PB & Chocolate Cake

 PB & Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 C flour
2 C sugar
3/4 C good cocoa powder
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t kosher salt
1 C buttermilk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs, at room temp
1 t vanilla
1 C fresh made pero or postum

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 - 9 inch rounds (can use 8in rounds, just adjust cooking time and use 8 inch pans for all layers) with parchment paper, then butter and flour pans or use pam "baking" spray.  Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Mis on low speed until combined.  In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add pero and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely, if needed level cakes, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze flat on a cookie sheet.

Peanut Butter Cake

1 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C butter
3 T peanut butter
2 T PB2 (powdered PB) - optional
6 T milk
1 large egg
1/3 C buttermilk
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line one 9 inch round with parchment and butter or use pam.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and soda.  In a saucepan, heat the butter, peanut butter and milk until the butter has melted and mixture is hot.  Stir the hot mixture into the flour mixture until blended.  Whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Slowly beat into the first mixture until smooth and well blended.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool completely, if needed, level cake, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze flat on a cookie sheet.

Peanut Butter Filling

4 C powdered sugar
1 1/3 C creamy peanut butter
5 T butter, melted
1/4 C heavy cream

Mix together the powdered sugar, peanut butter and melted butter in a stand mixer. Mixture will be crumbling.  Add cream 1 T at a time until the mixture becomes a consistent workable dough.  It should not be crumbly or stick to your fingers.  The mixture should hold together easily when a small amount is squeezed tight in the palm of your hand.  Divide dough into two even portions.  Line 2 9 inch spring form pans with plastic wrap.  Press peanut butter filling dough into the bottom of the pans evenly.  Place in freezer.

Chocolate Frosting

1 1/2 C butter, soft
1 C cocoa powder
4-5 C powdered sugar
1/2 C whipping cream
2 t vanilla

Add coca to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, whisk through any lumps or sift.  Cream together butter and cocoa until well combined.  Add powdered sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 C of powdered sugar followed by a T of cream.  After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute.  Repeat until all sugar and cream have been added.  Add vanilla, combine well.

Assembly:
 
Easiest if all layers are frozen.  Place one layer of chocolate cake on cake stand and top with about a 1/4 C of chocolate frosting. (Pretty thin layer)  Follow with a layer of the peanut butter filling and add another thin layer of frosting.  Add the peanut butter cake, thin layer of frosting, peanut butter filling layer, thin layer of frosting and the last chocolate cake layer.  Once all the layers are stacked, frost the cake with a very thin crumb coat, it usually sets quickly because of the frozen layers.  Then use remaining frosting to frost the out side of the cake then top with a mountain of Reese's!


**This is an absolute labor of love!  But quite simple if divided into two days.  Baking one day, frosting the second.
**Original recipe from the butterlustblog.com

"Swig" Cookie

"Swig" Cookie

1 C Butter (room temperature)
3/4 C Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Powdered Sugar
2 T Water
2 Eggs
1/2 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Cream of Tarter
1 t Salt
5 1/2 C Flour

Cream together Butter, Vegetable Oil, Sugars, Water, and Eggs. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture.  Mix until everything is combined.  Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.  I like them small, so use a tablespoon of dough and roll cookies into a ball.  Put 1/4 c of sugar and a pinch of salt in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar and salt listed above.)  Stick the bottom of a glass in it.  This is going to be your cookie press. Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball.   Bake at 350 for 7 minutes.  They should just barely be browning on the bottom.    Move cookies to a cooling rack.  Once they are cool put them in the fridge.

Sour Cream Frosting

1/2 cup room temperature butter

3/4 C Sour Cream

Approx 1 2lb Package of Powdered Sugar 

1 t salt

1/4 C half and half or cream

Red Food Coloring

Start by creaming together butter and sour cream and salt.  Slowly add powdered sugar.  When it gets so thick its not frosting like,  add a splash of cream.  Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency.  Add 1 drop of red food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute.  Frost cookies, the thicker the better. 

**Recipe adapted from vintagerevivals.com.  There is a cute place in St. George called Swig that sales drinks and treats.  They are famous for their cookies and their dirty diet cokes.  Both delicious, but I happen to think this recipe is better that the real thing!  More flavor and more frosting! And I prefer these cookies cold.  Mmmm!

Raspberry Yogurt Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

This cake has a story. A compilation of foodie friends! First, I made these cookies (Frosted Oatmeal Cookies) on advice from my nieces Stephanie & Breanna. I took some to friends and they all were dying over the frosting.  I mentioned to my friend Heather that we needed to find a cake for that frosting.  She proceeded to make me two different cakes, but I think this one is the winner, because it was her creation, adapting a recipe from one of our favorite books...A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.  I served it this week a long with several other desserts and it was a surprising favorite. Hooray for 4 foodie friends contributing to something so great! Thanks ladies!

Raspberry Yogurt Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Cake:
1/2 C plain whole fat yogurt
1 C sugar
3 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C  flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 C canola oil
2 C raspberries (I used frozen, and I thawed them.)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a round 9 inch cake pan, line with parchment and grease parchment.  In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs and vanilla, stirring until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour 1/2 of batter in prepared cake pan. Drop raspberries all around cake batter trying to evenly space. Top with remaining batter.  Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (This was tricky because the moisture in the thawed raspberries caused the cooking time to increase, so just keep checking with a toothpick. I think I went to almost 50 minutes.) Try not to overbake.  Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.  When the cake is thoroughly cooled frost with Browned Butter Frosting.

