Chocolate Stout Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

When there were a few tubs of peanut butter hanging around on the breakfast table for a good 2 weeks, i knew i needed to do something about it, like stat.

The first image that came to mind was, Donna Hay’s Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, though i didn’t exactly remember all the required ingredients but i was pretty confident that i’d have them all. Grin. Yeah, my kitchen is well stocked up like that. Friends who have been to my place can vouch for that. I’ve got MANY stuff. Cabinets, fridge, baskets are often filled to the brim! In another word, i’m scary. I want everything and i have (almost) everything! :P

This cake is really a piece of cake, literally.

It’s so easy to make, so effortless but so very irresistible i tell you (i really can’t wait to bake this again). Even bff who has no love for peanut butter couldn’t stop thinking of this cake! She got so desperate that one day, she texted, “Can you make me the cake please? I’ll buy from you at any price!”. Hurhurhur.

What can i say?

You don’t know what you’re missing out till you’ve tried this. It’s totally wickaaaadddddd!

Chocolate Stout Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup stout beer
225g butter, chopped
3/4 cup (75g) cocoa, sifted
2 eggs
2/3 cup (160g) greek yogurt
2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, sifted
2 cups (440g) caster (superfine) sugar

Frosting
confectioners sugar, sifted, to taste *start with 50g first and add gradually*
1 cup (280g) smooth peanut butter
80 g butter, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup (80ml) heavy cream

Method
• preheat oven to 325*.  lightly grease a 8″ round pan and line with parchment.
• in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and the stout beer. stir to dissolve butter. remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa.  set aside.
• whisk together the eggs and the yogurt. add to the stout mixture, mix thoroughly.  add the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
• pour into prepared pan. bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until cooked when tested  with a skewer.  allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.  turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

• place the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for about 6 minutes or until fluffy.  add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes.  spread peanut butter frosting over cake.

(adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, issue 50)

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Initially, i planned for a 3-layer-cake.

Alas.. my slicing sucked. I refused to do extra work eg ; use proper tools and measure in a proper way, so in the end, one layer was thicker than the others. I completely misjudged the last layer’s thickness before slicing it into 2. Sigh. What 3 layers, you ask. There are only 2!

Well, if you read me often, you’ll know that i’m someone who doesn’t shy away for her boo-boo. Grin. And i’m so not ashamed to show the ugly side of my work here too. Well, maybe i am.. but, just a teeny weeny bit ah. Heh!

So yeah, check the ugly side out! Muaahahahhahaa!!

Yes, a lot of times, we, bakers, will only show you the pretty side. What you don’t see is, when you turn the plate 180 degree, you’ll see a different view altogether. Photos do cheat, darlings.. especially food photos. :P

Grrrreat, now everyone knows my food isn’t as good as it perceives to be! Sniffs. HEH! Again, if you know me well, you know i’ll never throw away my failed-but-edible-food. So what did i do with the first ugly layer that didn’t make it to the top of the cake?

Ta-dahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Anyhow assemble and it became a no-name-trifle!

How terrific eh?

And it looked so much prettier this way too, don’t you think? :)