Chocolate Peanut Butter Reeses Cake

Ingredients

Ingredients for the cake

• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 and 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 pound bag of light brown sugar (2 and 1/4 cups)
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk (buttermilk hack: add 1 tbsp white vinegar to 1-cup measuring cup, fill rest of way with milk and let sit 10 minutes)

Ingredients for the filling

• 2 and 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Ingredients for the frosting

• 20 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (2 and 1/2 sticks)
• 1 cup confectioners� sugar
• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• Pinch salt
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz milk chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 cups miniature Reese�s peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat three 9-inch cake pans with butter, then dust with flour.
2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a second large bowl (or the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream butter and peanut butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium and add brown sugar, followed by eggs (one at a time), mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.
4. Reduce mixer speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated.
5. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cakes cool completely before frosting (freezing them is even better).
6. To make the filling: In medium saucepan over medium heat, bring whipping cream and brown sugar to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove saucepan from heat and add chocolate chips. Let stand one minute.
7. Whisk in peanut butter until smooth. Chill filling until ready to assemble cake.
8. To make the frosting: In large bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer), combine butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Mix ingredients together until smooth.
9. Once ingredients are mixed, slowly add corn syrup and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add melted chocolate to mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until the mixture is creamy and thoroughly combined.
10. To assemble cake: Freeze your layers before assembling. Place one layer upside-down on cake stand (a dab of frosting on the top of the stand will help keep cake in place). Spread half of filling mixture over top of first layer top with second layer and repeat with remaining filling. Top second layer with third layer and carefully frost cake with frosting. Top with chopped peanut butter cups.