I always get excited about the opportunity to make a cake. A whole cake is too much for just Mark and me – so when a cake-making occasion comes up, I like to jump at the chance. I made this one to celebrate a friend’s birthday over the weekend. It takes a little bit of work, but it’s absolutely awesome.

Layers of fudgy cake, covered with creamy peanut butter frosting and topped off with a chocolate-peanut butter ganache. So amazing – and obviously a crowd pleaser.

Happy Birthday, Drew! Hope you’re enjoying the leftovers!

Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
(from Smells Like Home)

For the cake:

2 c. flour
2 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. water
2 T. distilled white vinegar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs

For the frosting:

2 c. creamy peanut butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1 c. + 2 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 T. plus 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
3/4 t. salt
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

For the ganache:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
3 T. smooth peanut butter
2 T. light corn syrup
1/2 c. half and half

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease three 8″ round pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Whisk to make sure they’re well combined. Whisk in the vegetable oil and sour cream. Slowly beat in the water. Stir in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter between the three prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, on the same oven rack if possible - without the pans touching. Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely.

Once the cakes are cool, make the frosting: in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the peanut butter and butter. Sift the sugar into the bowl, then add the vanilla and salt.  Starting on low, beat together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides as needed. Beat in the heavy cream.

Place one layer, flat side up, on a serving plate. Spread 2/3 c. of the frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and crumb coat the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remaining frosting to make a final coating. Let chill again until firm.

Once the frosting is firm, make the ganache: In a double boiler, combine the chocolate, peanut butter and corn syrup. Whisk continuously until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the half and half, beating until smooth.

Poor the ganache over the top of the cake, letting it spread evenly over the top and just beginning to drip down the sides. Refrigerated, uncovered, until the ganache has set – at least 30 minutes.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to let ganache soften for cutting.

Linked up with Ingredient Spotlight: Chocolate at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

I was recently cleaning up the folder I keep blog pictures in, and ran across this one and realized I’d never blogged it! I’m sorry guys – I’ve been holding out on you.

I whipped these up a while ago for an event at my husband’s office. They were having a potluck, International lunch. You remember in elementary school when they would have heritage day and everyone would bring a dish from their culture to share? It was pretty much that, with adults.

Hubs had originally asked me to make black forest cupcakes, which I’d made before, but my reaction was, “You’re not German!” He is, a little bit. But, he’s more than half Italian so I thought honoring that would be more applicable. These cupcakes were the compromise.

And, they were fantastic. He brought home an empty platter after the lunch – that’s what I call a successful potluck dish!

Cannoli Cupcakes
(from Sugarcrafter)
Makes 2 dozen

For the cake:
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 T. Marsala wine
1 c. milk
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 t. orange zest
2 T. powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

For the frosting:
1 and 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 c. shortening
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
6 c. powdered sugar
3 T. milk

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line two cupcake pans with liners.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, eggs, vanilla, Marsala wine and milk. Once well blended stir in the ricotta cheese, orange zest, and
powdered sugar.

Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter and bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes are cool, cream together the butter and shortening in a stand mixer. Add in the vanilla. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, beating until mixture becomes light and fluffy. Mix in the milk to reach desired consistency.
vanilla bean.

Frost cooled cupcakes and top with additional chocolate chips.

Linked up with Finding Joy in My Kitchen’s Ingredient Spotlight: Cottage Cheese/Ricotta Cheese

I think holidays on Wednesdays are the worst. On Mondays or Fridays, they’re an instant long weekend. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you just need to take one day off to make a long weekend. But Wednesday holidays? They’re stuck in the middle of a busy week and end up just being awkward.

But still, today’s a holiday and I want to make something special to celebrate. This cake was the perfect option – it’s a dressed up box mix so it’s quick and easy. When you cut into it, the cake is layered red, white and blue so it’s really fun and festive. It looks like a lot more work than it actually is.

Impressive without a lot of effort – perfect for a Wednesday holiday!

Firecracker Bundt Cake
(from Cooking with Sugar)

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Red food coloring
Blue food coloring
1 (12 oz.) can Betty Crocker Whipped Fluffy White Frosting
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Generously grease a 12-cup tube cake pan.

Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour 1 cup of batter into a bowl and add the red food coloring, mix well. Pour another cup of the batter into a bowl and add the blue food coloring, mix well.

Pour the red cake mix into the bottom of the greased pan. Carefully pour the white batter over the red batter in pan.  Then carefully pour the blue batter over the white batter.

Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack that is placed over a cookie sheet. Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes.

Once cake is cool, equally divide the frosting into 3 bowls. Microwave the white frosting for a few seconds on high until it is smooth enough to drizzle over the cake (about 8-10 seconds). With a spoon, drizzle the white frosting back and forth around the whole ring in a striping pattern until you use it all.

Then microwave one of the other bowls. Before drizzling, mix in a few drops of blue food coloring. Then drizzle over the cake, scattering back and forth. Repeat with the red food coloring, making sure you can see the red, white and blue colors. Top with sprinkles. Set cake aside to dry.

Store loosely covered and unrefrigerated.

This weekend is Mother’s Day – which, for me, is synonymous with gardening. It’s the unofficial start of the planting season here in NJ. I’ll be spending tomorrow morning with both of my Moms, hitting up the local plant sale to stock up on garden goodies for the year and celebrate them being awesome Moms.

These cupcakes scream Mother’s Day to me. I think it’s the pineapple flowers on the top. (Check out the tutorial on Annie’s Eats for details how to make them!) Even without the flowers, they’re a great cupcake option for spring.

