These cakes are actually better made ahead. They become richer and fudgier one to two days after baking.
• Chocolate and peanut butter mixtures can be spooned, instead of piped, into molds; don’t worry if the peanut butter dollops are not perfectly uniform in size.
• Cakes may be made 2 days ahead and kept in 1 layer in an airtight container at room temperature.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hr
Yield
Makes 18 cakes
Ingredients
For peanut butter mixture
For chocolate mixture
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Make peanut butter mixture:
Step 2
Beat together cream cheese and peanut butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add yolks, sugar, and flour and beat until just combined. Transfer to a pastry bag and chill.
Make chocolate mixture:
Step 3
Put cocoa powder in a bowl and add boiling water in a stream, whisking until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then whisk in sour cream and vanilla.
Step 4
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with cleaned beaters until pale and fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until batter is just combined.
Fill baking pans:
Step 5
Spoon some of chocolate mixture into second pastry bag and pipe into well-buttered cake molds to fill each about one fourth of the way. Refill pastry bag as needed.
Step 6
Form 3 evenly spaced, equal pockets of peanut butter mixture in each cake by placing tip of pastry bag with peanut butter mixture onto bottom of mold and squeezing about a heaping teaspoon each time.
Step 7
Fill molds three-fourths full with remaining chocolate mixture, smoothing tops but being careful not to disturb peanut butter mixture.
Step 8
Bake cakes in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering, 15 to 18 minutes (cakes will be dark).
Step 9
Run a thin knife around inside edges of molds and gently invert cakes onto racks, then cool completely.
