Eggless Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Swiss Buttercream

I was tasked with making an "amazing" dessert for a dinner that we were invited to the other day.  Do you know what kind of pressure that puts on a person?  "So, I hear you make amazing desserts. Would you bring one to dinner?" This means that there is no possible way you can bring anything less than amazing.  So you have to find of think of something amazing, first of all, then you have to execute it without a hitch.  And if both of those fail, you just hope that those eating it have no taste buds and still think your dessert is amazing.  After searching and thinking and wracking my brain trying to figure out what to make, I found this recipe.  I didn't make many changes to the recipe.  But I did make the buttercream 3 times.  Yes 3.  And not because I wanted to either.  My culinary skills left me the day I made this cake.  It's a wonder it was even edible.  But oh how edible it was.  This cake was moist and fudgy and the peanut butter buttercream was delicious!  Hopefully it reached amazing status.

Eggless Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Swiss Buttercream

Eggless Chocolate Cake:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Swiss Buttercream:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
6 Tablespoons cold butter
2 Tablespoons dark chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons peanut butter chips
1 Tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the sides (to use as handles).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.  Add the water, oil, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely in the pan, then run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen from the pan.  using the parchment paper as handles, gently lift the cake out of the pan, peel off the parchment, and set the cake on a serving plate.

For the buttercream, combine the egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl (I used the bowl of my stand mixer).  Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk the egg whites and sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot.  Remove the bowl from over the pot of water and beat the egg white mixture with an electric mixer (I used a stand mixer) for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the mixture is completely cool, white and fluffy, and stiff peaks form.  Beat in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt.  Beat in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until blended and smooth.  

Spread the buttercream over the cake.  Sprinkle with the dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and mini chocolate chips.  Makes 12 servings.

Enjoy! -Cardamommy