Monday, November 17, 2014

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Dark Chocolate Buttercream - Fair-sday #3

Welcome to another Fair-sday! This round I will be sharing my 1st Place and 2nd Place Overall cake! 

There is a reason this cake won 2nd Place Overall. 2nd Place Overall out of 70 participants!


Also, this cake is the base for my most popular post (with over 20,000 hits and rising) Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

I am in awe that this cake has made it in the Pinterest world. I honestly never thought my blog would hit 20K views, but it's been steadily rising every day!

So this recipe is pretty simple. Dark chocolate cake. Dark chocolate buttercream. Peanut butter filling. 
The peanut butter filling is also very frosting-like. As you will see when you read the recipe, it's a powdered sugar and butter base, just like all of my frostings. 

I hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
For the cake-
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups strongly brewed coffee, cooled
For the peanut butter filling- 
1 cup peanut butter
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dark Chocolate Buttercream:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
6 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease two 9” cake pans. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand beater, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
3. Add the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Slowly pour the cooled coffee down the side of the bowl while mixing constantly.
4. Divide batter into two cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
5. To make peanut butter filling: Cream together peanut butter and butter until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar until mixed in. Add milk and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Store the filling at room temperature in an air tight container.
6. To make the dark chocolate buttercream: Cream the butter until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar until mixed in. Slowly add the cocoa powder until mixed in. Add milk and vanilla until fully incorporated. Store the frosting at room temperature in an air tight container.
6. To frost the cakes: Level the tops of the cakes with a large knife. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter filling on the top of one cake, then stack the second cake on top. Spread another thin layer of peanut butter filling on the topmost cake. Place in the fridge and let chill for 30 minutes. Frost the layered cakes with the dark chocolate buttercream using a flat decorating spatula. Store the frosted cake at room temperature in an air tight container.

To see the rest of my State Fair Award Winning Recipes, click here!

Try more recipes similar to this!



Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Coffee Break #6

Hello blog readers!

Thanks for dropping by my 6th Coffee Break! Don't worry, I have way more in the real world!

I haven't posted since the first of April, and that's been about 7 months of lots of happenings! So this post might be a little long-winded. Lots of photos and things to show you… I am a visual person, after all.


I make cupcakes and small cakes at work!

Got a new tattoo and I LOVE it!

My love and I at a food truck event in OKC.

Some really sweet and amazing women. <3

Award winning baker right here!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cupcakes! Easy to do!

Phantom of the Opera, the best show I've seen so far. 

Practicing writing with frosting. It's harder than you think!

4th Anniversary! 9.15.10

My first wedding cake! Holy cow how beautiful!

Texas State Fair, y'all!

Corgi + Pug = Ultimate Happiness

Family Photo!

"Pug"kin carving!

Oh hey! It's BMO and LSP! (Adventure Time characters)

Halloween at Das Boot. Hogwarts Student and Dead Viking.

The cutest pug in the world!

I've been crocheting A LOT lately. Lots of hats and ear warmers!

Last but not least… Where I'll be spending my Thanksgiving with my mom!














Fluffy Peanut Butter Pie - Fair-sday - Welcome + 1st Recipe!

Hello all! It's been a while since I've posted on here and it's about due time.

I've decided, after several weeks of consideration, to share some of my awesome award winning recipes with you!

This year I entered 12 entries into the Oklahoma State Fair Creative Arts Competition! Yes, you read that right! TWELVE. ENTRIES.

I must've been nuts, I have a full time job, my deadlines were on the weekend (busiest time of the week at my job), and on top of that, I had a little boy's birthday to decorate cupcakes for and attend, AS WELL AS taking an impromptu trip to see Phantom of the Opera the night before everything was due.

Worth every memory I made.


So! My results were as follows:
1st place & 3rd Overall - Carrot Bread
1st place - Pumpkin Bread
1st place & Second Overall - Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Buttercream
3rd place - Strawberry Lemon Cake with Strawberry Buttercream
1st place - Oatmeal Cookies
1st place - Shower Cupcakes (decorations)
2nd place - Holiday Cupcakes (decorations)

3rd place - Birthday Cupcakes (decorations)
1st place - Berry Cobbler
2nd place - Fruit Cobbler
3rd place - Fluffy Peanut Butter Pie (Right here on this post!)

That's a lot of placing! The ones that have links are recipes I've posted before, but the rest of them I plan on sharing over the course of November! So get excited! You're about to get some delicious award-winning recipes!

Today I'll be sharing with you the delicious Fluffy Peanut Butter Pie! I know it's starting to get cold in some places around here, but if you love peanut butter, you are going to LOVE this recipe!



A funny story - When they were judging this pie, they debated over disqualifying me because the category was "Pie - Nut (Any)." Well, I had put peanut butter in the pie, but no physical trace of nuts were in it! So they had to consult the officials and determine if my pie was technically a "nut" pie. In the end, I won 3rd place. I definitely took a huge risk in not putting nuts in or on the pie, but it's so creamy and wonderful, I didn't want to lose that texture. I'll know better for next year. :)