Monday, May 14, 2012

OMG. 
So I baked the most incredible Reese's cake of my life the other day. It was seriously amazing. The recipe is found on the flickr page of this genius and replicated below (with my notes, of course):



CAKE: 
It really doesn't matter. I went against my own creed (because it was 9 p.m. on a Tuesday) and made it with Pillsbury box mix. The cake itself is NOT the main event.
FILLING:
8oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (chocolate chips worked great)
8oz heavy cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (choosey moms choose Jiffs)
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter cups, roughly chopped (those little baby ones were perfect, and super cute for decorating)
Heat the cream until it just begins to boil (be careful, because it starts to foam and go EVERYWHERE). Pour it over the chocolate in a medium bowl. Whisk until it melts, then whisk in the peanut butter. Set aside 1/4 of the filling for the first layer of frosting. Cool the other 3/4 completely, then gently stir in the peanut butter cups.
FROSTING: (OMG THIS IS THE BEST PART. My only suggestion would be to double it, because I didn't feel like I had enough)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Cream together the butter and peanut butter until they are fully combined and kind of fluffy. Add the vanilla, then stir in the sugar.
ASSEMBLY:
Place one 9-inch round on a cake stand or plate. Cover the top in the peanut butter fudge filling. Place the second 9-inch round on top. Using the reserved filling, spread a thin layer on the outside of the cake. Refrigerate until the fudge is set and firm to the touch.
Slather the whole thing in the peanut butter frosting. Decorate with peanut butter cups.

So I would have taken a picture of it, but it isn't pretty any more, because, turns out, when you hack off the side of it with a spoon every evening standing in your kitchen because you don't want to commit to the fact that you are eating a hearty slice of peanut butter cake every evening a pretty picture it does not make. On several levels.

On a related note, I wish I had more time to bake. I really love it. I am seriously coveting the entire set of Martha Stewart baking tools, which are all brightly colored but tasteful and functional yet fun and WANT IT ALL:
So the hosts you are bringing your DELICIOUS cupcakes to aren't appalled when you bring them cupcakes with frosting all OVER the freaking place

So your cookies aren't a FREAKING mess 


Martha Stewart Collection Covered Mixing Bowls, Set of 3 Stainless Steel
COVERED mixing bowls. For when you don't want all 18 pounds of cookie dough all at once.






I feel like an ad for Martha Stewart. Which I guess I sort of am. In that I aspire to her, not that I think she would would particularly want me to endorse or represent her brand (see above: eating peanut butter cake in the kitchen).

Anyway. I wish I could bake more, had the time, and when I had the time had the energy, and when I had the energy had the money (supplies can get pretty expensive, especially if you are making them from scratch! Butter, seriously, makes things DELICIOUS and is almost $4 a pound). And the green grass grows all around all around. 

My shouting bird has been replaced by a barking frog, btw. I didn't realize that there was a downgrade from a shouting bird (or maybe nature thinks it's an upgrade?) but he is serious about communicating something to some jungle creature out there and he likes to do it RIIIGGGHT as I am falling asleep. 

I'm not even going to try to describe what this barking frog sounds like, because you are probably thinking "Oh, is she in the rainforest? Or some other similarly tropical place with a pier 1 and exotic, noisy creatures?" and the answer is NO I am not, the most exotic thing we have is a mutt upstairs named dodger but the FROGS ARE SO FREAKING ANNOYING I'm getting pretty worked up about it and exaggerating. 

Taking a deep breath, and coming around to the pin of the 15th day (Sounds like a Harry Potter title)

Beehive Cake (Brown-Butter Banana Cake and Honey Butter cream)
SO cute. I will make some day.




MWAH,






Moi.






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