Chocolate peanut layer extravaganza cake

I'm dreaming all about deeply satisfying rich tastes and at the moment I love the pairing of chocolate with creamy peanut butter. As though you can't tell from my previous post :)

To try and quell my desire I created this chocolate peanut layer extravaganza cake. Now I know what y'all are thinking, surly that Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake you just posted put a dent in my cravings, but the problem was I shared it all out. To remedy it I kept this one mostly to myself.

Which is quite an accomplishment as it's a reasonably tall cake.  With the additional height of the chocolate shards it makes quite an impressive cake suitable to serve at any gathering.  

The addition of salted peanuts sprinkled on top and the chocolate shards with added sea salt flakes adds a lovely contrast both in it's crunchy texture and the salty taste which is a welcome foil to the sweet frosting.

During the winter months the cake should hold up quite well, however in warmer months or in warm climates you may need to chill the cake in the refrigerator during assemble the next layer of cake has been pressed in place.

Finally if your tastes tend towards the delectably indulgent but you don't quite have my stamina you can quarter the recipe, bake in a 15 cm round baking tin for around 20- 15 minutes less and have a cake that is still extravagant in taste but a little more moderate in serving size.

Chocolate peanut extravaganza cake makes 1 X 20 cm diameter by 15 cm high cake (excluding shard height)

I used an Ateco 868 piping tip and large disposable piping bag. Cake will serve 20 to 35 people depending on serving size. 

4 layers of chocolate cake (recipe follows)

Peanut Butter frosting (recipe follows)

100g dark chocolate

3 Tbsp salted peanuts

1/4 tsp salt flakes

Make the chocolate shards. 

Cover a flat tray with baking paper and melt the dark chocolate in the microwave at medium low heat and whisk until smooth. Spread the chocolate out onto the prepared tray, the chocolate should be a few mm's thick.

Chop 1 1/2 Tbsp of the peanuts roughly and sprinkle on top of the melted chocolate along with the 1/4 tsp of salt flakes. Allow to set.

Assemble the cake.

Place the first layer of chocolate cake onto a cake board or cake stand. Ensure this layer is completely flat, so it would be the bottom layer from one of the cakes you cut in half.

Place a large star piping tip into a piping bag and fill the bag with peanut frosting.

Starting on the outside edge of the cake, holding the piping bag upright 90 angle to the cake apply pressure for a short burst to pipe a star of frosting. Release the pressure on the bag and the pull the bag up away from the cake. Continue to pipe frosting around the edge of the cake and then pipe a second circle of frosting 'stars' just inside the first circle. Continue to pipe working to the center of the cake, you should have around 4 or 5 circles.

Take the next layer of cake, it should be the top layer to the cake you have placed on the bottom. If this cake has a rounded dome*, turn it over and gently press the domed edge into the frosting ensuring the cake is completely centered on the previous layer and that you have no cake overhanging. You should now have a flat top on the cake to work on.

Using the piping bag filled with peanut frosting cover the top of the cake with frosting as described in the steps above.

Take the next layer of cake. This layer should be the bottom layer of the remaining cake. Press it gently into place, make sure that the cake is centered with no overhang.

Using the piping bag filled with peanut frosting cover the top of the cake with frosting as described in the steps above.

Place the final layer of cake, if it has a domed top, once again push the top down gently into the frosting so you have a flat top on the cake to pipe onto.

Pipe the final layer of peanut frosting onto the top of the cake taking care that the stars are even and the same size.

Add final decorations.

Cut the dark chocolate covered in peanuts into large triangle shards using a sharp knife. Press the shards into the top of the cake with the points of the triangle facing upwards. 

Sprinkle the remaining peanuts onto the top of the cake.

Cake may be served immediately or stored for  in refrigerator until ready to serve, remove 20 minutes prior to serving. Left overs cake be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chocolate layer cake

3 cups plain flour
2 tsp bicarb soda  
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup cool water
250 g unsalted butter room temperature cut into small squares
2 1/2 cup caster sugar 
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 160 C fan forced (325 F) and grease flour and line 2 X 20cm round tins with baking paper.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Mix the hot water and cocoa to make a paste then add the cool water mix until well combined, set aside.

