Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

Ingredients

For the Peanut Butter Filling:
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
3 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup sour cream
12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

For the Peanut Butter Filling

In a large mixing bowl, beat peanut butter, cream cheese and butter until combined.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined.
Mix in vanilla. Be sure to scrape down the sides.
Pour in sugar and flour, mix until combined.
Fit a pastry bag with a large plain tip and scoop the filling into the bag. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Cake

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a medium metal or glass bowl, add cocoa and whisk in boiling water. Add in chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Mix in sour cream.

In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. Alternatively mix in the dry ingredients and the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. For example – mix in 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the cocoa mixture, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the cocoa mixture and finishing with the final 1/3 of the flour. Mixing just until combined with each addition.

Spray a bundt pan with a nonstick spray that has flour included (like Baker’s Joy or Pam with Flour). Spoon a little less than half of the batter into bottom of the bundt pan.

Using the pastry bag that has the peanut butter mixture, carefully pipe a ring of the filling over the center of the chocolate batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and gently tap the pan to remove air bubbles.

Bake until top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached – about 50-60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.

Place a wire cooling rack on top of the cake and carefully turn over – remove the pan and let cool completely.