Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Name: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 200 g unsalted butter; 50 g cocoa powder; 100 g dark brown soft sugar; 125 g caster sugar; 10 ml vanilla extract; 225 g plain flour; 4.5 g baking powder; 2.3 g bicarbonate of soda; 2 ea large eggs; 300 g icing sugar; 150 g unsalted butter; 200 g smooth peanut butter; 5 ml vanilla extract; 1.5 g fine sea salt; 60 ml double cream; 35 g dry roasted peanuts

Recipe from Nigella · original post · full recipe on nigella.com

A dark, damp, melt-everything-in-the-pan chocolate layer cake filled and covered with a whipped peanut butter buttercream, topped with chopped dry roasted peanuts.

Serves 10 75 minKid-friendly

VegetarianBake

Ingredients

unsalted butter — plus extra for greasing200 g
cocoa powder50 g
dark brown soft sugar100 g
caster sugar125 g
vanilla extract — 2 tsp10 ml
plain flour225 g
baking powder — 1 tsp4.5 g
bicarbonate of soda — ½ tsp2.3 g
large eggs — at room temperature2 ea
icing sugar — for the buttercream300 g
unsalted butter — softened, for the buttercream150 g

Cooking for a different diet?

Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.

Dairy-free
- 200 g Dairy-free butter instead of unsalted butter
- 60 ml Oat cream instead of double cream
Use a firm dairy-free block rather than a soft spread so the buttercream holds; the cake bakes for the same time.

Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.

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What it costs, and where to buy it

Shops to compare

List price at each shop

Missing items
These totals leave part of the list out, so a lower one isn't a cheaper shop.
Pak'nSaveBest choice
· $13.38 of food
$43.79
69% spare
No price at Pak'nSave for:
- dark brown soft sugar
- bicarbonate of soda
- large eggs
Woolworths NZ
· $15.21 of food · $1.83 more
$56.25
73% spare
No price at Woolworths NZ for:
- dark brown soft sugar
- fine sea salt
- dry roasted peanuts
New World
· $15.27 of food
$44.48
66% spare
No price at New World for:
- dark brown soft sugar
- bicarbonate of soda
- large eggs
- fine sea salt
- dry roasted peanuts

$1.34a serve

from $1.34 a serve at Pak'nSave · 11 of 14 ingredients priced

About $13.38 of ingredients used for 10 serves.

$55.07 across 2 shops · 13 of 14 items priced

Pak'nSaveBest choice

$13.38

missing 3 items

you'll pay $43.79 · 69% of it spare

Woolworths NZ

$15.21

missing 3 items · $1.83 more

you'll pay $56.25 · 73% of it spare

New World

$15.27

missing 5 items

you'll pay $44.48 · 66% of it spare

Buy at Pak'nSave$37.00

unsalted butter

$1.80/100g

need 350 gMainland Unsalted Butter 500 g$8.99closest match

Pak'nSave$1.80/100g$8.99·Woolworths NZ$9.45·New World$1.96/100g$9.79

cocoa powder

$2.52/100g

need 50 gPams Cocoa Powder 100g 250 g$6.29

Pak'nSave$2.52/100g$6.29·New World$2.56/100g$6.39·Woolworths NZ$7.79

caster sugar

$0.21/100g

need 125 gPams Caster Sugar 100g 1 kg$2.09

Pak'nSave$0.21/100g$2.09·Woolworths NZ$2.19·New World$0.50/100g$2.49

plain flour

$0.126/100g

need 225 gPams Pure Plain Flour 100g 1.5 kg$1.89closest matchreal special

Pak'nSave$0.126/100g$1.89·Woolworths NZ$2.00·New World$0.133/100g$2.00

baking powder

$0.87/100g

need 4.5 gPams Baking Powder 100g 400 g$3.49

Pak'nSave$0.87/100g$3.49·Woolworths NZ$3.59·New World$2.39/100g$3.59

icing sugar

$0.21/100g

need 300 gPams Icing Sugar 100g 1 kg$2.09

Pak'nSave$0.21/100g$2.09·Woolworths NZ$2.39·New World$0.27/100g$2.65

smooth peanut butter

$0.53/100g

need 200 gPams Smooth Peanut Butter 100g 375 g$1.99

Pak'nSave$0.53/100g$1.99·New World$0.64/100g$2.39·Woolworths NZ$5.49

fine sea salt

$0.03/10g

need 1.5 gMrs Rogers Naturals Additive Free Fine Sea Salt 1 kg$2.59

Pak'nSave$0.03/10g$2.59·Woolworths NZN/A·New WorldN/A

double cream

$1.63/100ml

need 60 mlLewis Road Creamery Premium Double Cream 300 ml$4.89

Pak'nSave$1.63/100ml$4.89·New World$1.73/100ml$5.19·Woolworths NZ$5.28

dry roasted peanuts

$1.54/100g

need 35 gEta Dry Roasted Peanuts 100g 175 g$2.69

Pak'nSave$1.54/100g$2.69·Woolworths NZN/A·New WorldN/A

Buy at Woolworths NZ$18.07

vanilla extract

$4.79

need 15 mlQueen Organic vanilla extract 50 mlclosest match

Woolworths NZ$4.79·Pak'nSave$1.36/10ml$6.79·New World$2.00/10ml$9.99

bicarbonate of soda

$2.99

need 2.3 gEdmonds baking soda bicarbonate 210 g

Woolworths NZ$2.99·Pak'nSaveN/A·New WorldN/A

large eggs

$10.29

need 2 itemsFarmer Brown eggs cage free barn size 7 12 pack

Woolworths NZ$10.29·Pak'nSaveN/A·New WorldN/A

Only a different brand found

dark brown soft sugar

$0.42/100g

need 100 gChelsea Soft Brown Sugar 500 g$2.09substitutedat Pak'nSave

Pak'nSave$0.42/100g$2.09·New World$0.50/100g$2.49·Woolworths NZN/A

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan. Butter two 20 cm sandwich tins (not loose-bottomed, as this is a runny batter) and line them with baking parchment.
Cut the 200 g butter lengthways into four pieces and put into a heavy-based, fairly wide saucepan over gentle heat. Add 250 ml just-boiled water and whisk in the cocoa and both sugars; keep on a low heat, whisking gently, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the 2 tsp vanilla and let stand for 5 minutes.
Mix the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Whisk the eggs together in a small jug.
Pour the eggs gradually into the pan, whisking all the while, until completely absorbed. Then whisk in the flour slowly and gently until you have a smooth batter, and pour evenly into the tins.
Bake for 18–20 minutes, until the cakes are shrinking away at the edges and a cake tester comes out cleanish (it is a damp cake, so a few crumbs are fine). Cool on a rack for 10–15 minutes, then turn out, or leave in their tins until cold.
For the buttercream, sift the icing sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together for 3 minutes in a mixer (5 with a handheld whisk) until light and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla and salt.
At a slightly lower speed, add the icing sugar a spoonful at a time until half is in, then the rest in 3 batches. Turn the speed up and beat for 2 minutes (3 by hand-held whisk), scrape down the sides and beat again briefly.
Still beating, add the cream a tablespoon at a time, then keep beating for 4 minutes (6 with a handheld whisk) until soft, aerated and moussy.
Place one cake flat-side up on a plate and spread with about a third of the icing right to the edges. Top with the second cake, domed-side up, and spread another third over the top.
Spread the remaining buttercream around the sides to cover and smooth, then decorate with the chopped peanuts.