Cake Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line the bottom of three 6″ round cake pans. Set aside.

In a small pan, heat the butter and coffee until the mixture is steaming and the butter is melted. Take off the burner and let cool.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through baking soda.

Mix together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the butter mixture once cooled. If the butter mixture is still too hot when you mix these together, the egg will cook.

Add the dry ingredients into the now combined wet ingredients in two batches. Fold together until just combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes – until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them upside down on a cooling rack to cool completely. This will help create a flatter top for each layer.

After the cakes have come to room temperature, wrap well in plastic wrap and set flat in the freezer for at least an hour, or in the fridge for a few hours. This will make frosting easier, and will help the ganache set more quickly.

Peanut Butter Buttercream and Dark Chocolate Ganache Directions: 

Whip the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, and then add the vanilla extract and salt as needed.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream together in a small bowl. Spread the peanut butter buttercream between each cake layer and the outside of the cake. Drip the chocolate ganache over top. I like to fill this squeeze bottle with the ganache. I find it more easy to control the drip that way, versus a spoon! Decorate with peanut butter cups!