Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

We were going over to my sister's condo for a swim, tennis, and a spaghetti dinner and I offered to bring homemade bread and a dessert.  It was a really busy day - meeting at school, missed bus, forgotten computer, Zumba, a couple of lengthy business calls that took longer than expected...and it all served to wreak havoc with my day!  I ended up throwing together a focaccia for the bread offering (it was really good so I am glad that worked out) and I got rolling on the cake between Zumba and the school meeting.  I knew my brother-in-law was a peanut butter fan so I searched around for a recipe to try (family doesn't mind being guinea pigs) and I came across a Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pound Cake on several blogs.  It sounded good so I decided to give it a try!

I printed off a recipe from pixelatedcrumb.com and she attributed the recipe to Recipe Girl.  I didn't mess with the cake too much - all I substituted was mixed chocolate chunks and chips inside the cake instead of straight chips...and I didn't use the Peanut Butter Glaze - I made a basic ganache and sweetened it up with a touch of powdered sugar and a hint of vanilla. 

Here's how it goes:

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP POUND CAKE
WITH GANACHE GLAZE

Ingredients:

Cake:

3 cups unbleached AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (note - do not use the natural PB unless you have the no-stir kind)
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3 cups granulated white sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Glaze:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray 10-cup bundt pan generously with nonstick spray.
In bowl of stand mixer, cream together peanut butter and butter.
Add sugar and beat for 5 minutes.
In separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt - set aside.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla to butter and sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated.
Stir in chocolate chips on low.
Spoon batter into prepared bundt pan.
Smooth top of batter with spatula.
Tap the pan a couple of times on counter to ensure any air pockets settle.
Bake for 1 hour and check the cake to make sure it is not browning too quickly.
Cover loosely with foil if it is browing on the outside and not done on the inside... and bake 10-20 additional minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool for 20 minutes then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.

Glaze:

In top of double boiler, combine cream and chocolate, whisking continuously over simmering water.
When completely smooth, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla.
Sift sugar in thirds over the ganache and whisk until smooth.
When cake is completely cool, slide wax paper pieces under edges of cake to catch the ganache over-spill.
Spoon ganache over cake allowing to drip down sides and center.
Wait until ganache is setting up (maybe 10-15 minutes) and carefully remove wax paper from under cake.

The cake was incredibly tasty.  I think I over-baked it though - I let it go the entire hour and 20 minutes and was evaluating doneness by color.  The edges of the cake were almost chewy (tasty but chewy) - the crumb was dense and marvelous...I almost think this would have been more appropriate in a sheet pan and served as brownies (or blondies I guess).  I had to saw through the crust when serving.  Everyone said it tasted good - but the teen said it was too "hard" on the outside - yet my sister loved the "crust" and picked it off of my son's piece and ate it.  I had a piece for breakfast this morning (bad girl, bad girl) with my coffee...it was really delicious and had softened a bit over night.  This might be one of those cakes that tastes even better a couple of days down the road.  It's really rich - a small piece is just right - the people taking big pieces couldn't finish their pieces - just so darn rich!  If I make it again, I'll reduce the cooking time.  I think I am going to try this in a sheet pan, though, and serve it like a bar cookie - it's that dense.  Or maybe a mini cupcake...that could be a really good thing! 
Sounds like a potential addition to my Christmas cookie trays!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!

SHARED WITH:


 







Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays #17



 

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Here's the easiest thing I've done all day :-)

My kids LOVE the peanut butter cookies with a Hershey Kiss stuck in the middle.  I've made them for more years than I can count...only learned they had a name a couple of years ago...  Peanut Butter Blossoms!

I've tried a variety of PB Cookie recipes as well...and you know what I do?  I buy a roll of Pillsbury's Peanut Butter refrigerated cookie dough...it works perfectly every time - I don't have to mix anything - it's my seasonal short cut during a time of year when I don't take many short cuts. 

Of course, I "dress them up" for the holidays by using a mixture of red and green sparkly sugar...and the smiles on the happy faces of my family are all the better because I didn't have to break my back measuring, mixing, and all that stuff.  They are no more happy if I make these from scratch than they are when I make these from the refrigerated dough purchased at the grocery store.  Win-win situation.  To make it even better - I caught a couple of rolls on sale earlier this year...for $1.00 if you can believe it!  Popped those into the freezer, pulled them down to my fridge 2 days ago for thawing...and perfecto!

It's easy peasy...and a great thing to make any time of the year.  Here's how I do it:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare two cookie sheets with a non-stick Silpat or parchment paper for easy release.
Cut the end off the tube of dough and run a knife all the way down the side so you can scoop out the dough.

Using a small cookie scoop, form about 24 balls (I scoop first and roll after all scooped).  I ended up with 26 this time.
Space them evenly on the two cookie sheets, leaving adequate space for them to spread - at least 2 inches apart.
Lightly flatten, using a fork dipped in sugar (rub your fork over the dough remnants to get some of the oil on the fork - it will allow the sugar to adhere for the first application of sugar).  Form a criss-cross pattern on the top of the cookie (dip between each placement of the fork).  I put red and green sugar together in a low edged ramekin - works perfect.

Bake 9-14 minutes (mine took exactly 10 minutes).  Don't over-bake - you want fairly soft cookies.
While they are baking, unwrap enough Hershey Kisses to put one on each cookie.

When they come out of the oven, place tray on a cooling rack and while they are hot and still poofed up - gently push one unwrapped Hershey Kiss into the middle of each cookie.

Allow to cool at least 5-10 minutes then remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack, being careful not to touch the Kiss.  Like I said, easy!

So, give yourself a break and take a short cut when you can.  Especially good for those times you want the kids to join in for cookie baking...they can roll the balls, they can dip the fork in sugar, they can peel the candies...Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough...it's a good thing any time of the year!

Bon Appetit Y'all!!!