Chocolate Peanut Butter Ball Cake

I made this cake for my husband's birthday. Peanut butter balls are one of his favorites so it seemed like a good idea to make a cake including them. I've been asked for the recipe so I thought it would be easiest to just make a post for it. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the process. I would have taken some if I'd known anyone would have been interested.

 

I started by making a 2 layer chocolate cake. You could use a box mix, but this is the recipe I used. I think it was originally on the side of Hershey's cocoa powder.

Chocolate cake

2 C white sugar
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Add all other ingredients except for the water and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water last. Pour into pans and bake.


To make peanut butter balls, mix:

1/2 C margarine
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 lb. powdered sugar

Form into balls and refrigerate for an hour or so. Melt chocolate chips and some chopped paraffin wax in a double boiler. Using toothpicks, dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Place on waxed paper and refrigerate.


For the peanut butter filling, I just pulled some of the peanut butter/margarine/powdered sugar mixture out while it was still spreadable before adding all the sugar.


Chocolate buttercream icing

1/2 C solid white vegetable shortening
1/2 C butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp Meringue powder
1 lb. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3/8 C unsweetened cocoa powder

Cream shortening, butter, vanilla, water, and milk. Add Meringue powder. Slowly add powdered sugar while mixing. Add salt. Add cocoa powder and mix. Add small amount of water if it's too thick.


Putting it all together:
Spread the peanut butter filling on top of one of the cake layers. Then place the other cake layer on top. Cover the whole cake with the chocolate icing. Place peanut butter balls around the bottom of the cake and on the top. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top.