Peanut Butter Chocolate Doughnut Cake

About five years ago I made and posted this recipe for Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Doughnuts which are very near and dear to my heart for several reasons. The first obvious reason is that they’re absolutely delicious, and the second reason is that I met my husband on Instagram because of those particular doughnuts. Jules had been following me because of my blog and he commented on a photo of those doughnuts and it sparked a conversation that went on forever. We agreed to meet for a drink and the rest is history. As we approach our second wedding anniversary next week, I think it’s nice and almost necessary to reminisce about that fateful day. This Peanut Butter Chocolate Doughnut Cake is a homage to that post, and it also comes from this week’s episode of Married and Hungry!

This is a lot easier than it look, I promise. Let’s start with the peanut butter cake! In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

**Note: I just whisk it because I’m lazy and it totally works just fine, but if you’re a sifter, then sift away! There’s no harm in it that’s for sure.**

In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar, butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy, for about 3 minutes.

**Tip: Make sure to use creamy peanut butter and not chunky because the chunky kind won’t cream up properly. Also, make sure you don’t use the completely organic kind because that it is too runny and doesn’t bake up well.**

Add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition, and then stir in the vanilla extract. Make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure it’s all evenly combined.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry. 

**Note: At this point, make sure you don’t over-mix the batt at this point because it’ll create a dry and tough cake. So stir until just combined.**

Pour the batter into greased 9-inch ring mold pan and give it a couple of taps on the counter to even it out. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 28 to 30 minutes.

**Note: I bought this ring mold pan from Amazon and it’s awesome, but you could also use a large doughnut pan or just a 9-inch cake pan without the hole in the center, that would be okay too.**

Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, before inverting onto a plate to cool completely. It’s important to let the cake cool completely before placing the glaze on because if you do, then it would melt off the cake.

To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla until smooth and somewhat thick, but still pourable.

**Tip: If you find that the glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time, until the right consistency is reached. Remember that you can always add more but you can’t take some back.**

Spread the glaze over the cooled cake with a small offset spatula, allowing a bit to drip down the sides of the doughnut cake, and sprinkle the top completely with chopped nuts while the glaze is still wet so that they stick. 

Allow the glaze to set for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. If you plan on making it ahead of time, just cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.

The great thing about this cake is that you can adapt it to resemble your favorite doughnut. You can do a vanilla glaze (dyed any color you’d like) and top with sprinkles instead. Or you can do the chocolate with coconut on top if you like coconut. Make it like your favorite doughnut!

And because this is supposed to resemble a doughnut that means you can eat it for breakfast and cake for breakfast is just about the best thing to ever happen in the world. Just about. 

I hope you’ll give this cake a try soon and be sure to watch the latest episode of Married and Hungry, if you haven’t already, and let me know what you think!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Doughnut Cake

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

This Peanut Butter Chocolate Doughnut Cake is from the latest episode of Married and Hungry. Moist peanut butter cake topped with chocolate ganache and nuts.

Author: The Candid Appetite

Serves: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup buttermilk

Glaze:

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup chopped nuts, for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch ring mold pan with cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar, butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and give it a couple of taps on the counter to even it out. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 28 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, before inverting onto a plate to cool completely.
5. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla until smooth and somewhat thick, but still pourable. If the glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time, until the right consistency is reached.
6. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake and sprinkle the top completely with chopped nuts while the glaze is still wet. Allow to set for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

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