Year 2 begins: Chocolate Peanut Butter Marble Cake

My pals at work and those who follow my blog probably know that chocolate and peanut butter are a regular theme.  It's my favorite combo, as well as Brett Jr's favorite.  Today's project combines them simply and beautifully.  Just look at how pretty this cake is!

On its way into the oven

Fresh out of the oven

Frosted and covered with mini Reese's peanut butter cups

Right before we devoured it

Lessons learned and recipe thoughts:

1. Brett Jr's review: "Is it my birthday? I love this cake!"

2. Taken from one of my favorite baking cookbooks (The Cake Mix Doctor Returns), this is one easy cake.

3. While it may feel intimidating to make a stove-top frosting, this is a really, really easy frosting.  If you can melt butter and stir, you can make it!  And it is seriously delicious - would be great on pretty much anything (including a spoon; not that I ate it with a spoon...really, I didn't).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marble Cake

1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbls powdered sugar
2 tbls butter, melted
2 tbls warm water

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Lightly mist a 13x9 pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Shake out excess flour.

2. Place the cake mix, peanut butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, and 1 1/3 cups water in large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed til blended, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed.  The batter should be well blended.

3. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the cake batter and place it in a medium-sized bowl (note: I measured and left it in a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup that had plenty of room for the remaining ingredients). Set the bowl aside. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula.

4. Make the chocolate marble by stirring the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, butter, and 2 tbls warm water into the reserved 1 1/2 cups of cake batter until well combined.  Spoon tablespoon-size dollops of this mixture on top of the peanut butter batter. Swirl with a knife to marble the cake, but be careful not to touch the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the oven.

5. Bake til the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool while you make the Chocolate Pan Frosting (10-15 minutes).

6. Pour the warm frosting over the cake, spreading it with a spatula so it reaches the edges of the cake. Work quickly because the frosting goes on best while still warm. Let set for 15 minutes, then slice and serve the cake.

Chocolate Pan Frosting

8 tbls butter (1 stick)
4 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
 3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and just begins to come to a boil, 1 minute longer. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 3 cups powdered sugar, adding more if needed, until the frosting is thickened and smooth and the consistency of hot fudge sauce.

2. Ladle the warm frosting over top of the cake, then spread to the sides. Frosting will harden as it cools.

Weeks 36-52: Wow, really?

Holy smokes, I am so far behind on my blog that I've forgotten many of the things I've made.  Sorry, pals.  I'm still baking every weekend, and have made a variety of brownies, cakes, and other treats the last few months.  I can't believe it's been a year since I started my weekly baking habit. Time sure flies when you're eating sweets.

Here are a few pics of random treats from the past few months:

Cherry Blueberry Crisp

Bourbon Brownies with Chocolate Bourbon Frosting

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Chevre

And here are recipes I've promised to type up for a group of folks:

Sex in a Pan

Crust:
1 stick butter (melted)
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Filling/topping:
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup powdered sugar
12 oz Cool Whip
small box chocolate instant pudding
small box vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk
Optional - unsweetened cocoa powder and/or cinnamon
Combine crust ingredients and press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool completely.

Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar til smooth (1-2 minutes with hand mixer). Stir in 4 oz Cool Whip. Spread over cooled crust. Mix puddings and milk, beat 2 minutes with hand mixer. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Top with 8 oz Cool Whip. Optional - sprinkle cinnamon and/or cocoa powder over top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Variations:
1. Add a layer of sliced strawberries between cream cheese and pudding layers.
2. Swap out chocolate pudding for other flavors (e.g. butterscotch, banana, pistachio)


Cherry dump cake

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling (can substitute peach, apple, or whatever else you like)

1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix

12 tbls (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350.

2. Spoon the pineapple evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover the pineapple with pie filling. Pour the dry cake mix evenly over the fruit mixture so that it reaches all the sides of the pan. Drizzle the entire pan with the melted butter. Sprinkle the coconut and pecans over the top of the cake. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake til it is deep brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake topping comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Aztec brownies

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs
1 tbls instant espresso powder
1 tbls vanilla
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Linea pan with foil and spray foil (I skipped this step).

2. Place chocolate chips and butter in medium microwaveable bowl; microwave on high 30 seconds.  Stir until mixture is smooth. (If lumpy, microwave 10 seconds and stir again.

3. Whisk eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla in medium bowl til well blended.  Stir in warm chocolate mixture; set aside to cool 10 minutes. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt in large bowl; stir in chocolate mixture until well blended. Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake 15 minutes; remove pan from oven and sprinkle with almonds. Bake 20 minutes longer or until top is no longer shiny and toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting into squares or triangles.

Key lime pie

Filling:

4 large egg yolks
4 tsp grated fresh lime zest
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (4-5 regular limes or 20 key limes)

Timing is important for this recipe; make the filling first, then the crust.

Graham cracker crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbls melted butter

Mix all ingredients and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 325.

1. For the filling: Whisk egg yolks and zest together in a medium bowl until the mixture has a light green tint, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the condensed milk until smooth, then whisk in the lime juice. Cover the mixture and set aside at room temperature until thickened, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare and bake the crust. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and leave the oven at 325. (The crust must still be warm when the filling is added).

3. Pour the thickened filling into the warm pie crust. Bake the pie until the center is firm but jiggles slightly when shaken, 15-20 minutes. Let the pie cool slightly on a wire rack, about 1 hour, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is chilled and set, about 3 hours.