Buckeye Cake

You know how you sometimes try a new recipe and think, Well, that one's not a keeper?  That's disappointing.  Then there are the times you think, How did I survive this long without having this?  That's what I thought after biting into this cake.  My friends Christopher and Elizabeth had me over for another fabulous dinner, and this was my contribution. (Note: Friendship is good.  Friendship with those who can cook is really good.  I'm still dreaming about Elizabeth's potatoes...)  After gorging ourselves on food and drink, dessert was vital. Forget the "let it settle" mentality.  Forget the "wipe that extra peanut butter off the plate before taking a picture for the blog" mentality.  How about the "this will pair well with red wine" mentality?  Embrace that, and then embrace this cake.

Buckeye Cake

chefjennylyn.com

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Layer
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 9-inch-round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; grease.

Cake: Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter, melted chocolate, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake; cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and parchment; cool completely.

Peanut Butter Layer: Beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in medium mixer bowl until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Ganache: Heat cream in small saucepan to boiling; remove from heat. Add semi-sweet morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Stir; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread chocolate on top and sides of cake.

Melt peanut butter chips in resealable plastic bag on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 30 seconds. Knead bag to mix. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals until melted. Cut a small hole from corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over cake. Store in refrigerator. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

There's nothing quite like starting a new recipe.  Maybe I'm easily amused, but I love the feeling of lining things up, cracking that first egg, and knowing I'm diving in.  Speaking of cracking that first egg, notice my eggs are in separate bowls here.  The first went directly into a Stainless Mixing Bowl, but I'll break the second into a Prep Bowl to ensure good egg-ness.  I've only had a couple of bad eggs in all of my baking, but they were bad.  Anyway, butter and chocolate are in the 1.5-Qt. Saucepan from the Executive Cookware Collection, and a Quikut Paring Knife rounds things out.  All of this rests on the Large Cutting Board.

I can't stress the importance of proper ingredient measures when baking.  Flour and sugar must be spooned into a measuring cup and then leveled off.  Fortunately, the Measuring Cup Set includes a leveling tool.  Here you can also see the Adjustable Measuring Spoons and the Measuring Spoon Set being used.  Lots of measurements... lots of fun tools!

Properly lining a pan is the first step to ensuring cakes come out without incident.  Follow the instructions above, and you'll have no worries.  Pampered Chef Parchment Paper is wonderful... and kosher.

Look at the Cake Pan's handles - so handy!  The batter is now ready for the chocolate/butter mixture.  I'll scrape it from the pan using the Skinny Scraper, and then I'll give everything a good stir with the Stainless Whisk.  I feel now is a good time to tell you this chocolate looks delicious but isn't.  Unsweetened chocolate is gross, so just make sure you get it all out of the pan.  Don't ask how I know, but ugh...

Perfection! When a cake requires a pricey ingredient list and several steps, it's nice to see it turn out so well.

Hello, peanut butter layer!  If you don't have a Measure-All Cup, you need to get one.  This isn't me being a salesperson; this is me being a friend.  Push it to the measurement you want, fill it up, and pop it out like a syringe.  Liquids can be done on the other side, too!  That's my heirloom sifter in a Classic Batter Bowl in the background.  No, my sifter is not available for purchase.

Here's why it's important to sift powdered sugar, especially if you've had it in the cabinet a little while.  These chunks will make your icing/filling/whatever gritty.  Take the time to sift.

Is it fair for me to show you this picture?  Some would argue it's unkind, but I think it provides extra incentive for you to hit the store, but some ingredients, and get to baking.  You're welcome.

Ganache is the final step.  The method is ridiculously simple as well as reliable.  Chocolate chips and cream are measured in Easy Read Measuring Cups, and peanut butter chips (which I ended up skipping) are in a cup from the Measuring Cup Set.  The Mini Mix 'n Scraper pairs perfectly with the 1.5-Qt. Saucepan, and the Cutting Board provides a clean surface for all these ingredients.

This cake is rich.  It's dense.  It's perfect.  The pieces in the first picture were way too large because of the richness, but that doesn't mean they weren't consumed in their entirety.  This is adult chocolate dessert at its best, so make it for your adult friends.  They will thank you and extend more invitations into their homes... trust me.

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Peanut Butter Cups

What defines a friend? That's a deep question, but I'll give you one characteristic I enjoy: someone who sends me recipes to try. There's something about it when someone says, "Jenny, this made me think of you, so you should try it." Big. Warm. Fuzzy. That, my friends, is how I acquired this mind-blowingly awesome feast of chocolate and peanut butter goodness. My sweet friend Holly went on a send-Jenny-a-bunch-of-fun-recipes spree, and now all followers of Real Kitchen. Real Life. benefit. Thanks, Holly! You can tell from the picture these are worth making. In fact, you should stop whatever you're doing, buy the ingredients, and get to work.

