Monday, March 15, 2010

Redemption Cake



A letter to my husband:
Dear Mr. Sweets (AKA Mr. Sinful Southern Sweets),
I am not overly compulsive. I have not spent every waking hour contemplating the cause of the dry cake that you have indicated that I made last week. Nor is it abnormal for wanting to try to redeem myself for the dry cake you have accused me of creating.
Thank you...Have a delightful day

Don't you hate it when you have the best of intentions, like doing something nice for someone, but in the end, the outcome doesn't really seem so nice after all? Last week, my husband reminded me that his business partner's (KA, but some call him SA) birthday was coming up on Thursday. So, I had it all planned. I even made my husband call KA's mother to find out his favorite cake. Yellow cake with chocolate icing. Easy, enough. Though strangely, this is also Mr. Sweets favorite cake as well. But nonetheless, I let that go. So that's what I was going to send. But, you know what kind of cake I ended up sending? Dry cake. Overbaked Cake. Uhhhgg!~ And after racking my brain, I realize it wasn't really the recipe's fault. It was total user error. But, isn't that usually the case. Unfortunately, I baked the cake on a convection setting without adjusting the time/temp. Well, if it were just a birthday it would be one thing, but it was the big 4-0 for KA! So in an effort to redeem my well intentions, I have made another cake for my husband to take to work.
This time I made an extra set of layers so I could make sure that I wasn't sending dry cake. Mr. Sweets indicated that the cake part on this one is so light it's as though its not even there. I'm hoping he's not saying that he feels like he's just eating slabs of icing with air floating in between:) Poor Mr. Sweets, he can't give constructive criticism without someone overjudging his comments. Perhaps, the constructive criticism would be better received if he just didn't say it out-loud :) Just kidding, Mr Sweets. Kind of...
This cake will be a favorite to those who adore the heavenly combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Peanut Butter frosting fills the 2 (incredibly soft and not dry) yellow butter cake layers. Peanut butter cups line the top of the peanut butter frosting. The exterior is coated with a light creamy chocolate frosting. Then, the whole thing is topped with a few extra peanut butter cups.
After working on this cake all morning, I tried to offer a bite to every person in my house. From each, I received the same response. "I'm not hungry." Princess Runwilder even exclaimed "No cake..no hungy." I just looked at them all and blinked in disbelief. Since when did you have to be hungry to eat cake?!?!?! Cake is an emotional food. You can be happy, sad, stable or unstable. But you don't have to be hungry. I fully enjoyed the cake myself. And, I wasn't hungry either.
Should you decide to make this cake, (and I highly recommend you do) it makes 4 round layers. If you want to share, you can make 2 (2-layer) cakes. Give one away and keep one so you can make sure you're not giving away a dry, petrified cake :) Or you can make 1 full cake and freeze the other layers for later. You will have plenty of peanut butter filling for 2 cakes, but you will need to make 2 separate batches of frosting (I wouldn't try to double the recipe, you may never get it to whip up).  You will think the frosting will never turn into a spreadable consistency, but it will. I thought I would surely burn the motor up on my hand mixer before it came together, but the mixer is fine and the frosting is whipped.
You know, the more I think about this, I think Mr. Sweets is trying to pull a fast one on me. Do you think Mr. Sweets is figuring out that if he comes home and (gently) complains about my baking that I will just keep trying to redeem myself with more baked goods. Hmmm...was that first cake even dry after all?.....
Another letter to Mr. Sweets:
Dear Mr Sweets,
The first cake had better have been dry.. or your next cake will be laced with Ex-Lax.....
Have a nice day and as always Enjoy!

Redemption Cake

Yellow Butter Cake:
Recipe courtesy of Cake Central
Ingredients
1 Duncan Hines butter recipe cake mix
1 cup of sugar
4 large eggs
2 sticks of butter (softened)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup self rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
Add first 5 ingredients beat at medium speed for 4 mins.
Then add next 2 ingredients beat at medium speed for additional 2 mins.
Pour evenly into 4 – 8″ prepared pans. Bake for 25 – 30 mins in preheated oven at 325 degrees.

Peanut Butter Filling:
Recipe via All Recipes
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup cream
Directions
1.In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 1/2 of the confectioner's sugar. Mix in 1/4 cup of the cream. Beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar. If necessary, add a little more cream or milk until the frosting reaches a good spreading consistency. Makes enough to frost one 2 layer 9 inch cake or one 9x13 inch cake.

