No, it is not, "You ARE the weakest link, goodbye!."
The phrase is, "Happy Birthday!" And over the next month and a half, 5 very important people in my life have a birthday. FIVE... I got so nervous about making all these cakes that I went out and bought a new cookbook this past week.
That's right -- I got another cookbook (the count is up to 4 or 5). This one has nothing but cakes... Southern cakes, to be exact. And I have been pouring over it for the last 2 days, trying to figure out which cake I am going to make for which special person... The hardest person to decide on being ME.
Wow, am I really that selfish?!?! Maybe I am... No, I definitely am. This whole post is supposed to be about my roomie Grace's bday. Instead I have spent 10 lines talking about myself. Yep, sounds about right...
So, on to Grace... Grace is a wonderful roommate. She leaves me the most random, amusing notes on my bed, sends me hilarious videos to my phone, and posts completely inappropriate things on my Facebook wall.
And she exposed me to Marcel the Shell... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8zOYl652P0)
For that, I am forever indebted to Grace.
When I was trying to decide what kind of cake to make for Grace, I had several ideas... None of which I was too thrilled with. All I knew was that this was the PERFECT time to make a beautiful layer cake, but what kind?
Red velvet? Yellow? Coconut? Chocolate? Then, there is the icing... White? Chocolate? Cream Cheese? Coconut Pecan?
SO many decisions... Until I remembered the two things everyone in my suite is obsessed with -- peanut butter and chocolate. Each of us has at least one jar of peanut butter on our respective food shelf. And none of us can say no to any form of chocolate. Both are our life sources...
This realization made my life a whole lot easier....
Chocolate cake + peanut butter icing = 6 extremely happy women for Grace's bday. The chocolate cake is rich and super-sweet, while the peanut butter icing adds a saltiness to the mix. Not to mention how absolutely beautiful chocolate and peanut butter always look side-by-side.
HAPPY (LATE) BIRTHDAY, GRACE!!!
Grace's Chocolate Cake with Peanutty Frosting
from Southern Cakes
Chocolate Cake:
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Pour water over cocoa. Stir well with fork until smooth. Set aside to cool. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir with fork to mix well.
3. Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with hand mixer at high speed until well combined. Add vanilla and eggs (one at a time) beating well until batter is light and smooth. Add the flour in 4 batches, beating in each addition until the flour disappears.
4. Add the cocoa mixture in 3 batches, beating just enough to combine everything to smooth. Divide the batter among the 3 pans. Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes. Cool cakes for 10 minutes on wire racks in pan. Remove from pan and cool face up on wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.
Peanutty Frosting:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
16 oz. confectioner's sugar (3 2/3 cups)
2 - 3 Tbsp milk
1. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed until smooth and creamy, ~ 1 minute.
2. Add 1/2 confectioner's sugar and beat on low speed until sugar disappears. Add remaining confectioner's sugar and 2 Tbsp milk. Beat until smooth and spreadable.
To assemble the cake:
Place the first layer, face down. Spread a thin layer of frosting. Add the second layer, face down, and frost. Add the third layer, face up. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Press lightly toasted peanut pieces into sides of the cake, if desired.
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