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Things I Am Going Crazy For This Week
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And that’s the short version……
I spent like the last thirty minutes going back and forth in my head about the title for this post.
Keep it simple or go all out? I kind of feel like my recipe titles are always extremely long and I kind of hate that, but I just cannot leave anything out and this cake is no exception.
Although, the title still does not do this cake justice.
Like not even close.
Hands down this is the best cake I have ever made.
Like ever, in all of my nineteen years.
And trust me, I have made my fair share of chocolate cakes. Granted they have all only been straight up chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, but still this cake is epic.
No joking around.
I do not joke about chocolate. Or cake.
Or buckeyes.
Please tell me you guys know what Buckeyes are?
No, not the things that are all over the ground in Ohio. Sure, those are cute, but I am talking about real Buckeyes. You know, the peanut butter balls that are covered in chocolate? Yeah, chocolate peanut butter lovers heaven.
Originally being from Ohio, I know all about Buckeyes. They were a staple dessert in our house basically any time of the year, but especially come fall when football starts back up. Actually, they are even crazy popular come Thanksgiving and Christmas, yeah I guess at our house they were popular all year around.
With football in full swing I thought it was time.
Time for cake!!
Ah cake, love cake!
Lately though, I have been feeling like I want to challenge myself. Which is so crazy, since I am in over my head and have no time at all as it is.
So obviously, adding a giant triple layer cake to my to do list was necessary.
So logical, right?
Yeah, I do not think my brain thinks logically. Not sure it is even is capable of logical thoughts.
But once the idea was in my head, it was there. Ingrained into my brain just screaming at me, “make cake, make an awesome cake with three layers and two frostings and bourbon ganache, make cake now”.
There was nothing I could do to silence my brain, it had to happen.
And it did.
And oh my gosh, it did not topple over.
It actually worked and stood up tall with chocolate running down the sides.
It was just what I wanted.
And that? Well, that never happens.
Ok, to be totally honest it did not turn out one-hundred percent the way I wanted, but I just never expect that to happen. My slices were not as perfect as those you see here and here, but I am ok with that. I am no cake master and geez, I am just happy everything stayed together for me!
Taste-wise though it is PERFECT! Seriously, it is going to be the best thing you ever tasted. It’s just that good.
This is not one of those super quick, super easy recipes, but the time you are going to put into it will be SO worth it in the end. I promise.
Making the cake, the frosting and the ganache is nothing hard all, it is just a little time-consuming. Totally doable, you just need to carve out a couple hours to make it.
But again, SO worth it.
Just look at the thing.
Obsessed.
Ultimate Bourbon (Chocolate Peanut Butter) Buckeye Cake
Servings: 30 slices
Calories Per Serving: 424 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 7.5 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate chopped
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1 cup strong hot hot coffee
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2/3 cup plain greek yogurt
- 3 cups all-pourpouse flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 2 1/4 cups peanut butter
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cup powered sugar
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoon milk
Chocolate Bourbon Ganache
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 4 ounces heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- Chocolate Buckeyes for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 8-inch round cake pans.
- To make the cake, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to a bowl.
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the butter and chocolate on high for 30 second intervals stirring in between until melted. Once melted stir in the bourbon and coffee. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add 4 eggs, 2 egg yolks, and the sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 4 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy and pale in color. Add the canola oil and greek yogurt. Mix to combine. Carefully add in the chocolate mixture until well combined and smooth. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and make sure everything is well mixed, beat one last time.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. It is ok to have the batter be lumpy, but just make sure you do not have too many big chunks of flour in the batter.
- Pour the batter among the three cake pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and invert the cakes onto cooking racks. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. I like to stick my cakes in the freezer (well covered) for 1 hour or up to 1 day and then fill and frost the cake while it is frozen. Trust me it makes things much easier.
- For the peanut butter frosting, add the butter and peanut butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a hand held mixer) and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until combined and smooth. Remove from the bowl and set aside.
- To make the chocolate frosting, in a mixing bowl add the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder, vanilla and 2 tablespoon milk. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides until the frosting is light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick add milk to thin. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Now grab your cakes. Place one cake on a cake plate or platter and add a large dollop (about 1 cup) of the peanut butter filling. Using a knife, or offset spatula, spread the filling out to the edge of the cakes, but leave about 1/4 to 1/8 inch border. Now grab another cake, place it right on top of the peanut butter layer. Add another large dollop of filling and spread out to the edges. Grab the last layer and place it (rounded side down) on top of the peanut butter layer. Add a small dollop of the peanut butter filing and spread out in an even thin layer.
- Now take the chocolate frosting and add a large dollop right on top of the cake. spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
- To make the ganache, in a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and cream on high for 30 second intervals, stirring between each until melted. Once melted stir in the bourbon. Pour the ganache on to the middle of the cake and spread to just the sides, allow the ganache to drip down the sides of the cake. Let sit 30 minutes before decorating with buckeyes.