Peanut Butter Cups

chefjennylyn.com

3 cups chocolate

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup graham crackers, crushed

1 tsp. sea salt

Place liners in 12 muffin cups.

Melt 1 1/2 cups chocolate in a double boiler. Remove it from the stove, and turn off the heat. Paint a layer of chocolate in each cup, liberally covering the bottoms and sides. Set the double boiler aside, and save remaining chocolate.

Place the muffin pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while making the peanut butter filling.

Combine peanut butter, crushed graham crackers, powdered sugar, and salt. Stir until well-combined.

Return the double boiler to the stove, and heat over medium-high. Melt remaining 1 1/2 cups of chocolate.

Remove the muffin pan from the fridge, and divide peanut butter mixture among the cups, smoothing it to fill the bottoms. Each will take about 1 1/2 tbsp. of this fluffy, fabulous filling.

Using a spoon, dip chocolate from the double boiler into each cup, and be generous! Smooth the tops, or create a swirl (whatever floats your boat).

Place the muffin pan in the refrigerator for 40 minutes to an hour.

Make history.

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This recipe is originally from Design Sponge

What's more fun than making sweet treats? Making them with friends! Holly and Kathleen came over to try these with me, and all three of us were pleased with the simplicity of the recipe and the great result. Kathleen is filling the Stoneware Muffin Pan with foil liners.

She'd heard of the Measure-All Cup, but this was Kathleen's first experience with it. All I can say is that she left a huge fan of this tool, the standard for measuring all things sticky, creamy, or gross. She used the Skinny Scraper to fill it up, and the rest is history.

Holly is the person who designed my blog, so you know she's super fun. Not only does she design well, but she melts chocolate like a pro. Put a little water in the 3-Qt. Saucepan, place the Double Boiler on top, and stir occasionally. This double boiler has been upgraded, so that's why it looks different on my website. You can't tell, but Holly's using the Mini Mix 'n Scraper to stir.

Graham cracker crumbs in the Manual Food Processor! I promise this tool is every bit as good as it seems, and it's even got a silicone grip on the bottom to keep it from sliding around.

Painting with chocolate! Holly's using the Chef's Silicone Basting Brush to get a good, thick coat on each liner. You don't realize how handy a basting brush is until you don't have one. This one is perfect, and it goes in the dishwasher for easy cleanup, even when it's full of chocolate.

Kathleen is using the 5" Strainer to sift powdered sugar into a Stainless Mixing Bowl. For small amounts, this can't be beat. This is about to become peanut butter filling. AAAHHH!!!

The Medium Scoop turned out to be the perfect size for to fill the chocolate cups. A leveled off scoop for each cup was what we ended up using, and there was just enough filling. Sorry, but there's not any leftover after that, so don't get ideas about snacking on the filling. In fact, I had to use the Mix 'n Scraper to get everything out of the bowl and stretch it to fill all twelve cups.

Each cup then gets a huge serving of chocolate to top it off, and boom! Recipe complete. Refrigerate these, and they're ready for consumption in less than an hour. If you're super excited, stick them in the freezer instead. Yes, the Stoneware Muffin Pan can go in the freezer.

These are full-size peanut butter cups. There's no playing with this recipe; it separates the men from the boys. Sure, I could only eat half a cup, but that just means I get to save the other half for later, right? I've got so many ideas for making these again, and I can't wait for an occasion that justifies the effort. Otherwise, I'll end up with twelve huge peanut butter cups in my house, and that has disaster written all over it.

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E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing

I'm going to try really hard to avoid rambling. There's just so much I can say about these cupcakes, but I realize not everyone wants to hear me go on and on about the moist cake, the rich icing, or this combination of chocolate and peanut butter that I truly believe could be the answer to world peace. This recipe is originally for a cake: This Cake. I've spoken before about Baked Perfection being the first food blog I followed, so I'll spare you the details of why I think it's great. This recipe speaks for itself. Why am I posting it as cupcakes instead of cake? Well, I made these for my friend Shanisty's engagement party, and I have a thing about cakes at parties. The presentation falls apart after the cake starts getting cut, and some poor soul inevitably gets strapped to cake duty when he or she wants to be on stand outside sipping wine duty. Hence cupcakes: The perfect solution. Besides, it's not hard to get rid of leftover cupcakes, but you're sometimes hard-pressed to find someone who will take home slabs of half-eaten cake.

