Reese’s Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Reese’s Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
For the icing:
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
miniature Reese’s cups, halved and/or chopped
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350º.
-Butter two 9×2 round cake pans.  Sprinkle flour on the inside, tap out excess and line bottom with parchment paper.
-Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
-Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
-Add sugar and continue beating for about 2 minutes, until it is thoroughly blended into the butter.
-Add eggs and yolks one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.  If needed, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
-Beat in vanilla.
-Reduce speed to low and alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, with the dry ingredients in 3 portion and the buttermilk in 2, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
-Mix only until just blended into the batter.  Scrape down bottom and sides of bowl.
-Divide batter evenly between two pans and bake for 26 to 30 minutes, until the cakes feel springy to the touch.
-Allow cakes to cool in pans on rack for about 5 minutes, then remove from pans and allow to cool to room temperature.  At this point, cake layers can be wrapped airtight and left at room temperature overnight or frozen up to 2 months.
-While cake is cooling, make icing by combining confectioner’s sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
-Beat on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
-Freeze the Reese’s Cups while filling and frosting the cake, then chop/halve them as desired.
Cake adapted from Baking: From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan
Icing adapted from Ina Garten
As seen on Annie’s Eats