Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I don't know where this recipe came from, but anything with peanut butter and chocolate is a winner in my book. The recipe only makes 12 cupcakes, so you might want to double it.

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt.  In another bowl cream together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter.  Add egg and beat well.  Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.  Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  Spoon into cupcake pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Frosting:

Melt 3/4 cup chocolate chips over warm water (I just microwaved them for 30 seconds).  Beat in 1/4 cup heavy cream and whisk until cool and fluffy.
Note:  This frosting is semi-sweet.  If you want a sweeter frosting use milk chocolate chips, or try the chocolate frosting recipe from the February 13, 2011 post (Chocolate Cake).

Pecan Candy Cake

This cake is definitely for a time when calories are no object!

1 yellow cake mix
1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup chopped pecans
4 large heath bars, crushed

Spray 13 x 9 glass pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle half of the pecans on the bottom of pan.  Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Pour batter over pecans and bake according to package directions.  Immediately after taking cake from oven, punch cake full of holes with wooden spoon handle.  Pour condensed milk over top of cake.  Sprinkle crushed heath bars over top of cake.  Sprinkle remaining pecans over cake & candy.  Let cool before eating.  (Do not remove entire cake from pan).

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

It is sad to think that this Sunday will be our first Mothers Day without Ruth.  I know if she were still here she would be making this cake for Sunday dinner.  Hot milk sponge cake was always served as shown, with strawberries and whipped cream, usually in the months of May and June when strawberries are in season in California.  Mom usually bought strawberries from a roadside stand where they were picked straight from the field.  I've never tasted better strawberries, or a better way to eat them.

1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Put eggs in a large bowl and beat with rotary beater until very light.  Keep beating while adding sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.  Add salt and flavorings.
Heat milk and butter in a saucepan just to boiling point.  Add all at once to egg mixture.  Mix in.  Combine flour and baking powder and add all at once to the batter.  Beat with mixer until smooth.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.  Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

To serve, mash 2 or 3 cups of strawberries and sweeten with sugar.  Add desired amount of sliced strawberries.  Slice a square of sponge cake in half and cover both layers with strawberry mixture.  Top with whipped cream.

Valentine Chocolate Cake

Happy Valentine's Day!  This chocolate cake was a tradition in our home, made into a heart shape on Valentine's Day for Dad or a layer cake on birthdays.  The heart shape is made by dividing the batter between a round cake pan and an 8x8 square pan and then cutting the round in half and attaching them to the top sides of the square.

As for the cake recipe, I found two versions of this in Mom's recipe collection, neither of which had any sort of directions.  I'm finding that she did this quite often.  She knew how to make a cake (or a casserole, or bread, etc.), so why bother to write down the instructions?  I picked the recipe with salt and a little more shortening and it tasted just like I remember.

3/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour*
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt

Heat chocolate and water together until chocolate melts.  (You can do this in a microwave, or do it the old-fashioned way over a double-boiler.  Many people today have no idea what a double-boiler is.  It is a small pan that fits inside of a larger pan filled with water.  As the water underneath boils, it gently heats the ingredients in the smaller pan.  It's a great way to melt chocolate without scorching.)  Stir melted chocolate and water together until blended and set aside.

Cream together shortening and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Add the chocolate/water mixture and vanilla.   Combine all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.   Alternately add  a little flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter until well combined.  Grease and flour two cake pans. Divide the batter between the two cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before attempting to remove the cake from the pans.  Cool on wire rack before frosting.

*I used cake flour and loved the results

Chocolate Frosting
4 Tbls. butter or margarine
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbls. cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk (plus or minus)

Heat the butter, water, salt and cocoa powder together and stir until butter is melted.  Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar.  Add milk a few tablespoons at a time until the frosting is desired consistency.