In a large bowl of a stand mixer mix together butter and sugar at high speed until well creamed (about 2-3 mins).

Reduce speed to low and mix in eggs then vanilla mixing until well combined.

Add 1/3 of the flour, mix until just combined then add 1/2 the cocoa mixture, mix again until combined and scrape down sides. Add another 1/3rd of the flour, mix, add the remainder of the cocoa mix and scrape down sides then mix in the remaining flour.

Add the sour cream and continue to mix at low speed until completely combined.

Divide mixture evenly between the 2 X 20cm tins and bake for around 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When ready to use cut each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers in total.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature prior to mixing. In warm weather you will only require 1 Tbsp to achieve a smooth piping consistency. In cold weather you may need to add extra milk to achieve the desired consistency.

4 cups icing sugar mixture

2 cups smooth peanut butter

200 g unsalted butter room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk at room temperature

extra milk at room temperature extra if required

Place the sugar, peanut butter and butter in a large bowl and mix at high speed until light and fluffy, around 6 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add 1 Tbsp of milk and mix until well combined. Add extra milk as required to achieve a consistency which will is light and fluffy but will hold its shape when piped.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Blue French Macarons

What flavor do you think of when you pick up a blue sweet?

I bet it's not Peanut Butter, and you might also think that peanut butter is a strange pairing for a french macaron.

But not so surprisingly when you think about it the filling, which has a touch of saltiness, balances out the sweet almond shells quite nicely.

This is the same peanut butter chocolate ganache that I used to top the If This is Wrong I don't want to be right Peanut Butter Mini Cheesecakes I made up a few weeks ago.

Oh and just in case you missed it, I did a tutorial for some plane cookies over at Polkadot Prints Blog, click over and have a look, they are based on the super lovely Flying High printable range.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache filled French Macarons

Macaron Shells makes around 20 filled macarons

190 gram (6 5/8 oz)almond meal (almond flour)
190 gram pure icing sugar (6 5/8 oz powdered sugar)
190 gram granulated sugar (6 5/8 oz)
48 grams water (1 5/8 oz)
140 gram egg whites aged split into 2 lots of 70grams each (5 oz split into 2 lots of 2 1/2oz each)*
dark blue food colour
*ageing egg whites refers to separating the yolks from whites and then leaving the whites to age for a few days. This can be done on the counter if your countries climate permits or in the fridge, wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and then pop a few holes in the top. Alternately you can pop the egg whites in the microwave on high for 10 seconds or so - I used the microwave method in this batch pictured.

1. Mix the ground almonds and icing sugar together and pulse a few times in food processor to make almond meal finer. Do not over process as the meal can become oily. Sieve into a large bowl. Add colour and 70g (2 1/2 ounce) of the egg whites to the sugar/almond mixture but don’t mix in.

2. Place remaining 70g (2 1/2 ounce) of egg whites in bowl of mixer fitted with the whisk.

Yup - I really use this super old fashioned thermometer I have had for about 20 years to make my macarons

3. Pop granulated sugar and water into saucepan stir to combine and cook without stirring to 118C (245 F). Once the mixture reaches 115C (240 F) start mixing the egg whites on high. Make sure you have a pouring shield on your mixer, when the sugar syrup reaches 118C (245 F)remove from heat and immediately pour in a thin stream down the side of the mixer bowl continuing to whisk on high.

4. Continue to whisk the meringue on high until the side of the bowl is only a little warm to touch, around 50C (120 F).
.

5. Add meringue mixture to almond mixture and using a large spatula fold the mixture together until it starts to shine and forms a ribbon that disappears back into the mixture after about 30 seconds.

6. Add the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip (or just cut the end of a disposable piping bag) and pipe in lines onto parchment lined baking sheets. To make the macarons as even as possible I apply a constant slow pressure to the piping bag and count a few numbers like up to 3 for each one.

7. Set aside for about 30 minutes or until the macarons have formed a skin so that the macaron mixture does not stick to your finger when gently touched.

8. Meanwhile preheat oven to 140C (285 F). Once ready bake the macaroons for around 13 to 15 minutes depending on size, they should not be browned. Remove the baking trays and immediately slide off the macarons and the parchment onto the work surface and let cool completely before removing the shells.

