Peanut Butter and Jelly met when they were both young. They instantly fell in love with one another. They spent tons of time together and believed they would last forever.
Then one day, Peanut Butter met Chocolate. Chocolate was tall, dark and mysterious. Peanut Butter couldn't help but be intrigued by this new discovery.
Peanut Butter found that he and Chocolate were like a match made in heaven.
Peanut Butter kept thinking about his old love, Jelly, but just couldn't shake his roaming thoughts of Chocolate.
Even when Peanut Butter and Jelly were together, Peanut Butter dreamed of being with Chocolate.
What was Peanut Butter to do?? Who should he choose??
Fortunately, for us today, Peanut Butter chose to be with Chocolate. :-)
When I was going over the recipe for this month's Cake Slice Bakers cake I knew I wanted to do something a bit...more...than just a chocolate creme pound cake.
I wanted some additional flavor to give this cake more substance.
See...I'm not really a chocolate lover.
I mean, I like the stuff well enough, but it's not always my first choice. (Sorry Chocolate! Please don't take it personally).
I went through my pantry and thought of white chocolate, butterscotch, even cinnamon. At one point, peanut butter entered my mind but it just as quickly flew right out again.
I found myself on the phone with my Older Sister asking her opinion (I tend to brainstorm with her about cooking).
Again, she brought up peanut butter. We got to talking about the idea and I became more and more sold on the idea.
I couldn't figure out how to make it work at first then I discovered how I could incorporate these two flavors into one delectable cake.
The cake was rich, but not too rich since it uses Dutch process cocoa.
The peanut butter in the cake provided an extra layer of depth.
It was chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
To me, it was perfect, even if the middle sunk (I think I over swirled with my knife: lesson learned??).
I took this to a dinner party and came home with only one piece that Little Butt and I shared for breakfast the next day with a glass of milk.
Dear Jelly,
You will always be my first love...but today...today my heart belongs to Chocolate.
Love,
Peanut Butter.
Let's get baking:
Grab your ingredients together: unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder, sugar, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, heavy cream, unsalted butter, pure vanilla extract, eggs and creamy peanut butter.
Sift the cocoa powder into a small, heat proof bowl. Pour the cream into a heat proof measuring cup. Microwave the cream to boiling, about 30 seconds to a minute. Then pour the cream over the cocoa powder. Mash it and stir it to dissolve the cocoa powder and create a paste.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Throw the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream it together until light and fluffy (btw, did you know that EVERY time I type 'fluffy' I actually type 'fluffly' and have to delete and correct it. Just a tasty tidbit for ya), about 2-3 minutes.
Toss the cocoa powder paste into the butter/sugar mixture and beat it in until smooth.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla.
Now turn the mixer on low and mix in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, raise the speed to medium and mix for 30 seconds.
Spread half of the cake batter into the bottom of your prepared pan...
Then spread half of the peanut butter over the batter. Repeat with the remaining cake batter then peanut butter.
Take a knife and cut the peanut butter into the cake batter creating a 'swirl.' Throw the cake in your preheated oven and bake it until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about an hour and 10 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then transfer over to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Slice, serve and enjoy!!!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Poundcake
Adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman
Printer Friendly Version
Ingredients:
- 6 Tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder (can sub regular unsweetened cocoa powder if unavailable)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour (I used Baker's Joy spray)
- Sift the cocoa powder into a small heatproof bowl.
- Pour the heavy cream into a heat proof measuring cup. Microwave until boiling, about 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on microwave power.
- Pour the hot cream over the cocoa powder. Mix until cocoa powder is dissolved and mixture is thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Add the cocoa powder paste to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until smooth.
- With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Microwave the peanut butter until runny, about 15-30 seconds.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the loaf pan, smooth out evenly with a spatula.
- Pour half of the peanut butter over cake batter, smooth out evenly. Repeat with remaining cake batter and peanut butter, ending with peanut butter.
- Run a knife through the peanut butter and batter, all the way to the bottom, to swirl the peanut butter through the cake batter.
- Bake the cake until first to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Let cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!