Chocolate Frosting:
Recipe courtesy Southern Living
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick  butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, bring cream, sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and add chocolate and butter; stir until completely smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour mixture into a medium bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water. Beat until shiny and thick.

To assemble:
Place one layer of cake crown side up on a serving plate. Top with peanut butter filling. Cover filling with chopped peanut butter cups (Reese's). Stack next cake layer (crown side down) on top of peanut butter cups. Frost top and sides with chocolate frosting. Garnish as desired with additional peanut butter cups. Wallow in self pity for approximately 15 minutes because you will be running, yet again, on the treadmill for several hours, yet again, to try to maintain damage control from the cake herein consumed. Oh, and consider thyself redeemed :)


30 comments:

cookies and cups said...

Sounds like your hubby has a good thing going there! Give a little criticism and get more cake...smart guy!
The cake looks beautiful and love that you doctored up a box mix!

Jennifer Warthan said...

Please send the icing slabs this way. Thank you.

Kim said...

My husband's favorite is yellow cake with chocolate icing too. Is this some kind of male conspiracy going on? And, I definitely agree.....you DO NOT have to be hungry to eat cake. Love the redemption cake, it's drool-worthy:D

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

Wow. I for one believe you fully redeemed yourself! This looks scrumptious!

♥peachkins♥ said...

this cake is gorgeous!

Unknown said...

For something called a redemption cake, it looks terribly sinful ;). Its gorgeous!
*kisses* HH

Snooky doodle said...

what a nice blog. this cake looks delicious. pity for the first cake :(

3 hungry tummies said...

Great post thank you! This one turned out so well bravo!

Unknown said...

I totally agree - who has to be hungry to eat cake! Especially one that combines peanut butter and chocolate! Go figure!

Leslie said...

I made a similar cake for my husbands birthday last year...evil...just plain evil!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Hi this is my 1st time here, you have a great blog and with all lovely recipe, I'm sure will come back to check what you baking !

faithy said...

Great post! You made me laughed out so loudly! Well, i think your cake looks yummy and the way you described it made me want to have a slice too!

Trissa said...

Yes you have truly managed to redeem yourself! Love the name of the cake!

Lucie said...

I would definitely have a huge slab of that cake, hungry or not. Peanut butter and chocolate--perfect combo!

ARUNA said...

It looks super gorgeous!!!

Anonymous said...

I think that I might actually weep with joy. You know me and my Reese's. Dadgum girl that's just gorgeous!

sweetlife said...

what a goregous cake..yum!!

sweetlife

Velva said...

Your post made me smile. I can relate to the event you described. What I can't relate too, is the fabulous cake that you baked to redeem yourself-awesome. I would have gladly told you that your cake was dry, if you were going to produce this perfect flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I think I died and went to heaven.Love it.

Katrina said...

Oh.my.gosh. I need some redemption cake right about now. Which isn't good-- seeing that it's 11:30 at night.

Following from Friday Follow. :)

http://sevinfamily.blogspot.com

Ali said...

Ha! "Take That!" cake!

I love it. It looks to-jump-in-front-of-a-bullet for.

Diana's Cocina said...

How goregous.

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

WOW. That looks beyond divine!

TKW said...

Awww, how cute are you? Making redemption cake for your husband? If I baked something for my man, he'd drop to the floor, flop over and die from the shock.

Your cake looks amazing!

Diane Schmidt said...

looks great!

grace said...

hey now--wallowing in self pity burns calories too. :)

Tree said...

I'm in heaven!! You can send me the icing slabs that he didn't want. LOL

Hi....coming over for FF to say howdy and now following with both of my blogs!!

Tree (aka Mother of Pearl)
http://www.motherofpearlitis.com
http://www.mommiesfaves.com

Amanda Tempel said...

Hey there! I'm a new follower from Friday Follow. Hope to see you around my blog sometime! And please feel free to check out one of my most current giveaways for 1 of 3 Xbox 360 games and for a 25$ walmart gift card.
Take Care.
-Amanda T

And OH MY GOODNESS if I made that for mjy boyfriend I think he'd be grateful for life; Reeses are his all time favorite.

sanjeet said...

Love the redemption cake, it's drool-worthy:D
home based data entry

Natalie A. said...

Oh wow! This cake looks wonderful! Yum!!

Kathy said...

Funny! This cake looks sinful!
xoxo...Kathy