Peanut Butter Truffle Brownie Cake

While uploading pictures of this cake that was born out of a plain ole' pan of brownies for a dinner party, I really wish I had some left. It was the ultimate sweet chocolate dessert, and when you've got a serious sweet tooth, I highly suggest making this tout suite. (Or rather like toot SWEET, no?) Sometimes I think I truly missed my calling as a comedian.... Anyway, as I was brain-storming a killer dessert to bring to a dinner date with friends, we bounced around peanut butter and chocolate, the beloved combination of old. I had it in my brain to make a brownie trifle with peanut butter truffles and whipped cream. I then remembered the sad crunching noise when we were moving, that just so happened to be my trifle bowl being crushed into oblivion.  So I made this as a cake, and it was one of those desserts that makes you think, "That's right, I've still got it!"

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownie Cake

Brownies:

-2 cups all purpose flour ( I used Bob's Red Mill All-purpose Whole Wheat)

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

-1 cup filtered water

-1 cup canola oil

- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

-1 cup creamy peanut butter

-3/4 cup cocoa powder

-1 t. salt

-2 t. baking powder

-1 t. vanilla 

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Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 cake pan with non-stick spray. Combine flour, salt and baking powder and whisk to combine. In another bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, peanut butter, water, canola oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add wet to dry and whisk gently  to combine             ( whisking is used in this recipe to combine all the ingredients and get out the lumps. whisk only until the lumps are out then fold. Fold in  chocolate chips, pour batter into pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted in comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Truffle Layer:

-1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup peanut butter

-1/2 cup half and half

-1 T. canola oil

Directions: In microwave heat chocolate chips, oil and peanut butter in 1 minute increments until mostly melted. Stir half and half and vanilla in until smooth and spread onto cooled brownies.

Whipped Cream

-1 cup heavy cream

-1/3 cup powdered sugar

-1 t. vanilla

Directions:

Whip cream until fluiffy with electric whisk or stand mixer, then beat in sugar and vanilla and spread onto cooled truffle layer.

Garnish with chopped up Reeses Peanut Butter cups.

Three lovely  layers of sweet chocolate-y heaven.

The chocolate peanut butter combo is of course a classic. But when you add whipped cream too..... Aw damn is all you can say.