Here are a couple of recipe notes: When I make this as a cake, I do the ganache included in the recipe. As cupcakes, that's a little difficult, so I grate chocolate over the top. Ganache is better, so I might play with my decorating technique next time to accommodate liquid chocolate. Sold!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing

chefjennylyn.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle ( Like Deb, I skipped this)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Like Deb, I put the cake layers in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up before frosting)
4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter Icing
Makes about 5 cups
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half
1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.
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Note: I made these as cupcakes, so I omitted everything for the glaze. I added chocolate for grating and nibbling while grating. This makes one huge cake or 40 cupcakes, so don't do anything crazy like double your recipe because you want cupcakes for thirty people. Also, the peanut butter icing makes plenty for decorating generously. No one gets jipped here; this recipe is a win.

I remember the first time I took a bite of cocoa without realizing it wasn't sweet. I was trying to be sneaky, but my mom got the last laugh when she walked in the kitchen to find me gagging and washing my mouth under the faucet. Fortunately, this recipe blends cocoa with plenty of sugar to please the palate. You know what I love about the Measuring Cup Set? A 3/4 cup measurement and a leveler tool. I'm adding the cocoa to other dry ingredients in a Stainless Mixing Bowl.

This is a very busy recipe, but don't be intimidated. My prep area only looks like this because I'm messy. Once you get things going, you'll realize this really is a simple cake to make; it just has a lot of ingredients. Dry ingredients: Stainless Mixing Bowl with Stainless Whisk. Sour Cream: Measure-All Cup. Water, Oil, Vinegar: Easy Read Measuring Cups and Easy Read Mini Measuring Cup. Eggs: 2-Cup Prep Bowl. Vanilla: Measuring Spoon Set. Also Pictured: Adjustable Measuring Spoons, Skinny Scraper, Measuring Cup Set, Large Cutting Board.

I'll never get over how great the Measure-All Cup is. I mean, this is what keeps me from digging at ingredients like sour cream, peanut butter, tahini, honey, yogurt, and any number of other things. I'm in love with this tool.

The Stoneware Muffin Pan is one of the secrets behind my cupcakes. I'm not saying I'm the world's best cupcake maker, but I have yet to dry my baked goods out. Because the stoneware heats evenly rather than from the outside in, cupcakes and muffins don't get hard edges, burned bottoms, or gross tops. You can bake in here without liners, but I always use them because they look nice, and they minimize cleanup. You can see how soupy this batter is, so don't be fooled into thinking you've done something wrong. It's just a very, very thin consistency, which is that much more reason to use the Large Scoop. I don't think I'd attempt cupcakes with this batter if I didn't have the scoop, but I'm impatient with inefficiency. Hence the reason I'm head over heels in love with Pampered Chef products!

This is the most incredible peanut butter icing in the history of peanut butter icing. Rich, yet not overpowering... Sweet, yet not headache-inducing. Perfection. Again, the Measure-All Cup takes center stage (show-off!), but look at that pretty butter/cream cheese/powdered sugar mixture in the Stainless Mixing Bowl. Does it get any better?

I know I'm skipping some steps like cool and ice cupcakes, but I want to get to the nitty gritty. Chocolate. Like I said, I don't do the ganache for cupcakes simply because it's difficult to decorate. Plus, people need forks and plates to handle it. Sorry, but I judge people who get out a fork when I hand them a cupcake. Harshly. Ok, so let's grate some chocolate! Just put it in the Rotary Grater, and go to town! This is a perfect tool for hard cheeses, chocolate, nuts, and any number of other things. It can be switched from right to left-handed use, and all of the pieces go in the dishwasher. The cupcakes are displayed on the Large Rectangular Platter with Handles from the Simple Additions Collection.

This is the Cool & Serve Square Tray, and I can't tell you how much I like it! Take all the inserts out, and you've got the best cupcake taker in the world. It's perfect for times like this when you have a platter of cupcakes but need something for the refills. Notice the top is tall enough to avoid contact with the icing. What's more annoying than spending time decorating only to have your work messed up in transport? Not much.

Want proof that these made it to Shanisty's party without me eating all of them? Here you go... Shanisty with the refills. These got her seal of approval, which is good enough for me. I quote a text message I received the day after the party: "People are still talking about your cupcakes."

Make these. Make cupcakes, make the cake version, do something. Just stop drooling on your keyboard.

Like the products you saw used?

Shop Online 24/7 at pamperedchef.biz/jennylyn

E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464