Browned Butter Frosting:

1/3 cup butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup cream

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt

Brown butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Cool to lukewarm.  Beat in remaining ingredients until smooth.

** Heather, you really were the genius mastermind behind this...thank you!

Holly's Midnight Cake

Holly's Midnight Cake

1 C shortening
2 C sugar
5 eggs (room temperature)
1 C cocoa
2 C flour
1 3/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 C water

Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs until fluffy and then beat for 5 minutes more on high.  In a separate bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking soda and the salt.  In another small bowl, mix the vanilla and water.  Alternately add a small amount of the flour mixture and then a small amount of the water mixture to the creamed egg mixture.  Beat constantly until all the ingredients are added and it is well mixed.  Pour batter into 3 greased and floured round cake pans.  (I just use parchment instead of flour.)  Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 or until tester comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost with Midnight Frosting.  (I often freeze the cake a day or so in advance and then frost while frozen.) Top with the Chocolate Crazies if desired.

Midnight Frosting

12 T butter (room temp)
1 1/2 C cocoa
5 1/2 C powdered sugar
2/3 C milk
2 t vanilla
Cream butter, then add sugar and cocoa alternately with the milk and vanilla, whipping constantly until everything is well mixed.

Chocolate Crazies

1 C Chocolate chips (semi sweet works best)
Wax paper

Melt chocolate chips and spread thinly on  the wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Cool until slightly firm.  Score with a knife in a diamond pattern and roll up, width ways.  Place cookie sheet in freezer.  When chocolate is solid, slowly unroll and chip off diamond pieces.  Place on cake in whatever pattern looks fun! If cake is in a warm room, the chocolate will droop.

Carrot Cake or Cupcakes

Carrot Cake or Cupcakes

3 eggs
3/4 C buttermilk
3/4 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 C sugar
2 t vanilla
2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
2 C shredded carrots
1 C flaked coconut
1 8oz can crushed pineapple with juice

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.  In mixer bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add flour mixture and mix well. Add carrots, coconut and pineapple.  Mix in with wooden spoon.

Bake at 350.

**Mine were mini cupcakes, so they only took 15 minutes or so. The original cake recipe that I have already modified, baked theirs in an 8x12 for an hour.  I prefer two 9 inch rounds for 30. It is quite moist and a bit hard to slice in the double layer, so I get why they did theirs in an 8x12.
**My most favorite carrot cake I've ever had, but it really is nothing without the coconut cream cheese frosting.
**My little carrot topper is white chocolate dyed and piped onto parchment paper. Cutesy.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
2 T heavy cream
1/2 t salt
1/2 t coconut extract
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C coconut (optional)- sweetened shredded of course
1 C toasted coconut, toasted (optional) sweetened shredded of course

Beat the cream cheese and butter in mixer until light and fluffy.  Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream.  Beat in the salt coconut flavoring and vanilla. Continue beating until smooth.  Add additional powdered sugar to thicken, or more cream to thin. Stir in coconut if desired and top with toasted coconut, also optional.

**My dear friend Melody served me this cake at her house and I died over it.  I've always loved the flavor of carrot cake but have been put off by so many chunks.  No chunks here, just all flavor! The frosting takes it to a whole new level!
** Truman thought the frosting was HEAVEN!

Luscious Lemonade Cake

Luscious Lemonade Cake

1 1/3 C sugar
6 T butter, soft
zest of 1 lemon
3 T thawed lemonade concentrate
2 t vanilla
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 C buttermilk

Place sugar, butter, zest, lemonade and vanilla in amixer and mix until well blended.  Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, mis together dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients to batter, alternating with buttermilk, until all dry ingredients and butermilk are well blended.  Pour into tow well greased and parchment paper lined 9"round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Frost when completely cool.

Lemonade Frosting
2 T butter, soft
zest of 1 lemon
2 T thawed lemonade concentrate (I added 1 more T,  3 T total in frosting)
1/2 t vanilla
1 8oz package of cream cheese, soft
3 1/2 C powdered sugar

Mix together all ingredients except powdered sugar and bled well.  Gradually add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until blended.  Don't overbeat. Frost cake.

**Grandpa Frank loves lemon and we've been looking for a while for a birthday cake that is delish, but still has a tart bite.  This is it and it's fantastic! From the Keeping Up Cookbook

 A little fancier for Mother's Day!!!

Gingerbread House Frosting

Royal Icing
(The Glue)

2 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
2 2/3 C powdered sugar

Mix until stiff. Should be enough for one house. (7 houses...8 batches with quite a bit left over.)

Snow
(Ground Cover-dries shiny and hard)

1 C sugar
1/3 C water
1/4 t cream of tartar
2 unbeaten egg whites

Heat sugar, water and cream of tartar over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Place egg whites in mixer and turn mixer on.  Slowly drizzle in sugar mixture and beat for 4 minutes on high. Enough to cover 2 grounds or one roof and one ground. (7 houses-5 batches)

Yummy Almond Frosting

Yummy Almond Frosting

½ C Butter at room temperature
3 T Cream (or milk)
4 T Maraschino Cherry Syrup (completely optional, makes frosting pink)
4 ½ Cups Powdered sugar
½ t Almond Extract
1/2 t vanilla


*Perfect for sugar cookies. If I don't use the cherry syrup, I use more cream....to make it whatever thickness I want.