Here I am during holiday break, inspired to cook and realizing it's been a while since I sat down to blog. I haven't stopped cooking in the recent busy months, so I have a pile-up of pictures and recipes ready to go. Here's hoping I can share many of them with you in the coming weeks.
MOM'S CHOCOLATE CAKE TWO WAYS
Chris turned 30 in November, and a big birthday calls for a big cake. His request was something with one of his favorite dessert combinations: chocolate and peanut butter.
My mom's been making chocolate cake for our family birthdays for as long as I can remember. I haven't tasted a better one, either. So I decided to play with the recipe I've only seen in a bundt pan and use the batter to make a four-layer cake with peanut butter filling. I had fun making the cake look like one of Chris's drums, using a cake leveler, chocolate frosting, decorating frosting, red food coloring spray, rolled white fondant, and pretzel sticks. I had to double both the chocolate cake and peanut butter icing recipes to complete the four layers, dividing each chocolate cake batter recipe into two 9-inch round pans.
THERESA'S CHOCOLATE CAKE
recipe from Theresa Folse
Mix dry ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cocoa (she uses Hershey’s)
Add:
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 cup oil (she uses Canola oil)
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting:
- 3 tablespoons cocoa (she uses Hershey’s)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
KATHLEEN'S PEANUT BUTTER ICING
recipe from Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Icing, www.foodnetwork.com
Ingredients:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Method:
Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.