Name: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cake
Ingredients: 3 cups cake flour; 3/4 cup cocoa powder; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp instant espresso powder; 2 sticks butter, at room temperature; 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 4 eggs; 1 tbsp vanilla; 2 cups buttermilk; 4 sticks butter, at room temperature; 1 1/2 cups smooth all-natural peanut butter; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; 6 to 7 cups powdered sugar; 3 to 4 tbsp heavy cream; 1 cup crushed pretzels; 1 cup dark chocolate shavings; 1/2 cup salted peanuts (if desired)

Ingredients

3-Layer Chocolate Cake

3 cups cake flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp instant espresso powder
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups buttermilk

Salted Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

4 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups smooth all-natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
6 to 7 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tbsp heavy cream

Assembly

1 cup crushed pretzels
1 cup dark chocolate shavings
1/2 cup salted peanuts (if desired)

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Instructions

For the cake

Preheat oven to 350. Prep three 9-inch round pans.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and instant espresso powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low, add half of the flour mixture, and beat until incorporated.
Add buttermilk in a slow stream and beat until thoroughly combined. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and finish stirring with a spatula. Divide batter between the three pans.
Bake until golden brown on top and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. (If you have all three cakes in at once, it may take longer. Don’t worry. Just keep an eye on them, testing centers every 3 minutes or so. For me it took close to 30 minutes.) Wait until cakes are completely cool before frosting.

For the frosting

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until softened, about 1 minute. Add the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla and beat well.
Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add another 2 cups of sugar along with 3 tbsp of heavy cream. Add remaining 2 to 3 cups of sugar and remaining cream until it is your desired consistency. Beat on medium speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

To Assemble

Frost each layer of cake with the peanut butter frosting, adding a handful of crushed pretzels and shaved chocolate between the layers. Frost exterior of cake, then line with whole pretzels. Scatter shaved chocolate and salted peanuts (if desired) on top.