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Valentine’s Cake!

February 12, 2011 by Jenn

Sugar Lilies and Petunias

 

Royal Icing Flowers

 

Sugar Lilies and Petunias

This week in my cake decorating classes, we were to finish a cake!  I had an order for a Montreal Canadiens birthday cake which was perfect for my Beginner class, and I wanted to make Paul something special for Valentine’s Day for my flower class.  Both of the cakes turned out beautifully, and I’m really  happy with what I have learned in my courses.  Next week, I start a fondant and gum paste flower class, so I’m looking forward to that too!

Buckeye Valentine's Cake

Using the flowers and techniques that I learned in my course, I made a Buckeye (chocolate and peanut butter) Valentine’s Cake!  The cake itself is delicious . . . we broke into it early 🙂  The bottom layer is a heavy chewy brownie like cake, middle layer is smooth peanut butter cream, and it’s topped off with a chocolate ganache!  Yum!

Buckeye Cake
(adapted from amandeleine)
 
Cake
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
 
Peanut Butter Layer
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
 
Ganache
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup peanut butter chips
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 9-inch-round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; grease.
2. Cake: Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter, melted chocolate, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake; cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and parchment; cool completely.
4. Peanut Butter Layer: Beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in medium mixer bowl until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Ganache: Heat cream in small saucepan to boiling; remove from heat. Add semi-sweet morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Stir; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread chocolate on top and sides of cake.
6. This step I did not do, as I was decorating my cake with my sugar flowers, but I’ve included it for you to enjoy! Melt peanut butter chips in resealable plastic bag on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 30 seconds. Knead bag to mix. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals until melted. Cut a small hole from corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over cake. Store in refrigerator. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

What are YOU doing for Valentine’s Day?

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Filed Under: Cakes, Randomness Tagged With: cake, chocolate, peanut butter, valentine's day

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

February 8, 2011 by Jenn

Looking for an easy snack that looks like you spent hours making?  Look no further than this crave-satisfying treat.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

That’s right.  Peanut butter and chocolate!

Seems to me that the PB & C combo is quite common around this blog.

That’s because it’s DELICIOUS!  I might even love it so much to say that it is the best flavour combo out there!  There, I said it.  It is!  I cannot resist this combo if it is within 10 feet of my taste buds.  It’s a real talent I have!  I’m like a bloodhound, sniffing out whatever a bloodhound sniffs out.  Perhaps, that wasn’t the best analogy I could have chosen.

This recipe has been floating around the blog world for a couple of months, and when I was in a pinch looking to whip up a homemade snack for a party I was hosting, I remembered seeing these!  I’m sure glad my notoriously horrible memory decided to kick in for this treat!  The sprinkles only add to the cuteness factor here.  Sprinkles are where it’s at people.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

(adapted from all the bloggers who have also written this recipe!)

Ingredients:

1 box of Ritz Crackers

1 package of dark chocolate chips (melted)

1 cup of smooth peanut butter.

Directions:

1. Spread a small amount of peanut butter in between two Ritz crackers.  The box of crackers makes about 30 sandwiches.

2. Melt the chocolate however you please…I used the microwave on 50% power for a total of 8 minutes, one minute at a time.

3. Dip the sandwiches one at a time, and add sprinkles if desired.

4. Enjoy!  Try to resist these babies . . . I dare ya!

What is your favourite, irresistible flavour combo?

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Filed Under: Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: chocolate, chocolate covered crackers, peanut butter

Peanut Butter Truffles

January 4, 2011 by Jenn

Peanut butter + Chocolate = LOVE. LUST. MUST.

Isn’t peanut butter and chocolate the best combination that was ever discovered?  The only thing that tops classical pb&c is adding pink himalayan sea salt.  Mmmmm, you will have a taste explosion in your mouth!

Since I had all three things kicking around in my cupboard, and a couple of New Years Eve parties to go to, I decided to get my Kitchen Aid out one more time.

I think I heard her groan.

That’s right.

