Ganache - Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup -Triple Chocolate - Cake

My husband's birthday cake rounded out the cake trio.  The title just about says it all. There was so. much. cake.  It was a good thing we had so many family and friends there to celebrate with us. I know it's a lot of pictures of the same thing, but it looked so good I couldn't help myself. #SorryNotSorry

Welcome Home

We spent the holidays with my husband's family.  His niece happened to come home from her mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the same day we flew in.  It also happened to be my husband and baby's birthdays.  I knew she'd be having a home coming that Sunday and thought since family would be gathered it would be a good time to celebrate all three.  My mother-in-law was gracious enough to let me take over her kitchen while I made some simple, but delicious cakes.  His niece requested 'something chocolate.'  She got a chocolate cake with a rich fudgy (think brownie batter) chocolate frosting. I hope she enjoyed a small treat upon her honorable return.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss

 

8" chocolate cake. Chocolate frosting, peanut butter filling, chocolate ganache...and of course, Reeses peanut butter cups. Happy Birthday to me!

Costco-esque

Doesn't it seem like thirty is the real birthday for crossing over to 'adulthood,' more so than eighteen...or is that just me?  Anyway, as part of my birthday present to my husband I promised a "minimal" mess in the kitchen, which let's be honest is 80% of the perk of ordering a cake--no mess! 

But since there wouldn't be any super-dazzlingly-decorated-awesomeness, that meant I had to rock the taste. My husband likes cake as much as the average person but isn't a cake-aholic and since he's tried a lot (probably too many) of mine, it's a big deal when he comments on a good cake. So the only cake I can remember him really really liking, besides mine, was Costco's chocolate cake (although I've got to say the cake itself is pretty dry).

It's really hard to surprise someone with a cake who lives at your house so my husband knew and got to give input on what he wanted.  He likes the Costco cake but the one thing in particular he wanted different was a little lighter icing. So the filling was nice and RICH and fudgy and the icing was a lighter although, still rich chocolate italian meringue buttercream. Chocolate comas were induced!