WOW! The Cooking Actress is 1 year old today!
(and, coincidentally, my best friend is 21. Happy Birthday Alex!)
I can't believe it has only been a year! I remember debating whether I should start, resigning myself to the fact I would probably be the only one to look at it, and that my photos and site would just look awful.
But! In only a year I've managed to convince some of you crazy people to read, my photos have improved, I'm cooking and baking things I did not dream I'd be making (especially as often as I do), I've made some great friends, and this fun little blog of mine has consumed a piece of my life-and I couldn't be happier!
Since my lil' blog is 1 year old today, I figured it (and you!) deserved a birthday cake!! Ok, technically, this is a Buckeye cake, but it's a cake! It is especially fitting that this is a Buckeye cake. First-peanut butter and chocolate, classic Cooking Actress. Second-Buckeyes! I'm from Ohio! It's an Ohio thing...somehow we became attached to these silly inedible nuts: but the delicious candies that were created to resemble them totally make Buckeyes move up on my list :). And...obviously...while decorating...I sort of just...went crazy. Those decorations are a perfect example of Kayle.
Can I tell you how delicious this cake is? The cake is dense and rich, the peanut butter is perfectly...peanut buttery, and the ganache layer is just RIDICULOUS-completely sending this cake over the top! Michael and I were gaga about it, and it definitely disappeared way too quickly.
In conclusion--thank you to everyone who reads, and supports me, and makes me excited to turn on my computer. I love the sense of community I have found, and I am so grateful that I've been able to have this blog for a year. I hope for many more great things in the coming years :). Thank you everyone! <3
Buckeye Cake
From Amandeleine
Cake
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp. melted, unsalted butter
- 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Peanut Butter
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Ganache
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Garnish
- 1/3 cup peanut butter chips
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9 in. round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper-grease.
- Cake- Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter and chocolate, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean). Cool on a wire wrack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake. Cool at least 10 more minutes and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Remove the pan and parchment. Cool completely.
- Peanut Butter- Beat peanut butter, butter, and vanilla until well combined. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Ganache- Heat cream in a small saucepan to boiling. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Refrigerate 30 minutes-until the ganache is spreadable. Spread on top and sides of the cake.
- Garnish- Microwave peanut butter chips in a Ziploc bag on 70% power for 30 seconds. Knead bag. Continue to microwave for 10-15 second intervals until melted. Cut a small hole in corner of the bag. Squeeze to drizzle over cake (a criss-cross pattern might be a...more conventional alternative to my artistic expression).
- Store cake in refrigerator. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.
3 layers of delicious!
Linking up here.