Elani's No Fail Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream

My friend Elani's no fail chocolate cake is supremely moist, full of chocolatey flavor and an absolute winner topped with sweet and salty peanut butter buttercream.

My friend Elani is a really adept baker who loves tinkering around in the kitchen, tweaking and improvising recipes until they are perfect.

Fortunately she committed this recipe to paper and was kind enough to share it with me for the blog. She enthusiastically told me how it was a no fail chocolate cake. It always works and it's always super moist.

I decided to give it a try and honestly I'm floored by how true it is that it's a no fail chocolate cake. I've made it about half a dozen times now and it's always moist, super flavorful and a crowd pleaser. Plus it's adaptable to different baking pans and types of flour. Win win.

The cake itself is great as is, but it becomes pure magic when you combine it with this sweet and salty peanut butter buttercream - also one of Elani's creations.

It's a perfect match even for those of us that are sort of meh about chocolate like I am. Personally I'd usually be more drawn to a vanilla loaf cake, but when it comes to this chocolate peanut butter loaf cake, I'm a convert. Sign me up any day. Thanks Elani <3

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• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Serving Suggestion
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Ingredients

Ingredients for the no fail chocolate cake

• Flour: The beauty of this cake is that it's really versatile and never fail so you don't need any special kind of flour to make it. Normally the ideal flour for cake is cake flour which has really low protein and makes for a very light and fluffy texture. If you have cake flour feel free to use that but if you use self-raising flour be sure to omit the leavening agents in the recipe.
• White sugar: This recipe has been made with white sugar, which keeps the crumb a bit lighter. Substituting brown sugar may alter the moisture balance. Since the cake is already very moist, using brown sugar could make it a bit too dense.
• Eggs: Eggs provides lift and structure to the cake.
• Butter (unsalted and softened to room temperature): If you are starting with fridge-cold butter, you can also cube it and pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds - just enough to soften it. If a little bit of it melts that's okay too.
• Whole milk: Milk provides the necessary moisture to make the cake light, fluffy and springy.
• Hot strong brewed coffee (like espresso): The hot coffee is a crucial ingredient. It enhances the flavor of the cocoa while also bringing in moisture.
• Cocoa powder: It wouldn't be a chocolate cake without the cocoa. Be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder - either natural or Dutch process are both fine.
• Sour cream: The sour cream is key - it adds a lot of moisture and a rich texture to the cake. This recipe is made with regular full-fat sour cream but I've also tested it with buttermilk or non-fat strained (Greek style) yogurt, both of which are good substitutions.
• Vanilla: Vanilla gives the cake a lovely aroma. You can use either vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. I like Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste or Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Extract.
• Baking powder and baking soda: Two rising agents for a lighter texture.
• Salt: Salt balances the sweetness in the cake to bring a more complex, well-rounded flavor.

Ingredients for the peanut butter buttercream

The peanut butter buttercream is sweet-salty, perfectly balanced with the flavors of the cake and so easy to make.

• Unsalted butter: The butter gets whipped to incorporate air, resulting in a very light and airy buttercream frosting. Using unsalted butter gives you more control of how much salt you put in so you can get that perfect sweet salty balance.
• Peanut butter: You can use either natural peanut butter or the type made with oils that don't separate. I've made this buttercream with both smooth and chunky peanut butters - both are good options depending on your preference.
• Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is important for making a light buttercream since it's ground very finely. Don't substitute regular sugar or you will end up with a very stodgy and dense frosting.
• Salt: There's a bit more salt than usual in this buttercream and that's because it plays so nicely with the peanut butter flavor. That bit of salt turns this whole recipe from really good to absolutely wow.

Equipment

Loaf pan: This recipe has been tested for the following loaf pan sizes:

• Small standard loaf pan measuring 25cm long by 10cm wide (internal dimensions), 8cm deep with a capacity of 1.7 liters / 7 cups. Or 9.5" long by 4" wide by 3" tall in US standard measures.
• Large standard loaf pan measuring 30cm long by 12cm wide (internal dimensions), 9cm deep with a capacity of 2.4 liters / 9.75 cups. Or 12" long by 5" wide by 4" tall.
• Nordic Ware standard Bundt pan: 9 cup Bundt pan with a width of 25cm / 9.75" and height of 11 cm /  4.25".

If you are using a pan that's substantially different from these dimensions, you may need to make your own adjustments to the baking time.

The loaf pans are metal and prepared with a mixture of butter and flour to make them non-stick. You can also use loaf pans made from other materials like ceramic, glass, enamel or silicone but prepare them accordingly.

Instructions

To make the chocolate cake

To make the cake you just need to combine wet ingredients with wet ingredients, dry with dry, and then mix it all together.

Once the cake ingredients are mixed you just need to prepare the cake pan and you can bake.

To prepare the cake pan, rub it all over with butter, sprinkle liberally with flour and tap out the excess flour. This will make your pan non-stick.

If you pan is already non-stick then you can skip this step.

To make the peanut butter buttercream

To make the peanut butter buttercream you need to whip up the butter. You can do this with a stand mixer (with whisk attachment). You can also use a hand mixer for roughly the same effect.

If you have neither then you can do this with a regular whisk but it will take quite some elbow grease (I would avoid this if possible).

Once the butter is light and airy, incorporate the peanut butter the same way (keep whisking it on medium speed).

Finally, add the salt and powdered sugar while whisking.

Roasted salted peanuts make a nice textural garnish. Give them a rough chop and add them to the buttercream or just on top of the cake.

Serving Suggestion

Since this is a loaf cake it's well suited as either dessert after a dinner, or alternatively can work even as a casual coffee cake.

It stores really well at room temperature for 2-3 days. Thereafter I'd recommend refrigerating in an airtight container.

Related

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