Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

Where to begin? This is the best cake we’ve posted thus far. Technically it’s the only cake we’ve posted, but who’s being technical? Not me! We rarely make a whole cake, so when we do, we choose something extra special.

We made this for family game night over the weekend. Sure Bunco was a blast, but the desserts were far more memorable. Every single person wanted a slice and loved it. The peanut butter mousse was out of this world and paired with an Oreo crust, salty peanuts and mini chocolate chips, it seriously knocked my socks off. The peanut butter flavor is perfectly balanced, not too much or too little. For those of you who love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, you have to try this. For those of you who don’t…your loss!

Note: We made this recipe exactly as we saw it on Annie’s Eats but found that we all wanted only tiny sliver-size slices. Next time we’re going to try making individual Oreo crusts in a cupcake pan then piping the mousse in. Also, we’re going to skip the ganache…it’s so good already that we didn’t think it was necessary.

Here's what you'll need

Process Oreos to crumbs then mix in a pinch of salt and melted butter

Press evenly into bottom and sides of your springform pan

Process some salted peanuts too

Combine mini chips, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; set aside

Whip heavy cream

These look like stiff peaks to me

Transfer to a bowl

Whip cream cheese and confectioners' sugar

Add milk

Creamy peanut butter

Don't forget the peanuts

Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to lighten the mousse

I'm not sure why there's a little leprechaun in the corner

Add the rest of the whipped cream

Add mousse to the cooled Oreo crust

Spread evenly

Finely chop bittersweet chocolate

Heat heavy cream in a saucepan

Aunt Betty's double boiler gets A LOT of use

Ganache + Mousse = Heaven

Spread the ganache

Sprinkle with salted peanuts

Refrain from shoveling the whole cake in your mouth

Ingredients

For the Crust:
32 Oreo cookies, finely processed into crumbs
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
small pinch of salt

For the Crunch:
1 ¼ cups salted peanuts, finely chopped, divided (for the filling, crunch and topping)
½ cup mini chocolate chips
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon espresso powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of ground nutmeg

For the Filling:
2 cups heavy cream
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (we didn’t sift)
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons whole milk (we used 2%)

For the Topping:
½ cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet. Combine the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl and toss with a fork to moisten all of the crumbs. Press into a thin layer evenly covering the bottom and sides of the springform pan. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.

To make the crunch, in another small bowl combine ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss with a fork to combine and set aside.

To prepare the filling, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 2 cups of heavy cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Scrape this into a separate bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out but don’t wash the mixer bowl, replace the whisk with the paddle attachment, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, milk, and ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts until well combined.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in about ¼ of the whipped cream just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Scrape the mousse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms. We found that refrigerating overnight was best.

To finish the torte, use a double boiler or put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan. Bring the ½ cup of cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and, working with a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and smooth.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing with a spatula. Scatter the remaining peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, at least 20 minutes. When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Annie’s Eats