Flourless Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cake with Warm Chocolate Glaze

posted on January 24, 2011 by Beth // 24 Comments »

Today, January 24th, is National Peanut Butter Day. I think that calls for a special dessert, don’t you?

When peanut butter enters my mind, chocolate is not far behind.  So that’s how this cake came to be…

I’ve been craving a flourless chocolate cake for a while, so I set out to find a recipe for that first. Then it was on to the peanut butter portion. Once I’d found both, I did a little recalculating to combine the two, and Voila! You have my Flourless Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake with Warm Chocolate Glaze.

While incredible at room temperature, it’s to-die-for served warm. With a glass of milk. You’re welcome.

Flourless Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cake with Warm Chocolate Glaze

Serves 8-10. Created from and inspired by About.com and The Knead for Speed.


Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Chocolate Layer:

6 - 1 oz squares coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla


3 large eggs

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp salt


Peanut Butter Layer:

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

2 large eggs, separated


Chocolate Glaze:

4 - 1 oz squares coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate squares

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F


For both cakes, line the bottom of a 6 to 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray.


Instructions for Chocolate Layer:


1. Melt 6 ounces of chopped chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.

2. Add sugar and salt and reduce heat to low. Cook while stirring for about one minute, until sugar starts to dissolve. Add vanilla.

3. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. The mixture will look smooth and glossy.

4. Use a mesh hand sieve to sift cocoa into mixture to prevent lumps. Whisk until the cake batter is smooth.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The center of the cake should be just firm to the touch, but be careful to not overbake the cake or it will be dry.

6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

7. Remove cake from springform pan and place on a serving plate.


Instructions for Peanut Butter Layer


1. In a mixing bowl, beat together peanut butter, sugar, milk, oil, egg yolks, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined.

2. Thoroughly clean and dry mixing beaters. In a small separate mixing bowl, whip egg whites to stiff peaks.

3. Gently fold egg whites into rest of ingredients until well-incorporated.

4. Pour batter into springform pan and bake for about 25 minutes.

5. Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

6. Prepare chocolate glaze while peanut butter cake is cooling.


Instructions for preparing the glaze and putting together the cake:



1. To prepare the glaze, melt 4 ounces of chopped chocolate and 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter in the same saucepan you used to make the chocolate cake.

2. When melted and smooth, remove the pan from heat.

3. Add milk, honey and vanilla and stir until smooth and glossy.

4. Pour about 1/3 of the glaze on the chocolate cake. Spread with spatula.

5. Gently take peanut butter cake out of springform pan and place it on top of the chocolate cake with glaze

6. Pour the rest of the chocolate glaze in the middle of the peanut butter cake layer. Use a spatula to spread the glaze evenly over the cake, allowing the glaze to run down the sides.


Optional: garnish with chopped peanut butter cups (mine were the mini dark chocolate ones from Trader Joe's)