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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.
Hi Tieghan!
I just want to say I think you are so talented and I am a big fan of all of your recipes! My mother in law is coming to visit this weekend and it happens to be her birthday, Her favorite things in the world are chocolate and peanut butter but she is gluten-free. This cake would blow her mind, do you have any suggestions regarding how I could make this cake gluten free and still incredibly delicious?
Thank you so much!
Kayla
Hey Kayla!
Thanks so much for your kind message! I would use an equal amount of GF flour in this cake to make it GF. Here are some other chocolate/peanut butter recipes that are already GF.
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/buckeye-crunch-bars/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/5-ingredient-tripple-decker-chocolate-peanut-butter-bars/
I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can’t believe I have missed this recipe all these years. I’m an Ohioan and will be making it in a few days for my husband’s birthday. It will be more for me, then for him. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I hope this turns out amazing for you Bobbi! Thank you! xTieghan
If I were to use coffee yoghurt instead of plain greek yoghurt, do you think the cake would turn out too sweet or would it add another great layer of flavour?
HI! I am not familiar with coffee yogurt, so it is hard to say. I would think it would be fine and it would just highlight the chocolate flavors. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
You dont even have to answer my question, I used the wrong chocolate, i used unsweetened . now i have to start all over again I cantbeleive i did this
Hi, I do have a question since I just made this cake and I am panicking. Im making it for a birthday party and decided to use your awesome recipe. Is the cake part suppose to taste not too sweet , I am now done baking the cakes and tried a sample in a little pan i put some of the batter in and it taste good but not sweet like mine always did, uh oh . i could taste the bitter sweet, i hope you can get back to me before tomorrow. since i may have to start again and am pressed for time , thank yoi so very much
HI! So the cake does not need to be overly sweet because of all the sugar in the frosting. Hope you ended up loving the cake!
How much butter in the buckeyes!? Half stick? Half cup??
So sorry for the confusion. It is 1/2 cup. The recipe is fixed!
Hi Tieghan!
I had sent you a personal message about this, but wasn’t sure if I got stuck in your SPAM.
I work for an organization that publishes a regional magazine for the state of Ohio. We are interested in sharing your recipe and picture in our December edition (set to go to the printer by tomorrow). I wanted to see if it would be okay for us to use your list of ingredients and picture of the cake in the magazine, and a message and link to access the recipe from your site. Would you be okay with this? I can send you the proposed copy if you’d like to see it?
Thank you,
Kelly Phillips
Hey Kelly! That is fine with me, but I would prefer if you left the ingredient list out of the article. Let me know if I can help in any other way. Thank you! 🙂
Will do! Thank you very much!!!
Cake looks gorgeous! I have one question – what can I use instead of meringue powder? Thanks!
Thank you Laura! Just omit the meringue powder. It is not a big deal. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the cake. Thanks! ?
Thank you, the frosting was great without the meringue powder. The cake looked awesome and tasted really ultimate, rich and very delicious!
Yay! So happy it was good! Thanks Laura and happy thanksgiving!
Boy do these sound good. Can’t wait to make these, thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Awesome! Thanks so much Simon!
I’m not easily impressed. . . but that’s impressing me! 🙂
haha! yea! Thank you!
Debbie exemplifies the feel of what a framers market should be. She is warm, knowledgeable, always smiling and willing to help someone or offer a suggestion. She is a hard worker and I just love seeing her when I come to the farm. She is a huge asset to the front end end of the market! Excellent choice for your first employee profile!!
Thank you so much! About to make it now:-)))
Hey T! Cake looks amazing! If I need to omit the bourbon, can I replace with something else?
Hi!! Just use 1/2 more coffee or 1/2 cup water and omit it from the ganache. Hope you love the cake and please let me know if you have any other questions!
Tieghan!
PS: As this cake is a bit of work I baked the cakes early in the week, wrapped them well and froze them. They were in the freezer for 5 days and they still came out super moist once thawed. Frosting when frozen made life so much easier.
Wow. I made this. I thought it would be cloyingly sweet but it was amazing. The cake layer is the moistest chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted and the peanut butter layer looks thick and heavy but is so light once whipped and has a little pack of salt from the peanut. Perfect combo. You made my birthday party special and all my guests have posted pictures all over social media!