Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

We are getting closer to Easter and we need a few new ideas. This is a quick but elegant sheet cake with a rich frosting. If you have chocolate box cake in your pantry that would work, I may add dark chocolate chips to make it a dark chocolate cake

The ingredients measured out for the Peanut Butter Frosting including the decorative Blue Robin Marshmallow Eggs from @Williamssonoma

I use Vanilla Puree with the vanilla beans suspended in the liquid you can find it locally at Red Stick Spice

The Dark Chocolate Sheet Cake can be made ahead of time

I uses the Blue Robins Marshmallow Eggs and Dark Chocolate Salted Almonds from Trader Joe’s

Ingredients:

4 oz (115 grams) 60% cacao semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 Tbl (84 grams) unsalted butter

1½ cups (360 grams) water

1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

1 cup (220 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

¼ cup (21 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

⅔ cup (160 grams) sour cream

1 tsp (4 grams) pure vanilla puree

2 large eggs (100 grams), lightly beaten

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 grams) baking powder

2 tsp (10 grams) baking soda

1 tsp (3 grams) kosher salt

Peanut Butter Frosting (recipe follows)

Garnish: Flaky sea salt, salted chocolate covered almonds, Blue Robins Marshmallow Eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting parchment extend over sides of pan. Spray parchment with baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, place chocolate and butter.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1½ cups (360 grams) water and sugars; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in cocoa. Pour over chocolate mixture, and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is combined. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Whisk in eggs.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, whisking just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Top with Peanut Butter Frosting; garnish with flaky salt and or salted chocolate covered almonds

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup (225 grams) cream cheese, softened

1½ cups (384 grams) creamy peanut butter

1 Tbl (13 grams) pure vanilla puree

2 cups (240 grams) confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbl (30 grams) whole milk

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese at low speed until smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beating until combined. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar alternately with milk, beating until smooth. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.