Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This week's recipe is a special request, in fact it's a birthday request. Instead of muffins I'm making a peanut butter birthday cake. This recipe uses four bowls, not including the chocolate frosting, which I think is a record. It's Ashley Judd's recipe, so I guess she has someone to do the dishes for her. Sorry for the boring pictures, I'm frosting in the morning after they cool completely. Not much else to say, reactions tomorrow.



Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 egg yolks, beaten well
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 8-inch round cake pan.
2. Beat butter in stand mixer with flat beater until fluffy. Beat in sugar. Beat in yolks and then peanut butter until smooth.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Combine the buttermilk and water in another bowl and stir in the baking soda. Into the yolk mixture, beat in the flour mixture, in fourths, alternating with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the batter with a rubber spatula. Spread the batter in a prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in a pan on a wire rack, about 10 minutes. Invert onto the rack; invert onto another rack, so that the cake cools with top side up.
   
5. Once cool, frost with chocolate buttercream frosting, recipe below

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3cup cocoa

Mix cocoa and powdered sugar in medium bowl. Add to butter, milk, vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth.

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

After quite a few weeks of fruit flavored baking, I decided to make chocolate chip muffins this week. I found this recipe which, interestingly enough, calls for melted instead of creamed butter. Otherwise this recipe is pretty much like a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe but with a more liquid dough. I also decided to use a muffin top pan instead of regular muffin tin. I think they came out pretty well, they certainly smell delicious.

In blog related news, I ordered a kitchen aid stand mixer. I've lusted after them for years but have been put off by the high price. That is, until now. ShopKitchenAid.com is having a 30% off the entire store special if you enter coupon code REBCC30 at checkout. Surprisingly, this includes their outlet store, which sells refurbished models. I ordered a refurbished heavy duty / professional series 5 quart 475 watt bowl lift stand mixer for $139.00 shipped after coupon. Unfortunatly it's indefinitly backordered but I'm hoping that it will be available in two weeks as the site states. When it gets here I'll have a full report, until then here is this week's recipe.


Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light-brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (11 1/2 ounce) package milk chocolate chips


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Grease muffin top pan
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt.
4. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs and butter until blended.
5. Make a well in center of dry ingredients.
6. Add milk mixture and stir just to combine and eliminate flour clumps.
7. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
8. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.
9. Bake until golden brown and edges are slightly more brown. A toothpick should come out clean. Because each muffin top pan is different, you're going to have to keep your eye on them.
10. Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove to wire rack.