Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake Verdict

I got a bundt pan from dad for my birthday, so I had to find something to make in it. Deciding I was missing a chocolate dessert, I stumbled upon a chocolate peanut butter bundt cake and decided it was perfect. It was fairly simple to make and fun to squirt the peanut butter filling over a small layer of chocolate.

I then put another layer of chocolate to finish it off and baked it. This is what it looked like when it came out.

It looks even prettier when out of the pan! But I wasn't done yet. I saw the picture on my baking addiction blog and decided I wanted mine to look exactly like the picture.

I found a recipe for a chocolate glaze, poured it on top, and sprinkled chopped reeses peanut butter cups over the top. :-) I thought it tasted delicious, but that my peanut butter layer was a little dry. I loved the combination of chocolate and peanut butter though! Who wouldn't?

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bundt
From:  mybakingaddiction.com
Note: the only thing I didn't like about this recipe was that it does not include the glaze, so look below to find the recipe I used and don't forget to pick up some reeses while you're at the grocery store!

For the filling
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the cake batter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
3 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 tablespoons sour cream
12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Method
Preheat oven to 350

To make the filling
In a large mixing bowl, beat peanut butter, cream cheese and butter until combined. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla. Be sure to scrape down the sides. Pour in sugar and flour, mix until combined. Fit a pastry bag with a large plain tip and scoop the filling into the bag. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the batter
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a medium metal or glass bowl, add cocoa and whisk in boiling water. Add in chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Mix in sour cream.

In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. Alternatively mix in the dry ingredients and the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. For example - mix in 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the cocoa mixture, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the cocoa mixture and finishing with the final 1/3 of the flour. Mixing just until combined with each addition.

Spray a bundt pan with a nonstick spray that has flour included (like Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour). Spoon a little less than half of the batter into bottom of the bundt pan. Using the pastry bag that has the peanut butter mixture, carefully pipe a ring of the filling over the center of the chocolate batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and gently tap the pan to remove air bubbles.
Bake until top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached - about 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Place a wire cooling rack on top of the cake and carefully turn over - remove the pan and let cool completely.

 If you want the glaze, I found my recipe from American's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

3 tablespoons milk

pinch of salt

Mix all the glaze ingredients together until smooth, then let sit until thickened, about 25 minutes. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake after it has completely cooled, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Let set before serving, about 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Banana Meringue Pie Verdict

I finally found the time to upload my pictures from Thanksgiving and had plenty of time to sample the things I made, so I feel I can give you a good judgment.

I had to run to several different store to find pumpkins the roast in the oven myself, but I finally found some. Having never roasted pumpkins before, I followed the recipe very closely. If I did it again, I would have roasted the pumpkin MUCH longer. I would have roasted it until it was almost mush and I think that would have added more flavor. However, I roasted the pumpkins and bananas as directed by the recipe. Not sure if it is worth the effort as opposed to buying the canned pumpkin, but I was excited to try it completely from scratch.

I then took the pumpkin and bananas together and made my filling for the pie from scratch. It smelled so good! I really liked that part.

I also made the pie crust from scratch. A must! Any pie is so much better when you make the crust yourself.

This is what my pie looked out when taken out of the oven. One thing about the recipe I didn't like was it made way too much filling, so I had a lot left over. I would probably half the recipe next time so I don't have to waste it. Although, if you're creative, you could find other uses for it.

And this is the finished product. I made sure to try a piece of this interesting pie after Thanksgiving dinner and was not all that impressed. It seemed as though it was missing some spices our sweetness. I think roasting the pumpkins more would have helped, but this pie showed me that I am a pumpkin pie purist. When there is pumpkin in the title, I want it to taste like pumpkin. It was a fun pie to make, but I think next time I'm going to stick to the traditional pumpkin pie. Here's the recipe for those who are interested:

Ingredients

Pie Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 5 teaspoons sugar
• Pinch kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 egg yolks
• Ice water

For the filling:

• 2 whole sugar pumpkins
• 6 bananas
• 3 large eggs, plus 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Pinch kosher salt

For the meringue topping:

• 4 large egg whites
• 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch salt

Directions

Crust:

Combine the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Mix in the cold butter with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Work in egg yolks and 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water until the dough holds together without being too sticky. If it's still crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing firmly into the bottom and sides. Trim the excess dough, then pinch the edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Filling:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Split the pumpkins down the middle and scoop out the seeds. Arrange on a roasting tray, cut side up, and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the pumpkins from the oven and lay bananas (in their skins) around and between the pumpkin halves. Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before handling, about 5 minutes.

Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and add to a food processor. Peel the bananas and add the flesh to food processor as well. Add the 3 eggs, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons butter, nutmeg, heavy cream and salt. Puree until smooth.

Put a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Pour the filing into the prepared pie shell. Lightly beat the egg white. Brush the pastry edges with the egg white and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Carefully arrange the pie on the preheated baking sheet, lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake it until the pie is set but still jiggles slightly, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Topping:

Beat the egg whites, powdered sugar, cream of tartar, and a pinch salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until glossy medium peaks form, being careful not to over beat.

Spread the meringue mixture over the top of the pie, covering right to the edges. Using the back of a spoon press lightly into the meringue and pull up on the spoon to form peaks all over the surface of the meringue (alternatively you can use a piping bag with a large star tip if you choose).

To cook the meringue, preheat the broiler with the rack in the highest position. Put the pie under the broiler and broil until the meringue is set and golden brown, about 7 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning, as it cooks quickly. Remove from the broiler and cool before serving.