9. Once cooled match disks into like sizes and sandwich together using the ganache.

Peanut Chocolate Ganache

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar) sifted
3 tsp or 15g  unsalted butter (1 US Tbsp or 1/2 oz)
4oz Dark or Semi Sweet Chocolate 
1 oz cream 

 pinch salt
1 Tbsp or 20g (1 1/2 Tbsp US or 3/4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature

Chop the chocolate into fine pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with the cream and heat in the microwave at medium low heat for 1 minute bursts until melted. Make sure you do not overheat the chocolate. 

Cover and allow to set at room temperature until firm.

Place peanut butter, sugar, 3 tsp (1 US Tbsp) unsalted butter and pinch of salt into a bowl and mix until well combined set aside until required.

Beat the chocolate mixture on high for a couple of minutes until it lightens in color. Add the Peanut Butter Filling and mix well at medium speed, add the 1 Tbsp ( 1 1/2 US Tbsp) butter and continue to beat at medium speed until the mixture comes together, do not over mix.

If this is wrong I don't want to be right chocolate peanut butter baked cheesecakes

Peanut Butter. Chocolate. Cheesecake. Oreo.

It sounds so wrong, but it tastes sooooo right.

I'm continuing on with my mini Cheesecake love with a super rich version which is based on one of my favorite flavor combinations....peanut butter and chocolate.

At first I thought I might just pop a whole Peanut Butter Cup into the cheesecake on top of the Oreo, y'know make it super easy, and if you look carefully at the picture below you can see that is exactly what I did to the one on the left side - see the little layer of chocolate in between the peanut and cheesecake. But for my tastes I found that section of the cheesecake a little crumbly and dry, don't get me wrong it was good, but not quite what I was hoping for. So I did a google search around and found this cheat recipe and decided to modify it a bit for use in the cheesecake.

Not only is the filling creamier - it's more cost effective plus I could make it a bit smaller than the shop bought one so I got a little bit more cheesecake in.

Soooooo Right.

(.......also just in case you missed my previous post I would like to clarify mostly for Mr Sweet's sake that the statement in the photo is not true - I pretty much always want to be right.)

Peanut Butter Baked Cheesecake

makes 14 large Texas muffin sized cheesecakes. For the pictures I poured over some melted chocolate peanut ganache and added chopped mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups.

Peanut Butter Filling

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar) sifted
2tbsp + 1 tsp unsalted butter or 45g (3 US Tbsp or 1 1/2 oz)
pinch salt

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. If it's a very hot day you may like to place the 7oz that will be used in the cheesecakes in the fridge to make it easier to handle.

Cheesecake

14 Oreo Cookies
7oz of the Peanut Butter Filling (see recipe above)
625g (21oz) cream cheese at room temperature
1 tin condensed milk
3 large eggs at room temperature
14 large muffin papers (I bought these ones from woolies)


Preheat oven to 140C (280 F)

Line the muffin tins with the muffin/cupcake papers. Place one single oreo in the bottom of each paper.

Top each Oreo with 3 tsp (1 US Tbsp) of peanut butter mixture and press down onto the top of the Oreo cookie.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese using a mixer at medium speed until just smooth, add the condensed milk and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the large muffin papers dividing mixture evenly between the papers using a scant 1/3 cup to each to make 14.

Place the tray into the oven and bake until the mixture is just setting in the center, around 16- 20 mins

Allow to cool in the trays for 10-15min and then pop in an airtight container in the fridge until chilled.

Top each cheesecake with a swirl of Peanut Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows).

Peanut Chocolate Ganache

4oz Dark or Semi Sweet Chocolate 
1 oz cream

4 oz Peanut Butter Filling

20g (3/4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature

Chop the chocolate into fine pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with the cream and heat in the microwave at medium low heat for 1 minute bursts until melted. Make sure you do not overheat the chocolate. 

Cover and allow to set at room temperature until firm.

Beat the chocolate mixture on high for a couple of minutes until it lightens in color. Add the Peanut Butter Filling and mix well at medium speed, add the butter and continue to beat at medium speed until the mixture comes together, do not over mix.