creating a very thin coating with the icing – kind of like spackle – to prevent any crumbs from ruining the appearance of the frosting. There’s a ton of YouTube videos on it 🙂
I’ve only got 2 6″ 3″ deep cake pans would it still work? X
Bake the cake in batches with the pans you do have! You need all three otherwise you’ll have a ton of extra batter and not a lot of cake.
Thank you
Hey, I was wondering if I could sub the oil for something in the cake. Like applesauce? Also could you sub all of it or just half? I really want to make this though…it looks amamzing!
I wouldn’t advise using a substitute.
This cake is amazing! I made it last night for a friend’s birthday and it was a hit! Not only was it rich and delicious, it was beautiful with all the peanut butter cups on it! Since I don’t have a 6 inch cake pan, I used an 8 inch and also made it square. I checked at 20 minutes and I think I ended up leaving it in for 3 more, but I also have to use a toaster oven. With two layers it was a bit on the short side, but still looked good. I was a bit worried that the buttercream would be too peanut buttery and thick, but it’s actually super light and balances out the fudgy cake layers. I also finally got the chocolate to drip! I’ve tried with other recipes and couldn’t do it. Your tip about trying it on the side of a glass worked perfectly! Thank you for another great recipe!
Woohoo! So glad to hear that.
This is gorgeous! Totally agree with you on the New Years’ nonsense. But I really had to tell you, the tip about organic powdered sugar is AMAZING! why did I not know this? Now I can’t wait to get some organic and try it! You are so smart, Tess. Thanks!!
I learned it from Stella Parks! So random, but so good!
This is a perfect one cake with a perfect recipe. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Will it make a difference if I use mini chocolate chips, I only have the Ghirardelli baking mini chips. Also would this be ok for an ice cream cake?
First, it was absolutely delicious. So I doubled the recipe and baked 3 8in cakes. Height was perfect but the brownies got a bit overcooked around the edges so next time I will maybe lower the oven temp. The biggest issue I had was the brownie cake really is more of a brownie. The buttercream frosting is delicious but definitely not stiff enough to keep the layers from coming apart when I cut it. That was my biggest problem apart from the sugar coma I put myself into eating this deliciousness. I can’t wait to make it again to see if I can get the temp/timing down for 8 inch layers. Thanks so much for posting.
This is helpful, thanks. I am using 8in pans now and I was concerned that it wouldn’t turn out right.
Made this for my son’s birthday cake and it is absolutely amazing! A cross between a cake & brownie, it’s very thick, rich and decadent. And that peanut butter frosting is eat alone scrumptious! Followed the directions exactly and it came out perfectly!
Can you use wax paper?
Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?
Yes, I made it with light brown sugar and it turned out amazing
WAY WAY WAY too rich!!! I could not even finish a tiny little piece. Would be way better with a lighter fluffier cake rather than brownie cake
I used a devil’s food cake mix to lighten it up just a tad and made an 8″ triple layer cake. I doubled up the frosting to make sure I had enough. This cake did not disappoint! Almost the whole cake was consumed in one sitting!! Frosting was delicious! I would totally love to share pictures!
I made this for my birthday and it was a huuuge hit. I’m not a big cake person, so brownie cake was perfect for me. Incredibly rich, so make sure to have a big glass of milk with it! 😉
Can I make a 8 inch or 9 inch cake with this
recipe?
This cake turned out Amazing! The moist chocolate brownie cake was great just by itself but then add the peanut butter icing it took it to a whole new level! This recipe will be my new go to for special occasions or just the chocolate fix everyone is looking for .
My family loved this!!! The icing is so light and fluffy with the perfect peanut butter flavor! I used a box chocolate cake mix in 2 8-inch round pans instead and it was the perfect amount of icing!
Super excited to try out the recipe! was just curious though the amount of all purpose flour is 3/4 cups that’s less than 1 cup of flour. it seems too little for 3 pans of cake or maybe i’m doing the math wrong? i really want to make this cake today but i’m just confused about that one aspect:)
1 cup (85 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder?? Was this a mistake?
I was looking to lighten it up just a bit so I subbed a devils food cake mix. I made a triple 8″ cake and doubled up the delicious peanut butter frosting! Tips on letting the ganache cool helped me finally get it just right! The cake was gorgeous and so delicious!
This looks amazing! Going to make it for my husband’s birthday! I was just wondering, when you say apply a thin layer of crumb coat icing to the cake… do you mean to use some of the peanut butter frosting? Or a separate icing?
We made this for a friend “that doesn’t eat dessert”. Needless to say, he had three servings in one sitting (it was his birthday after all). My daughter and I received so many compliments mostly saying this is the best cake I have ever had. I have a feeling we are going to be making this cake for many more birthdays to come!
I love this recipe and also i love you most Importantly thank you soo much for sharing all your amazing recipes with us. No one really likes to share their recipes with others but your doing it thank you soo much loads and loads love to you and you family from INDIA♥️
Big hit for recent friends birthday, thank you!
Replacement for egg….. Please
Would love to make one without eggs….. It looks super delicious and yummmm.
Made them for Birthday with the notes you gave me and they were perfect. Thank you for the recipe and the extra help. Wish I could post a picture in my comment because they were so adorable!!
I made this cake!! It was excellent. I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was perfection.
I loved this recipe. Super easy to follow and super rich! I only had 8in pans so I doubled the recipe and baked at 325 for about an hour. The brownie recipe is a keeper but the pb frosting is amazing! I’d gladly make this cake again!!
The only reason I gave it 4/5 is because it was very very rich and finishing one small slice was hard.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe! It’s definitely meant to be an indulgent dessert!
What do you use ton grease your pans?
I normally use butter spray or a stick of butter!
Such a rich and decadent treat, perfect for chocolate lovers!! I only used the cake recipe for my niece’s birthday and not the frosting, but it turned out as expected and tasted awesome.
Hooray! I hope your niece enjoyed this cake for her birthday!
I made this exact recipe in September for my church cake off and won first place. Awesome awesome awesome.
Ah YAY! That is so amazing! Congrats Annie!!
I made this for my husband’s birthday who loves peanut butter cups and brownies!! This was the perfect combination!
I made this cake for my 21st birthday today! I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious and a big hit. However, no one could finish their slices because it was so rich. I recommend this cake to anyone thinking about making it, but be sure to cut small slices!
I was wondering if i halved the recipe how much baking powder would i need?