Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with Bittersweet Ganache

Preheat oven 350

To prepare cake, coat 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottom of pans with wax paper. Lightly coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust pans with 1tbl flour.

Combine cocoa, 1/2 cup boiling water, and 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate in a small bowl, stirring until smooth; cool. Place 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, and 1/4 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Add two eggs; beat well.

Lightly spoon 2 cups of flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt stirring well with a wisk. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, sour cream, and 2 tsp vanilla, stirring well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in cocoa mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pans. Tap pans on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans. Remove wax paper. Cool cakes completely on wire racks.

To prepare filling, place chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at HIGH for 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds. Cool slightly. Fold 1/4 cup whipped topping into melted chips. Repeat 7 times with remaining whipped topping. Chill 1 hour.

To prepare ganache, combine 2/3 cup granulated sugar and the next 4 ingredients (everything but vanilla extract) in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to boil. Cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves and chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, cool completely. Chill 30 minutes or until thick.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; top with filling, spreading out to edges. Place remaining cake layer on filling. Spread ganache evenly over top of cake; let drip down sides. Chill 20 minutes or until set.