Desserts!

Sunday after Church we had family over for dinner and since my husband had been out of town on his birthday during the week, I made his cake Saturday to serve on Sunday.  I also made some teeny cakelets from extra batter and then some flourless brownies for a couple family members who have wheat sensitivities.  The cake I made has become a family favorite.  I made it for my and Dan's wedding and for my daughter Gabe's wedding as well.  It's fudgey peanut buttery ganachey rich.  The brownies are divine too!

Chocolate Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and Peanut Butter Ganache

(The cake recipe is from Trader Joe's Baking Cocoa - it's a superior cake; very chocolatey with a crumb and moistness you get from a box but totally from scratch and it makes a lot of batter.  This recipe will make 3 - 9" layer cakes and 12 cupcakes too.)

350 oven - grease 3 - 9" round cake pans, line bottom with parchment round and grease again.

3 sticks softened unsalted butter
2 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. Vanilla
5 eggs
Cream butter with sugars well then add vanilla and eggs and beat til creamy.
Add in these dry ingredients all at once and then mix well.
3 1/3 c. flour
1 1/3 c. Cocoa powder
1 t. salt
1 T. Baking soda
Add 3 c. buttermilk and beat batter 3 minutes.  Pour into pans and bake 27-30 minutes.  Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely before frosting.  Unfrosted cakes also freeze beautifully well wrapped for several months.

Peanut Butter Frosting
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 stick soft unsalted butter
5 cups powdered sugar
2/3 c. smooth peanut butter (do not use natural - use the regular like Jif or Skippy)
Beat butter and cream cheese together until creamy
Beat in sugar one cup at a time
Beat in peanut butter
Frost between layers and sides and top of cake - smooth the frosting out all over.

Ganache
8 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate (no higher than 62%)
3 T smooth peanut butter
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 cup half and half or regular whipping cream
Melt first three ingredients over very low heat in saucepan until melted; stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and pour in cream and whisk until completely combined, smooth and glossy.
Pour entire pan of ganache on top of frosted cake; smooth it over cake with knife so it runs in rivulets down the sides.

FLOURLESS BROWNIES (a David Lebovitz recipe from his website - see my blog list)

350 oven, grease and parchment line bottom and grease again 9" round or square pan

6 T unsalted butter
8 oz semi sweet chocolate (not chocolate chips)
Melt these together over low heat in large saucepan.  Add in:
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. sugar
Beat well.  Add two eggs, one at a time.  Add in:
1 T cocoa powder
3 T cornstarch
Now - beat batter vigorously with a wooden spoon right in the pan for one full minute - very important! Pour into pan and bake 30 minutes.  These taste best when they are cold and keep chilled to store.

For Dan's birthday gift I got him that delightful object you see on his desk!  He was in Utah on business so I texted him the picture as soon as I woke up so he would see it as soon as he woke up and checked his phone.  His favorite penny candy is the malt ball, mine is the chocolate covered raisin.  There is a little market in downtown Newburyport MA called Richdalee Market that sells great tee shirts, sweatshirts, 25 cent Hot Dogs and the best collection of scoop-your-own penny candy - any kind that is chocolate coated is super chocolate coated!  When we were in Rhode Island recently, the clubhouse men and women's locker rooms both had big jars of malt balls and Swedish fish in them.  And when we went to Martha's Vineyard on that same trip, every shop seemed to have big jars of malt balls on the counters.  I noticed Dan's look of longing and joy each time he saw one and then I knew what I'd get him for his birthday.  Perfect.