Celebration Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

When you want a special cake for a party or birthday, this cake will make people bow down to your culinary prowess. They will lick their plates clean and eye any leftovers. They will talk about it to their friends who will immediately let you know when their birthday is. There will be oohs and ahhs and you will not hear the end of it. You can even sell it (if your brother has a catering business) for big bucks and have the customer request it year after year.

Truly. I have been making this cake for about 10 years and all the above has happened to me. And while there are many steps (yes, be prepared for a looong post) and a fair amount of time involved, it's not hard.

Especially when thinking about the results. It's a cake where you can show your love to the recipient in a big way. It's so good that I'm breaking it down with pictures so all of you will be able to love on your families and friends with this cake!

Prepare 9-inch pans by coating with butter and then lining with wax paper (or parchment, but I save parchment for baking where I can't use wax paper). I just set a pan on top of two pieces of wax paper and draw around the edge with a pen and then cut just inside the pen mark to fit in the bottoms.

Give the tops of the paper a once-over with the buttered brush, and preheat the oven to

350 degrees.

Now mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl (I used a 4-cup measuring cup).

A lot of recipes tell you to do this, but to be honest I only do this on cake-type recipes that have you add the dry ingredients alternately with some wet ingredient. If it's just a cookie or muffin and the dry ingredients are added all at once, I don't bother dirtying another bowl. Anyone else do this?

Now cream the butter and sugar together.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then beat 2 minutes.

Add sour cream alternately with the dry ingredients.

Beat just until the ingredients are blended (I learned that over beating makes cakes get those little volcano-like rises in the centers).

Spread evenly between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. The batter is thick, more like a brownie batter.

Bake just about 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 5 minutes.

Then invert on racks and remove wax paper before inverting again on another rack and cooling completely right side up.

OK, see it's just a regular cake- no big deal right now. We've got a couple more steps, but they're easy- really.

The next step is to make the peanut brittle for the top. Now, for anyone with a fear of candy and candy thermometers (my hand is raised...) this does NOT use a candy thermometer. There are some simple steps and if you follow them, the brittle will turn out. I've only had it not harden once in all the times I've made it and I just didn't cook it long enough.

So, take a deep breath and place 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water and 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar in a medium saucepan, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer without stirring over medium heat.

Meanwhile, place a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet and grease lightly.

When mixture is simmering (a very low boil), cover and continue to simmer 3 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook until syrup is pale amber, about 10 to 12 minutes.

This picture shows the pale amber color after about 10 minutes (sometimes 12); add a 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts, stirring in gently.

Now, this is the only tricky part- don't be tempted to do other things in the kitchen for the next few minutes or you will have a burned brittle. Remember when I said I've only had it not harden one time? Well, I have had it burn a number of times, so I have learned this lesson (and yes, burned brittle is one thing I do throw away- which, for any of you who've been reading for awhile know, is hard for me...).

Cook, stirring, just until the syrup is a deep amber like in the picture above. I should've timed it, it's only a few minutes, but different each time. Take it from me- pay attention.

Immediately pour onto prepared foil (I use a baking liner), quickly spreading as thin as possible without holes. Set aside to cool.

Now make the peanut butter filling by beating 1 cup of peanut butter (creamy or crunchy- your choice, but please real peanut butter with just peanuts and salt as the ingredients), 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons softened butter, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla in a bowl.

Check the brittle by breaking into pieces (and tasting one...). I like to break into the smallest pieces possible to make it easier to eat.

And there you have it, the easiest brittle ever.

The chocolate frosting is a ganache - basically a chocolate and dairy glaze. Most ganaches are made with cream, but this one is made with butter, which I like because I always seem to have butter on hand, but not cream.

You can do this in a double boiler, but I put the bittersweet chocolate, butter, and honey in a glass 4 cup measure and heat in the microwave for a minute.

Most of the time there are a few chunks of chocolate left and I need another 10 to 20 seconds until it's smooth.

It's too thin to use after being melted, so put it in the fridge or freezer (keep careful watch in the freezer, though) to cool and thicken while frosting with the filling.

Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate and spread with about a cup of the peanut butter filling.

Top with the second layer and use the remaining filling to frost the sides and top of the cake.

Place the peanut-butter frosted cake in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes until set.

Mmm, I'm starting to get hungry.

Take some strips of wax paper, tear them in half and tuck them under the edges of the cake, making sure to overlap where they meet (as pictured here).

Stir the glaze (sometimes I whisk it if there are some lumps on the sides that have cooled more than the rest) and pour onto the prepared cake.

Isn't that lovely?

Now my glaze was not as thick as it should have been and it ran down the sides too fast, pooling on the wax paper strips. No worries, though, this is a very forgiving cake. The glaze is thickening as is spreads, so I simply take a spatula and scrape it off the paper and back onto the sides of the cake, were it now stays.

And voila! Pull the paper strips away and no one is the wiser. Love it.

All that's left is to take the peanut brittle pieces and artfully arrange them on the top of the cake. Now, I think it looks better to sort of sprinkle them about but I found that's it pretty impossible to cut without taking the brittle off first.

So I've come up with the solution of arranging the brittle in the lines of the pieces...well, to some degree as you can see above. It ended up not being centered, but it still looks good, I think.

And believe me, when the cake is cut and the first bites are taken, everyone will be so busy groveling at your feet that no one is going to be thinking about the brittle not being centered.

And if you or someone you love has an allergy to peanuts, I think it would still be good made with almond butter and almond brittle. Cashews, anyone? I'd try whatever I had to in order to make this...

Celebration Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

Cake:

• 1 c. flour
• 1/3 c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 10 Tb. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. sour cream (or yogurt)

Peanut Brittle:

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 c. peanuts, chopped

Peanut Butter Filling:

• 1 c. peanut butter (peanuts and salt only kind)
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 6 Tb. butter, softened
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla

Chocolate Glaze:

• 6 oz. (6 squares) bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 c. butter, cut in pieces
• 1 Tb. honey

1. Prepare cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch cake pans; line the bottoms with wax paper and then butter the paper.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Beat the butter in a mixer bowl until creamy, then add the sugar and vanilla and mix. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Then beat two minutes. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beating just until blended. Spoon the batter into the pans evenly, spreading the tops smooth.
3. Bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Cool on racks for 5 minutes, then invert and remove wax paper. Invert again on racks and cool completely.
4. Make Peanut Brittle: Place a sheet of foil (or silicone liner) on a cookie sheet and grease. Combine sugar, water and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer 3 minutes. Remove cover and cook until syrup is pale amber in color, 8 to 12 minutes. Stir in peanuts and cook until syrup is a deep amber, being careful not to burn (only a few minutes). Pour right away onto prepared sheet, spreading as thin as possible. When completely cool, break into pieces.
5. Make Filling: Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl until well blended.
6. Make Glaze: Place chocolate, butter, and honey in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir, and microwave for 10 to 20 seconds more, as needed for all the chocolate to melt (alternately melt in a double boiler, stirring until melted). Cool by placing in the refrigerator.
7. Assemble cake: Place one layer on a serving plate and frost with about 1 cup of peanut butter filling. Top with second layer and frost top and sides with remaining filling. Refrigerate about 10 minutes until filling is set.
8. Whisk glaze until smooth. Tuck strips of wax paper under the cake and pour glaze onto the top of the cake, letting it slowly flow over the sides. Spread with a metal spatula to cover top and sides, using any that flows onto paper strips.
9. Remove paper strips and garnish the top with the peanut brittle pieces.

Serves 10 to 12

-Jami

This is linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday