HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!!
She requested that i make a chocolate peanut butter cake that "is not too chocolaty."
I have actually never made a peanut butter cake before so i was excited by the prospect.
Plus it was a 30th birthday cake so it had to be special.
I did a plethora of research on different versions of peanut butter frosting.
Some are simply butter, peanut butter, and confectioners sugar.
I opted for a much more complex yet easy recipe that involved numerous ingredients all simply blended in the food processor.
I also thought the peanut butter frosting was too much to have on the inside and outside so i made a second filling with mascarpone and whipped cream studded with chopped Reese's pieces.
My go to chocolate cake recipe is very fudgy and certainly chocolaty.
So I also had to do some research to find the Julia requested "not too chocolaty" chocolate cake to pair with the peanut butter.
I used the most direct 4 egg cocoa powder only (no bakers chocolate etc.) cake I could find.
My sister has a large amount of Michael Kors stuff. So to decorate the cake i took the Michael Kor's insignia and used my autocad skills to change it from an "MK" into a "JM" (my sister's initials). I then turned it into a stencil and used some edible gold spray. Came out pretty decent.
This cake took me allllll day on Sat. But i was happy with the outcome.
("Not too chocolaty") Chocolate Cake
1. Mix dry ingredients
2. In separate bowl cream butter and sugar
4. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk.
5. If you forget to add the cocoa to the dry ingredients like I did then add it now . . . It is OK we all make mistakes.
6. Divide batter evenly among three 10" pans. Lined in the bottom with parchment and sprayed with "Baker's Joy" (cooking spray with flour in it).
7. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 25 minutes. (I was really happy with this recipe as the cakes didn't dome up one me and they were nice and moist yet held together.)
Peanut Butter Icing
4 oz mascarpone
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick (8 oz) butter
2 tbs sour cream
1 typical size jar of peanut butter (16 oz?)
1. Add all ingredients into food processor and process until smooth.
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Reese's Pieces Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 oz mascarpone
12 oz Reese's Pieces
2 tbs confectioner's sugar
1. Pulse pieces in food processor. Separate chunks from shell dust.
3. Process mascarpone with sugar.
4. Fold whipped cream into cheese mixture.
5. Fold in Reese's pieces chunks (do not over mix or they will melt and discolor the icing).
Assemble the Cake:
1. Cut each of the three 10" cakes in half.
2. Lay one layer on plate.Top with filling.
3. Add layer of cake.Top with icing.
4. Lay one layer on plate.Top with filling.
5. Add layer of cake.Top with icing.
6. Lay one layer on plate.Top with filling.
7. Add layer of cake.Top with icing.
8. Cover cake in icing.
9. Refrigerate overnight.
Decorate cake:
1. Think of fun symbol that signifies the personality of your birthday star.
2. Utilize free time to create custom version.
3. Print on 11 x 17 paper large enough for 10" cake.
4. Cut out with exacto.
5. Spray stencil with cooking spray.
6. Position on cake.
7. Cover kitchen with paper towels.
8. Spray the heck out of the cake till spray can is empty.
9. Peel off stencil and line edge of cake with gold rhinestone studded ribbon.
10. Refrigerate.
11. Place in cake carrier and haul over Tappan Zee Bridge to party. (My cake had a slight mishap on the trip, due to stupid bridge traffic, but we were able to fix it with minor permanent damage.)
Now try to eat a whole piece! It is huge. I am off the peanut butter for at least a month!!