- If desired, top the cake with buckeyes and store in the fridge, or on the counter.
Buckeyes
- In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together 3/4 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 3 cups powdered sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Melt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave on 30 second intervals (or in a double broiler on the stove), stirring until smooth. Remove the balls from the freezer and dip the balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to put on the cake. Once the buckeyes are cold place a few on top of the cake.
Notes
*Cake adapted from here.
Ultimate Triple Layer Chocolate Bourbon Peanut Butter Buckeye Cake – Devoured.
I just made this cake. I don’t know what I did wrong but, the cake batter was thick and gluey and after baking, it was hard and dry (biscotti-like texture) and did not rise during baking.
Re-read the instructions and I did everything as directed in the recipe. The filling and frosting are really good. Will be using those again with a different cake batter recipe.
I Cathy,
I am honestly not sure, are you sure that you added the baking soda and powder? Sorry for the trouble!!
Hi: Regarding the comment above, I did not see baking soda on the ingredients list. Was this omitted? Thanks.
I love you so much for putting buckeyes on top of a cake. Seriously, this cake is an inspirational work of genius!
This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made! Made it for the husband’s birthday and he asked that this be his standard bday cake from now on, after years of different peanut butter/chocolate concoctions over the years.
SO happy you love this cake! Thanks!
I definitely need to make this for a special occasion, looks heavenly! How much butter when making the buckeyes? The last step says “1/2 butter”–is that half a cup or half a stick?
Hey Jen, it’s a 1/2 cup. Sorry about that and I hope you love this cake!
Thank you!
Hi! Do you have any suggestions for someone who would want to make this gluten-free? THIS LOOKS AMAZING
Hi! I wanna try out your really awesome recipe, but is the meringue powder necessary? can i juse something else instead of it ?
greetings and i really love your blog!! 🙂
Hi there,
Wondering if there is a substitute for the meringue powder for the frosting. I don’t know if I can find it near me!
HI! I think it can just be left out, still will taste great. Hope you love this cake!
Thanks for the super-fast reply! My 12-year-old daughter is making this for her father’s birthday. She made the buckeys last night and is tackling the cake after school today. She’s SO excited!
Oh my goodness! I hope it turned out awesome for her!
It was a huge success! She did an excellent job and was thrilled with the results. Thanks for the super recipe.
AWESOME!! 🙂
Amazing!! I first made this cake 12/21/13 for my nephew’s 16th birthday and it was a hit. Made it again my request for my niece and now 3 more requests have come in. EASY and EXCELLENT!! Thanks for sharing.
SO happy it has been a hit! Thanks Angela!
I haven’t made a triple layer chocolate pb cake for the girlfriend’s birthday in years. Too sweet, too rich, too much, her friends said. Well, I saw this and I’m all in! Making it for Sunday. Thanks!
Hope you LOVE it!! Thanks Seth!
I made this for my husband’s birthday. It took me 5 hours LOL. This was the first time I ever made a layered cake, or a ganash. It came out PERFECT. Your recipe/instructions obviously are spot on! Huge hit, So many compliments and it truly looked like it came from a bakery. Thank you for making me look like I know how to bake 🙂
oh my gosh!! YES! So happy this turned out awesome for you! 🙂
Thanks for making it!
Just made the cake – only went for a double layer plus cupcakes, which I sampled. Cake is a birthday gift for a PB lover, who I think will really enjoy it. Cake and PB filling are great, but something was not quite right with the frosting. After I made it and tasted, I ended up subbing in my usual chocolate frosting recipe. The buckeyes were fun to make but I think the vanilla measurement is off. Did you mean a tsp? I used the directions as written (tbsp) and they taste overwhelmingly of vanilla. Not bad, but not the peanut butter flavor I expected.
I think it would also be tricky to make the cake & buckeyes in 2 hours, especially since things need significant time to cool. Luckily, this time of year I could put them outside briefly and they cooled in a snap!
Great photos and I think the cake will be a treat for anyone who likes peanut butter or chocolate (or bourbon)!
Now this looks like the kind of treat that I would love to sink my teeth into. I have a fondness/weekness for peanut butter that is second only to my weakness for Russian women.
Thanks so much!
6 sticks of butter?!?! I am so making this.
Haha! Thanks Claire! Hope you love it!
I’m making this today for my son’s birthday. He’s 23 and has chosen the same birthday cake for years. When I showed him the pictures of this cake, he decided it was time to try something new. That’s a great compliment, since he always likes to stay with the tried-and-true! I think he will love it!
I made this for my peanut butter loving 27 year old and he went out of his mind it was insanely delicious. Made it a two layer instead of three! Wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much, Kelly!! I am so thrilled he loved this!! It is a peanut butter lovers dream! Thanks again for making it!