Black Magic Cake

Every family has a tried and true cake recipe that they can whip up whenever company drops by. This exceptional recipe is based on a favorite from Pete & Gerry's egg farmers Greg and Katie Bomgardner. Intensely chocolaty with a creamy and rich peanut butter frosting, it's guaranteed to become your family's go-to cake, too!

To make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan and line with parchment for easy removal.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt).
3. In a large bowl, beat together all liquid ingredients (1 cup milk, water or coffee, eggs, oil, and vanilla). Add the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture and stir until smooth and well combined, either by hand or with a mixer on low speed.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 32-38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back when gently pressed. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting

1. Using a hand or stand mixer on low speed, beat together all frosting ingredients (confectioners' sugar, butter, peanut butter, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla) until well combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until frosting is fluffy and significantly lighter in color, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if frosting looks too stiff. Frost the cooled cake and enjoy.

   Farm Team Tips

   This recipe makes enough frosting to really pile it up atop this rich chocolate cake, so if you prefer a thinner layer of frosting, simply mix up a half batch using 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

   For a more temperature stable frosting, substitute 1/2 cup (92g) vegetable shortening in place of butter. This will help the frosting stay firm, even on a hot summer day or at a cookout.

   To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the milk in both the cake and the frosting with an equal amount of either water or non-dairy milk alternative, and substitute the butter in the frosting with shortening as detailed above as well.