Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with Ganache

Revisted a tried and true combination of chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and added a new twist of chocolate ganache.

Holiday Sweet Treats

Who else has been baking nonstop in preparation for the holidays?  Here's what I've been up to the last few weeks.

One of my favorite chocolate chip cookies with both milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate M&Ms were definitely a winner at work.

Peanut butter cup cookies are a never fail crowd pleaser.  I have been making these cookies for as long as I can remember to gift friends, families, and coworkers.

Toffee is a favorite gift to give around here because one batch sure makes a lot!  I tried a new recipe this year from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
from Hershey's Kitchens
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

About 36 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped, chilled
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 white sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F.  

Whisk together flour baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, peanut butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add egg; mix until blended.  Add vanilla; mix until incorporated.  Add in the dry mixture, mixing until there are no longer any white streaks.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place into each ungreased mini muffin cup.  Do not flatten.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes until puffy and lightly browned; remove form oven.  Immediately press peanut butter cups into the center of each cookie.  Cool completely in muffin pan.

Keeps for 3-5 days in an air tight container at room temperature.

Wishing you and yours the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of holidays!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

My company hosted a Bake Off this past Monday and despite the fact that I was out of town the weekend prior and sick as a dog all week long, I made an effort to enter just because I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bake.  I racked my brain but couldn't come up with anything creative so, I stuck to a tried and true combo, chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting.  I absolutely love this flavor combo and I must've made it numerous times as seen here, here, and here.

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that the competition was fierce.  The actual winners were lemon cupcakes, chocolate ice box cake, and coconut cake; which I have to confirm were all delicious.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes

Chocolate and peanut butter is a combination that never gets old in my book.  I have made these exact cupcake combination multiple times.  However, this time around, I added a surprise element.  A few of the cupcakes had a mini reese peanut butter cup inside.  Next time, I would toss them in some flour as they did sink all the way to the bottom.

Peanut Butter Frosting
A Baked By Jen Original
Makes enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes

1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of peanut butter
3 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of milk

Beat the butters together until light and fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla extract. Add enough milk until desired consistency is reached.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

 Peanut butter frosting (from All Recipes) has been on my long list of things to make for awhile now.   It was my brother's coworker's birthday today.  Decided to use this opportunity to check one off the list.  Also, I decided to switch up my go to recipe for chocolate cakes.  Since the last few times I made it, I thought it was too dry compared to all my new stand bys.  This new recipe for chocolate cakes (adapted from Hershey's) is definitely a keeper.  Very moist and fluffy.  Topped with mini peanut butter cups.