Torta per scoiattoli americani

Restando in tema peloso, oggi vi posto una torta "famosa" che agli scoiattoli americani piacerebbe sicuramente: torta al cioccolato e burro d'arachidi made in USA vista nella trasmissione Next Cake Boss (che non mi piace quanto Bake Off UK, ma fa dolci spettacolari, anche se tendenzialmente irripetibili a casa). Di solito i loro dolci mi danno l'idea di essere belli, ma troppo dolci per i miei gusti; inoltre non danno mai ricette da rifare. Però questa torta è presa da una puntata particolare in cui la sfida consisteva nel preparare una torta monumentale (per il 40° anniversario della rivista People) e una torta buona, la cui ricetta doveva essere replicabile dai lettori della rivista stessa, sulla quale è stato pubblicato tutto.

La torta che ha vinto era l'unica la cui ricetta mi sembrasse buona e replicabile, e siccome apprezzo il burro d'arachidi quanto gli scoiattoli mi sono messa alla ricerca e ve la posto qua sotto. La torta è dei pasticceri Al Watson e Lia Weber, che tra l'altro hanno vinto la competizione nella 4a stagione.

Ovviamente è in inglese e non la traduco, ha le dosi in cups/spoons, ma secondo me è fattibile. Alcuni ingredienti non sono di facile reperibilità qui, ma si possono sostituire (tipo l'olio di colza -canola- credo si possa tranquillamente sostituire con dell'olio di semi, io proverò così). Tenete presente che gli ingredienti sono scritti in ordine di aggiunta.
Se la rifate, scrivetemi come viene e se vi piace. Let's start with...

INGREDIENTS:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. each baking powder and salt
2 eggs
½ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. coconut oil
3½ tsp. vanilla, divided
¾ cup warm coffee
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
9 tbsp. powdered sugar, divided 
½ cup heavy whipping cream
5 cups prepared chocolate buttercream frosting

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Coat 3 (8-in.) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Coat parchment with cooking spray. 

2. Whisk together flour and next 5 ingredients in bowl of a mixer. Add eggs, next 4 ingredients and 2 tsp. vanilla; beat at low speed until blended. Gradually add coffee; scrape down sides of bowl, and mix at low speed until smooth. 

3. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely. Remove paper from layers. 

4. Beat cream cheese and peanut butter at medium speed with mixer until creamy. Add ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla, beating at low speed until blended. 

5. Beat cream in a separate bowl at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add remaining powdered sugar and vanilla; continue beating to stiff peaks. Gently fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture until smooth. 

6. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with half of peanut butter fluff, and top with second layer. Repeat procedure with remaining filling and cake layers. Spread prepared chocolate frosting over top and sides of cake. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 3 days.

---
To keep with the "squirrel theme", today I post a "famous" cake that american squirrels will love for sure: US chocolate and peanut butter layer cake, that I saw on the tv show Next Cake Boss (I don't like this program as much as Bake Off UK, but they make very spectacular cakes, mostly that noone can make at home). Usually their cakes look very good, but too sweety to me; moreover, they never give recipes. This cake comes from a particular episode where the challenge consisted in making a huge cake for People magazine's 40th anniversary AND a good cake that has a simple recipe, because they wanted to publish it on the magazine as a gift for readers.
The winner cake was the only one that looked delicious and easy (in my opinion), and given that I appreciate peanut butter as much as any squirrel... I looked for the recipe and here it is. The recipe belongs to Al Watson and Lia Weber, that were the winner of Next Cake Boss Season 4. Obviously I found the original US recipe, so I posted it above in english.
Let me know if you make it and if you like it!

Al Watson & Lia Weber