Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday

My husband's favorite flavor combination is chocolate and peanut butter so it was pretty easy to figure out what cake to make for his birthday.  He appeared to have enjoyed it as he helped himself to three slices that evening and ate it again for breakfast the next morning.  Just as well - it doesn't keep well past about three days.

This is a really easy cake to make, and it transports well, so you can take it to a party or into the office.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

¼ cup cocoa

1 cup water

½ cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter (I prefer natural)

Cocoa Frosting

½ cup butter or margarine

¼ cup cocoa

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine first 3 ingredients; set aside.  Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat; whisk in cocoa and next 3 ingredients.  Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Stir in flour mixture until smooth.  

Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9-inch pan.  Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.  

While the cake is cooling, start on the cocoa frosting.  Bring first 3 frosting ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in powdered sugar until smooth.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  

Once the cake is cool, spread the top with peanut butter.  (I softened the peanut butter in the microwave so that spread more easily.)  Cool completely.  

Spread cocoa frosting over peanut butter.

Slice and enjoy.  You will feel like it is your birthday no matter when you eat it.

Chocolate Caramel Slice of Yummy

So, I used to work in an office with co-workers who didn't have four legs and a tail.  They could also use their opposable thumbs for composing e-mail and online shopping.  Now, I work at home and hang out with my pets and loud neighbors all day and I don't have to participate in conference call meetings.

In my office days, I made it a tradition to bake something special for each colleague's birthday.  I'd listen to them describe their favorite dishes or I'd just out right ask them to tell me about their favorite flavor.  Then I'd try to create something that I thought they'd enjoy.

One of the birthday treats I count among my successes is the chocolate caramel slice bar cookie I made for Perrin's birthday.  Perrin said her favorite flavor was caramel.  My favorite flavor is chocolate.  What a match we make!  I got to see Perrin last night and it just so happens her birthday is this week.  I decided to surprise her with a reminder of our fun office days together and make another batch of bar cookies.

Chocolate Caramel Slice (modified from Bon Appetit)
Makes at least 24 bar cookies

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, diced
1 Tbsp ice water
1 large egg yolk

Toppings:
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, diced
2 Tbsp golden syrup (Lyle's Golden Syrup) or dark corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 Tbsp whipping cream
Flaked sea salt (Maldon)

For crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan.  You can also use a jellyroll pan.

I used a food processor, but you could use a pastry cutter.  Blend flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Add butter and pulse until coarse meal forms.

Add the tablespoon of water and the egg yolk.

Blend again until moist clumps form.

Turn out into prepared baking pan and press down dough to form crust along bottom of entire pan.  Pierce all over with a fork, this will help keep it flat.  Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.  If the crust bubbles up, you can pierce that section with a fork.  Cool completely.

For toppings:  Whisk condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, syrup, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium  heat until sugar dissolves, butter melts, and mixture comes to a boil.

Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan.  Continue to boil gently until caramel is thick and temperature registers 225 degrees F, whisking constantly.  It will probably take around 5 minutes.

Pour caramel evenly over crust; allow to set and cool for about 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate and cream in microwave or double boiler, stirring ocassionally.  Take care not to scorch the chocolate by getting it to hot.  Spread chocolate over caramel; sprinkle with sea salt.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour, but likely longer.  Keep it covered in the refrigerator.  It can be made 2 to 3 days ahead.  Cut the dessert into bars or squares to serve.

Best Ever White Frosting

Our good friend Virginia turned thirty this weekend, and I wanted to make her a special birthday cake so she knows how much she means to us. I chose a red velvet layer cake topped with fluffy white frosting and my husband added fresh strawberries. I wasn't too pleased with the cake, but the frosting turned out better than expected.

I've tried for several years to recreate the white frosting my Aunt Ruthie made, and finally feel I was successful. I'll keep working on the red velvet cake recipe and post it sometime in the future. This white frosting would work with just about any kind of cake. I had some left over and I used it to frost some chocolate cupcakes the next day. Enjoy!

3 egg whites

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup Karo white syrup

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla (you could use another flavoring like almond or lemon extract or even coffee)

Put ingredients in double boiler over cold water. Start beating with electric beater and turn on the burner at same time. Beat until it stands in stiff, glossy peaks. This varies in time, as some eggs whip faster than others.

The frosting will come out glossy and fluffy almost like marshmallow. You could also add a few drops of food coloring and fold it in gently, if you wanted a color other than white.

The birthday girl seemed to enjoy it. And, I think Aunt Ruthie would be proud....