Feel a bit of déjà vu as you look at this cake?

That could be due to the fact that it’s the second ganache topped cake I have shared this week.

Although both cakes are dripping with ganache, today’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Overload Cake couldn’t be more different than the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake.

What you have is a super chocolatety cake covered in a not too sweet, silky smooth peanut butter icing and topped with that rich chocolate ganache. Tucked between each cake layer, and on top, is a good dose of chopped peanut butter cups.

Overload definitely describes this ridiculously amazing cake.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Overload Cake

Ingredients:

2½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup + 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1½ cups buttermilk
1½ cups strong black coffee, hot
¾ cup vegetable oil
4½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Icing (recipe follows)
Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
30 miniature peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, grease parchment, then flour the insides of the pans, set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds (batter will be very thin).

5. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.

6. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a tester inserted into center of cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes.

7. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

8. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Cover with 1 cup of the peanut butter icing and sprinkle with 10 of the chopped peanut butter cups. Top with a second cake layer and cover with another 1 cup of the icing and another 10 chopped peanut butter cups. Place the final cake layer on top face-down. Frost the cake with the remaining peanut butter icing, smoothing as best as possible.

9. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour, until the icing is set.

10. Slowly pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake, letting it flow over the sides of the cake. Top with the remaining 10 chopped peanut butter cups.

11. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes, allowing the ganache to set up. Keep the cake refrigerated, removing it from the refrigerator 20 minutes prior to serving.

Serves 12 to 20

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

Peanut Butter Icing

Ingredients:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Place confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

2. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. While the cake chills, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a 4-cup measuring cup; set aside.

2. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil.

3. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until the ganache is smooth. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, yet still a pourable consistency.

Alt-J, out of Leeds, have this to say about their band’s name:

“alt-J (∆)’s name takes a little explaining. Pronounced “alt-J”, the delta sign is created when you hold down the alt key on your computer keyboard and punch ‘J’ on a Mac computer. The symbol has a deeper meaning for the band, as guitarist/bassist Gwil Sainsbury notes, “in mathematical equations it’s used to show change,” and the band’s relatively new name came at a turning point in their lives.”

That’s cool.

So, gun theme aside, this funky tune is wicked catchy.

Then there is this strange and sex heavy song.

Check out Alt-J on Facebook and the band’s Website, where you can learn of upcoming tour dates and pre-order their forthcoming album ‘This Is All Yours’.

Cheers!