Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

My brother's birthday was last week and I wanted to make a cake for him. We usually have a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting but this year we used a different recipe, this one. This recipe is my step-brother's dad's family recipe. 

This cake was very moist and delicious. The frosting was not too sweet but had a good peanut butter flavor. Since the frosting has peanut butter in it, the frosting sets very quickly, making it hard to spread. You need to spread the frosting quickly or keep mixing it to soften it up. Overall, this cake was amazing and I would happily make it again.

BJ's Cake

This recipe has two layers. If you want more layers, do the same as below, but separate equally between the number of cake pans. 

Cake Ingredients

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

3/4 cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cake Instructions

Grease two circular 7" cake pans. Then cut some parchment paper in a circle to fit at the bottom of the pans. Cover pan in a coat of flour and shake out the extra flour. Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Put boiling water, cocoa powder, and butter in a mixer bowl and mix together. Add sugar, and beat thoroughly. 

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Add the egg and vanilla. 

Pour batter in the cake pans equally. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. If the cake not done in that time, add 5 minutes until cooked. 

When done, let the cakes cool on a wire rack. After 20 minutes, take the cakes out of the pans. Use a knife along the edge to make sure it is not attached. Put a plate on the top of it, and flip it over. Allow gravity to do its job and wait a minute. Pull the pan straight off. Remove the parchment paper. Now, admire your beautiful cakes. Wait until the cakes have cooled completely before frosting. 

Peanut Butter Frosting

Frosting Ingredients

1 lb. (4 cups) sifted confectioners sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

Frosting Instructions

Combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. If the frosting is not smooth enough for spreading, add a splash of milk at a time until it is the consistency you want. Frost on the cake when the cake is completely cooled. 

Note: The blue on the cake is wax from birthday candles.