I said her.

Peanut Butter Truffles

Ingredients

(adapted from ChocolateandCarrots)

  • 2 cups natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups icing sugar (I would add an extra half cup as the truffle was slightly moist)
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Put peanut butter and butter in a saucepan, stir frequently, until melted.  Add in vanilla.  Stir.

Remove from heat and add icing sugar.

Form into balls using a small cookie scoop and roll until smooth round balls.

Mmm . . . gobs of peanut butter . . . must. not. eat. until. covered. in. chocolate.

Put into fridge for at least an hour.  Melt chocolate in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring frequently.  When melted, drop one ball into and coat in chocolate.  See Tale of Two Truffles for further details on tips with rolling truffles in chocolate.

Now, for the Pink Himalayan Sea Salt . . . sprinkle a little bit on the top of the truffle, before it hardens . . . or decorate as you please.   These ones have mini Reeces Peanut Butter Cup Bites.

Sorry for the poor presentation on the completed truffles!  I was fighting with the new DSLR and I couldn’t get it JUST right . . . and I had to run out the door.

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Filed Under: Holiday Baking, Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: chocolate, peanut butter, truffles

Holiday Baking-Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

December 21, 2010 by Jenn

Seriously, this cookie has the BEST filling in the middle of it.  I, literally, had to refrain from sticking my tongue into the bowl . . . while the beater was beating.  It’s just that good. I took the beater off the second it was finished . . . and this is what happened.

SO GOOD!!

I spent a lot of time working with my new camera this morning, and I think I have a couple of things figured out.  Well, I do one minute, then can’t remember what I did to get the affect when I try to do it again!  It’s coming though . . . and it hasn’t been in my possession 24 hours.

Poinsettia in focus

Tree in focus

Uhhhh...not too sure

Linzer Cookies-Revamped

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Mmmmmmm . . . it was love at first taste.

Best new kitchen tool ever! It’s called the Measure All Cup by Pampered Chef!  So easy and so handy.  You can use solid, dry, or liquid ingredients.  You just set it at your required amount, load it up, and then push the bottom out and every smidgen of the ingredient comes out!  My hate on for molasses may be coming to an end.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie Recipe

(recipe adapted from www.othersideoffifty.com)

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I used white as it was all that I had)

Cream together the peanut butters, shortening, butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, scraping down the bowl and beaters after mixing. In a smaller bowl whisk together the baking soda, salt, and flours. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well to combine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls two inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork. (I used the plunger from my food processor.) Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a minute or two on baking sheet before moving to cooling rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Cream Filling
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups marshmallow Fluff
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup powdered sugar in a mixing bowl beat together all ingredients except for the powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat well to combine.

To assemble the sandwiches:

Take a tablespoonful of the peanut butter cream and place on bottom of one cookie. Take another cookie and place it, bottom side down, on top of the cream-topped cookie. Flatten slightly to spread the cream evenly.

In my happy place.

Watch out for your tongue in the beaters when you make this!

Enjoy.

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Filed Under: Cookies, Holiday Baking Tagged With: cookies, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, peanut butter cookies

Thursday Treats

November 28, 2010 by Jenn

It was my turn this week at school to bring in a Thursday Treat!  After much deliberation, and hours spent searching my bookmarked recipes, I finally decided on Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Icing!  Hot damn, it was pretty tasty . . . I especially loved the peanut butter cake portion . . . it tasted like a peanut butter cookie, but light and fluffy.  Mmmmm.  I found this recipe on the Epicurious App for my iPhone.   The only thing that you need to note is to READ THE DIRECTIONS!  I am having serious problems doing that lately.  Start the cake a day a head of time and you will have a much easier time than I did.  Here it is!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

(adapted from epicurious.com)

Filling

  • 2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semisweet)
  • 1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter

Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter
  • 2 1/4 cups golden brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Frosting

  • 1 1/2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
  • mini peanut butter cups for garnish

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Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: chocolate, chocolate cake, peanut butter
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