Hummingbird Cupcakes
(from Annie’s Eats)
Makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
11 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 t. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 c. mashed ripe banana
2/3 c. crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 c. chopped pecans, toasted
2/3 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla, and sugar and beat until blended and smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the mashed banana. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Gently fold in the pineapple, nuts (if using), and coconut with a spatula until evenly mixed.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

This was one of the desserts I made for Easter – and it was a huge hit. It’s pretty easy to see why, though. Pretzel crust, a layer of fluffy cheesecake, a layer of dark chocolate ganache and it’s all topped off with M&Ms. You really don’t get much better than that!

Because each later of the cheesecake is done separately, it’s pretty time-consuming but you could spread the steps over several days easily. I had a little bit of trouble with the crust – mine was a bit crumbly. If, when you’re pressing the crust into the pan, it doesn’t seem to be sticking together enough, add a few more tablespoons of butter.

Pretzel Crusted M&M Cheesecake
(slightly adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes)

For the crust:
3 c. crushed salted pretzels
2 T. sugar
13 T. salted butter, melted (plus more if needed)

For the cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c.  sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated

For the chocolate layer:
8 oz.  dark chocolate chips
5 T. salted butter, cubed
3 large egg yolks
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
M&Ms, to decorate

Preheat oven to350F degrees and grease a 9″ springform pan and line the base with baking paper. Place pretzels in a food processor and pulse to a fine crumb. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine. If the mixture isn’t sticking together enough, add more melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared tin, pressing tightly into an even layer. Bake for 10 mins or until just going golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 320F degrees. In a large mixing bowl bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat to combine. Add egg yolks; beat on low speed just until combined. In a small bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form then gently fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour over the crust, place tin on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at the reduced temperature until the centre is almost set – mine took about 45 minutes. Cool in tin on a wire rack for an hour, then chill in the fridge until completely cool.

In a microwave in 30 second bursts, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. In the meantime, place egg yolks and powdered sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and whisk mixture continuously (or it will turn into scrambled eggs) until it reaches160F degrees, or for about 10 minutes mixture is thick and smooth. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Set bowl in ice and stir until cooled, about 2 minutes. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over cheesecake and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle m&ms on top to decorate then refrigerate until set. Remove sides of pan before serving.

When I got my latest recipe swap assignment, I was a little baffled. Blueberry buckle? What’s a buckle? As soon as I looked at the recipe, I realized it wasn’t anything foreign – basically just a coffee cake with fresh fruit. The recipe was submitted by Cathy at Cathy’s Kitchen Journey. Her version is dairy-free and sized for a crowd – I made just a few tweaks to bring this more in like with what I had in the house (milk, whole wheat pastry flour).

This is a fantastic dessert showcasing seasonal fruit. You could easily swap out the blueberries for whatever happens to be freshest at the market when you make it.

Blueberry Buckle
(slightly adapted from Cathy’s Kitchen Journey)

For the cake:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. shortening
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. milk
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. blueberries

For the topping:
1/2 c. white sugar
1/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Grease one 8×8″ pan.

In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

In your stand mixer, cream together sugar, shortening and egg.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, alternating with milk. Stir in blueberries. Pour into prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter for the topping. Beat together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over cake batter.

Bake at 375F degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This was amazing. I’m not really sure what else to say about it. The chocolate layers are awesomely chocolaty and the peanut butter layer packs a nice peanut butter punch. The whole thing is rich and creamy. It disappeared impressively fast.

I was making this for a gluten-free crowd, so I used gluten-free chocolate animal crackers instead of chocolate grahams.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
(from Better Homes and Gardens)

1 1/2 c. chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 T. sugar
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 300F degrees. Combine crackers, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In bowl beat 1 package cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in peanut butter and 1/4 cup sugar until combined. Fold in 1 lightly beaten egg; set aside.

In saucepan stir chocolate over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cube remaining cream cheese; add to chocolate. Stir to combine. Stir in milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 2 lightly beaten eggs. Spread half the chocolate mixture into pan. Carefully spread all the peanut butter mixture over layer. Evenly spread remaining chocolate mixture.

Bake 45 minutes or until top is set when lightly shaken. Outer 2 inches of the top will be slightly puffed and dry-looking; center will look darker and wet. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Use a small sharp knife to loosen crust from sides; cool completely on rack. Cover; chill 4 hours. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

I love when people say they don’t want anyone to make a big deal out of their birthday. That’s just like begging for me to do something. My coworker, Sean, uttered the magic words during a meeting on Tuesday so I made sure these cupcakes were sitting in the middle of his desk when he came in Wednesday morning.

I’m not usually a huge fan of beer, but I really liked these – and so did everyone else.  Often, it seems like the flavor of alcohol bakes out but these definitely tasted like Guinness when all was said and done. The cream cheese frosting was the perfect accompaniment – I added some additional powdered sugar to make it thick enough to pipe.

(And because someone asked, no, the baseballs were not edible. They just made the cupcakes a little more “Sean”!)

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
(from Annie’s Eats)
Makes 20-24

For the cake:
1 c. Guinness beer
10 T. unsalted butter
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 c. superfine sugar
3/4 c. sour cream
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
2 c. AP flour
2 1/2 t. baking soda

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese (no need to soften)
5 T. butter, softened
2 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar (+ additional)

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line cupcake pans.

In a small saucepan, combine the Guinness and butter. Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add the Guinness mixture to the bowl and mix until incorporated.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer and mix on low speed until just incorporated.

Fill the cupcake pans 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream on medium-high speed. Add the powdered sugar to the bowl in batches, beating on low until just combined and then on high speed until desired consistency is reached. For a stiffer icing, add more powdered sugar. Frost as desired.