From Tyler Florence on foodnetwork.com

Thanksgiving Menu Plan

I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year! I have my very own kitchen for the first time during Thanksgiving and two families my husband and I will be visiting. I know it might seem risky, but everything I plan on making is something I've never made before. I am in charge of bringing desserts, so here are the things I'm planning on making and bringing. I plan on making them tomorrow, so I will present the menu and then tell you how it went!

Cranberry-Chocolate Tart: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2007/11/cranberry_chocolate_tart

Pumpkin Banana Meringue Pie: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pumpkin-banana-meringue-pie-recipe/index.html


Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bundt Cake from mybakingaddiction.com


And I have to make something Alton this year, so I'll make his chocolate or apple pie. I'll let you know when I finally decide. Tomorrow-in this kitchen cooking away!

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

American Chop Suey

I made this recipe without really knowing what it was, but I had all the ingredients and have not had anything bad from my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a variety of recipes that are almost full proof. I'm going to try changing the trinity used because my hubby isn't a big fan of onions, but I haven't tried it yet. I was thinking of making it carrots, bell peppers, and celery. If I try it, I'll let you know how it works out. In the meantime, here's the recipe:

American Chop Suey

2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds (90 percent lean) ground beef
1 onion, chopped medium
1 bell pepper
1 rib celery, chopped medium
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt
1 (25-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces elbow macaroni (2 cups)
pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Then transfer to a medium bowl.

2. Heat the other tablespoon vegetable oil to the empty skillet and return it to medium heat until simmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the browned beef, scraping up any browned bits. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and immer until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Stir in the macaroni and continue to cook over medium low heat, covered and stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Lemon-Poppyseed Muffins

I am a huge fan of muffins, but I have always enjoyed poppyseed muffins for some reason. I am not picky about my muffins, but have one request-don't give me one with a mushy top! The top of the muffin should have a crunchy exterior and yummy soft bread in the middle. I find this recipe accommodates my needs. It also calls for making a drizzle that goes over the top after the muffins come out of the oven. I find it unnecessary and therefore am not including it in my post. :-) Hope you enjoy!

Lemon-Poppyseed Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons poppyseeds
1 1/2 cups lowfat plain yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon lemon zest

1. Adjust an oven rach to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppyseeds together in a large bowl. Whisk the yogurt, eggs, and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Gently fold the yogurt-egg mixture into the flour mizture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the melted butter.

3. Use a large ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes.

4. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minute, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

(FYI- I normally get more then 12 muffins out of this recipe, but I think it depends on how full you make your muffin cups. I also just scoop the batter into the cups using a normal spoon. No measuring cup or ice-cream scoop required, but not a bad idea.)

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

I have eaten much banana bread in my life and have decided that although it may seem like a simple recipe, many bakers get it wrong. I have had banana bread that has no hint of banana flavor, or too dry to want to eat it. It could be that these recipes do not include much banana or tell you to bake it until it no longer tastes like the moist banana bread it is supposed to be. I have made several recipes and have tried many others. While I have a banana snack cake recipe I really like, I have an all-time favorite banana bread recipe.

I must add that there are some things I think everyone should know and be careful of when they are making banana bread. Most recipes call for an hour of baking. Once you get to know your recipe and your oven, you will be able to get a good gauge on the timing, but rarely do I go less than an hour, or longer than an hour. If anything, it's no more than 10 minutes either way. Another thing I learned from being disappointed with the tops of the bread cooking nicely but the bottom staying a gooey mess is that you're supposed to cook banana bread on the lower middle rack of your oven. That way, you don't completely dry the bread trying to cook the gooey bottom.

I'm not sure where my mother found this recipe, but here it is to share with you all:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 sups mased bananas (3-4)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Mix in nuts. Spoon into greased loaf pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until bread tests done. (A toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.) Cool on rack. Makes one loaf.

Spider Deviled Eggs

I made these last year I believe, but when my husband asked if I wanted to go to his work potluck today for lunch, he specifically requested the spider deviled eggs he had remembered from last year. I love them because they're easy to make, difficult to mess up, and so darn cute! Plus, who doesn't like deviled eggs? They're usually the first thing to go at parties and everyone seems to get a kick out of them looking like little spiders. I had a great time getting to know the people my husband works with and being able to see where he works. If you're going to a Halloween party and don't have much experience in the kitchen, or don't want to spend a lot of time on something, but would like something festive, this would be a good recipe for you.

Mind you, I don't normally have a recipe for my deviled eggs. I typically cook the hard boiled eggs, take out the yolk, mix it with mustard, mayo, salt and pepper, until it tastes the way I like it and looks about the right consistency. This is really the only thing I feel comfortable making without measuring, but if you need something, here's a recipe I trust:

7 large eggs, cold

3 Tablespoons mayonaise

1 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)

3/4 teaspoon grainy mustard

1/4 teaspoon Worchestershire

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the eggs in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat immediately, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and cool for 5 minutes. Peel the eggs and slice each in half lengthwise. With a small spoon, scoop the yolks into a bowl, add the mayonaise, vinegar, mustard, and Worchestershire, and mash with a rubber spatula until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter, discarding the two worst-looking ones. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or plastic bag, pipe the yolk misture into the whites. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe from American's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

I do not go through that much trouble. Normally I simply put the mixture on the eggs with a spoon, but it does look much prettier with a bag. Since you're putting spiders on them, I don't think it really matters. I also would never discard two of the worst looking eggs...well, maybe after I've filled them I would eat them. ;-)

After you've made your deviled eggs however you like, the spiders are made from olives. I cut a whole olive in half to make the body, and with the other half, I cut it into strips to make the legs.

Happy Halloween!