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    Pink Owl Kitchen » Desserts » Cakes » Midnight Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

    Midnight Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

    Published: Aug 11, 2020 · Modified: Feb 17, 2022 by Ashley · This post may contain affiliate links

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    This beautiful dark chocolate cake gets its rich black color and intense chocolate flavor from black cocoa powder and is coated in creamy peanut butter frosting for the most amazing flavor combination!

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    close up side angle shot of a slice of dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting

    I made this gorgeous black beauty over the weekend to celebrate an incredible milestone - six months of sobriety! If anyone told me at the beginning of this year that I would be six months sober right now, I would have politely told them that they were out of their mind! But here I am celebrating with the most amazing Midnight Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting.

    This is basically the cake of my dreams as it features several of my favorite things - chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee - all in one beautiful cake! The key to getting the beautiful black color is black cocoa powder.

    You can also use regular dark cocoa powder if that is what you have but the color will be more of a deep brown than the black you see here. Cocoa is heavily dutched to make black cocoa powder, which means it is treated with an alkaline solution to neutralize its acidity. The result is an extra dark cocoa powder with a robust chocolate flavor. This is the brand I use.

    Another wonderful touch that I added to this cake is a layer of espresso chips around the bottom. If you can't find espresso chips, dark chocolate chips would also be delicious or you can simply choose to omit them.

    This cake has the most intense, decadent chocolate flavor, and the peanut butter frosting pairs so beautifully with the chocolate. The cake is also surprisingly simple to make!

    side shot of dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting on white cake stand with a colorful linen in bottom of shot.

    How to Make this Cake

    • Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
    • Coat two 9 inch round cake pans with butter and place a parchment circle in the bottom of each. Coat the parchment with more butter then coat the inside each buttered pan with a dusting of cocoa powder. This process ensures your cakes do not stick to the pan.
    • Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Place the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Add the buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the hot coffee and stir until completely smooth. The batter will be very thin. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans and smooth each out into an even layer.
    • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool completely, for at least 1 hour.

    Making the Peanut Butter Frosting

    • Add butter and peanut butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until creamy and well-combined.  
    • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar (about ⅓ cup at a time) until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so all ingredients are well incorporated. 
    • Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
    • With the mixer on low speed, add milk and mix until well-combined. Gradually increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds.  

    Assembling the Cake

    • Once cakes are cooled, remove them from the pans and discard the parchment paper. Trim the top of each so they are flat. Place a dollop of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate or cardboard cake round (to help secure cake) and flip one cake over and gently transfer it to the cake plate on top of frosting. The bottom of the cake should now be on top.
    • Generously coat the top of the cake with frosting then add a second cake layer with the bottom facing up. Coat the outside of the cake with a very thin crumb coat and refrigerate for at least an hour to set the crumb coat.
    • Once the crumb coat is set, frost the cake evenly with the remainder of the frosting. To create a swoopy finish, use the back of an offset spatula or spoon to gently press down as you swoop frosting in an "S" motion, pulling spatula or spoon away quickly to create little "peaks". Add espresso or chocolate chips to the bottom of the cake by gently pressing them into the sides by hand.
    close up side angle shot of a slice of dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting

    A Few Important Tips

    Do not omit the coffee in this cake recipe as it is crucial due to the use of dark cocoa powder. The coffee adds necessary acidity which helps the cake rise.

    It is important to set the cake with a crumb coat before adding the final layer of frosting. Since this cake is so dark in color and the frosting is very light, any crumbs in the frosting would be very noticeable.

    You Will Also Love This Caramel Cheesecake Layer Cake Recipe!

    dark chocolate cake

    Midnight Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

    Ashley
    This beautiful dark chocolate cake gets its rich black color and intense chocolate flavor from black cocoa powder and is coated in creamy peanut butter frosting for the most amazing flavor combination!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 704 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    For the Cake

    • Butter for greasing cake pans
    • 2 cups cake flour sifted
    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • 1 cup black cocoa powder sifted, you can also use dark cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup hot brewed coffee

    For the Peanut Butter Frosting

    • 1 cup butter unsalted, softened
    • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
    • 3 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2-3 tablespoons buttermilk

    Instructions
     

    For the Cake

    • Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
    • Coat two 9 inch round cake pans with butter and place a parchment circle in the bottom of each. Coat the parchment with more butter then coat the inside each buttered pan with a dusting of cocoa powder.
    • Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Place the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Add the buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the hot coffee and stir until completely smooth. The batter will be very thin. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans and smooth each out into an even layer.
    • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool completely, for at least 1 hour.

    For the Peanut Butter Frosting

    • Add butter and peanut butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until creamy and well-combined.
    • With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar (about ⅓ cup at a time) until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so all ingredients are well incorporated.
    • Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
    • With mixer on low-speed, add milk and mix until well-combined. Gradually increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds.

    Assembling the Cake

    • Once cakes are cooled, remove them from the pans and discard the parchment paper. Trim the top of each so they are flat. Place a dollop of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate or cardboard cake round (to help secure cake) and flip one cake over and gently transfer it to the cake plate on top of frosting. The bottom of the cake should now be on top.
    • Generously coat the top of the cake with frosting then add second cake layer with the bottom facing up. Coat the outside of the cake with a very thin crumb coat and refrigerate for at least an hour to set the crumb coat.
    • Once crumb coat is set, frost the cake evenly with the remainder of the frosting. To create a swoopy finish, use the back of an offset spatula or spoon to gently press down as you swoop frosting in an "S" motion, pulling spatula or spoon away quickly to create little "peaks". Add espresso or chocolate chips to the bottom of the cake by gently pressing them into the sides by hand.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sliceCalories: 704kcalCarbohydrates: 91.1gProtein: 11.5gFat: 37.5gSaturated Fat: 14.2gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 579mgFiber: 6gSugar: 65.9gCalcium: 73mgIron: 73mg
    Keyword chocolate cake, dark chocolate cake, panut butter frosting
    Tried this recipe?Tag @thepinkowlkitchen on Instagram! Don't forget to leave a star rating and review!

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    Ashley Boyd - creator of Pink Owl Kitchen

    Hi! I'm Ashley.

    I'm Ashley, go-to chef and hostess for huge family gatherings, new mom to a beautiful baby boy, and founder of Pink Owl Kitchen. All of our recipes are influenced by my southern upbringing and feature fresh, seasonal ingredients to encourage families to come together around the dinner table more!

    Learn more about me →

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