Double Chocolate Cake With Peanut Butter Cream Filling

Double chocolate cake with peanut butter cream filling.

When I'm in New Bern at the Antique Show each year, I enjoy chatting with Virginia, from Oriental, NC, who has a booth directly across from me.  Invariably our chats turn to food.  This year we had the Preview Party of the Show on Valentine's night and somehow that night our conversation turned to "candy".  I was expressing my penchant for Reese's Peanut Butter candy bars, when Virginia proceeded to tell me about this cake she had made recently that combined chocolate and peanut butter.  I got the recipe from her and earlier this week, I made the cake. 

This cake is easy and quick to make.  If you are a purist and like cakes made from scratch this recipe isn't for you.  But if you would like a recipe that might qualify as "Semi-homemade" (Sandra Lee-like),  you should try this.

Double Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Filling
Ingredients:
1 Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix.
1 can Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Frosting
1stick softened butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
Whipped cream (optional)
Crushed peanuts
Directions:
Mix chocolate cake mix according to box directions and bake in a 9 x 13 pan. 

Duncan Hines triple chocolate cake mix.

While cake is baking make the peanut butter cream filling.
In a stand mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until smooth.  This should be the consistency of frosting.

Frost the COOL cake with peanut butter cream and refrigerate until firm.

Baked chocolate cake.

Frost with peanut butter cream.

Offset spatula is perfect for spreading frosting.

Frost the cooled cake with chocolate frosting.

Duncan Hines milk chocolate frosting.

Serve with whipped cream topped with crushed peanuts or top cake with crushed peanuts after chocolate frosting. 

Ready to enjoy.

Quick, easy, and delicious!

Dorie Greenspan's Strawberry/Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberry/Rhubarb Double Crisp fresh out of the oven.

I didn't want the strawberry season to pass without my making a strawberry/rhubarb crisp.  I  made Dorie Greespan's Double Crisp last year in Nova Scotia and liked the recipe very much. When we are in Cape Breton we have our own fresh rhubarb, but here in North Carolina, I've used frozen rhubarb.  I used 3 cups frozen.  It is important to let this thaw before using.  I put the frozen rhubarb in a strainer over a bowl to drain the liquid. Using a paper towel I blotted the rhubarb to remove as much of the moisture as I could.

For this recipe, you want to use sugared ginger. Unfortunately, it has a tendency to become very dry and hard. To soften,  put it in a strainer over a pan of simmering water and steam it for a few minutes.

Strawberry/Rhubarb Double Crisp
Makes 9 servings
For the crisp mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
Tiny pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup very finely chopped crystallized ginger (see above)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
(I also added a bit of fresh nutmeg and some cardamom.)
For the filling
4 to 5 medium stalks rhubarb, trimmed and peeled (I used 3 cups frozen rhubarb)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
3 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put a nonreactive 9-inch square baking pan (I like Pyrex or porcelain) on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
TO MAKE THE CRISP MIX: Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, ground ginger, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and sift the ingredients through your fingers to blend them — be on the lookout for lumps in the brown sugar. Mix in the nuts and crystallized ginger, then pour over the melted butter. Using a fork, stir the ingredients until they are thoroughly moistened.
Spoon half the mixture into the pan and pat it down lightly to form a thick crust; set aside the remainder for the topping.
TO MAKE THE FILLING: Slice the rhubarb into 1/2-inch-wide pieces and scatter them over the pressed-in base. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water; set aside.
Put the strawberries, sugar and ginger in a medium saucepan and, with a fork, pastry blender or potato masher, crush the berries. Place the pan over medium heat and, stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a full boil. Pour the dissolved cornstarch into the pan and, stirring with a whisk, bring everything back to a boil. Keep cooking and stirring until the strawberry filling is thick and no longer cloudy, about 3 minutes. Pull the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla and pour the filling over the rhubarb. Scatter the remaining crisp mix over the filling, breaking it up with your fingers so you can scatter it evenly.
Slide the crisp into the oven and bake for 60 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the strawberry jam is bubbling up all around the edges. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool until only just warm or at room temperature.
SERVING: This is nice served warm or at room temperature and best with a dollop of whipped cream or with vanilla ice cream.
STORING: This is best the day it is made, but it will keep for several days, covered in the fridge.

Rhubarb scattered over pressed bottom layer.

Strawberry layer on top of rhubarb.

Top layer.

Ready to eat with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

High on Sugar

On Tuesday evening at the Raleigh Convention Center, students from Wake Tech's Culinary Program were showing off their cooking, baking, cake decorating and ice carving skills.  As part of the entrance fee to the event, one received coupons that could be exchanged for samples of the many different foods being prepared.  I was part of the large crowd that showed up to partake.

Large crowd at Convention Center.

Beautiful ice carvings.

There were mouth-watering displays of bread of all kinds. And not all the food being prepared were desserts.  I sampled the delicious white gazpacho served in shooters.

Creative display of breads.

White gazpacho served in shooters.

There were many beautifully decorated cakes and here is the one judges chose as the winner:

The blue ribbon cake.

For my samples I concentrated on the desserts.

Opera cakes.

Small chocolate chess pies.

Chocolate mousse.

I left with an appreciation of the talents of the students in the Wake Tech Culinary Program.  And a sugar high!

Chocolate Ebelskivers for Breakfast

Chocolate ebelskivers.

I was over at Southpoint Mall the other day with friend, Mary Todd, where she had to return something at Williams-Sonoma.  It's dangerous for me to go into that store.  I remembered hearing about these little Danish filled pancakes (Ebelskivers) and the pan for cooking them that WS just happened to have.  I came home with a new kitchen toy. I also picked up a can of the chocolate Ebelskiver mix, and I made these on Saturday for breakfast.

Ebelskiver pan.

I used the Ebelskiver chocolate mix from WS.  1 3/4 cup mix, 1 1/3 cup milk, 2 eggs separated, 2 tablespoons melted butter (plus enough to grease the pan).  This makes about 4 batches or 28 pancakes.  Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, but not dry.

Mix remaining ingredients until well-mixed and fold in egg whites.

Fold in egg whites. (This makes the pancakes very light and fluffy).

Put 1/4 tsp melted butter into each of the wells in the pan and heat until bubbly.

Heat butter over medium heat until bubbly.

Add 1 tablespoon batter to each well.  Add 2 or 3 chocolate chips to serve as the filling.

Add chocolate chips.

Add tablespoon of batter on top of chocolate chips in each well.

One tablespoon of batter added to top of chocolate chips in each well.

Cook until bottoms are brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Using wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook another 3 minutes until dark brown.

Cook until brown.

 Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.  These would be good for dessert too.  Next time I will make my own batter and will fill with apples or some kind of jam.

Ready to eat. 

Here's a video demonstrating how to make these.