Happy 'Almost Back to School' Time....

As many of you know and some not too aware, my family is a blended one (6 children in total) and when August comes around every year, I panic slightly and am mostly happy that the children go back to school. 

I will miss them, trust me, but I also like to get back into the routine of my life. Summer flew by this year, though, and I felt we did not get nearly enough crossed of our Summer Bucket List.

That said, the twins (15 years old) came up to stay with us these past 2 weeks before school starts up again for them. We missed them so much this summer and were not able to celebrate their birthdays with them, in July, so we had a Belated Birthday celebration.  

When thinking of a new cake flavor, I wanted to combine some favorite household flavors and make a truly special cake. So, I went to my trusty recipe Book.... The Cake Doctor!!! 
How'd you guess??? 

What I came up with was a: "Chocolate Peanut Butter Marbled Cake"!

It combines all the flavors everyone loves so that no one felt left out...

I love the way this cake came out. It is very pretty without being frilly and girlie, especially since the cake was for two boys. The swirls added an interesting element to the cake. It was absolutely delicious!!!!

Although the recipe calls for a 9x13 pan, I opted to make a 9 in layer cake with a layer of chocolate frosting in between, so that it would be more festive. I also added peanuts on top in order to add a slight crunch to the cake.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MARBLE CAKE

1. Flour, for dusting the pan
2. 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
3. ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
4. ½ cup vegetable oil
5. 3 large eggs
6. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
7. 1⅓ cups water
8. ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
9. 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
10. 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter, melted
11. 2 tablespoons warm water

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 9 by 9–inch metal cake pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
2. Place the cake mix, peanut butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, and 1⅓ cups of water in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should be well blended.
3. Measure out 1½ cups of the cake batter and place it in a medium-size bowl. Set the bowl aside. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared cake pans, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula.
4. Make the chocolate marble by stirring the cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, butter, and 2 tablespoons of warm water into the reserved 1½ cups of cake batter until well combined. Spoon tablespoon-size dollops of this mixture on top of the peanut butter batter. Swirl with a knife to marble the cake, but be careful not to touch the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the oven.
5. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool.

 Recipe adapted from The Cake Doctor Returns Recipe

READ MORE ...

We (Heart) Twinkie Cake

I love trying new and different cakes, so when I saw a recipe for a "Twinkie Layer Cake" on Facebook, I NEEDED the recipe and I NEEDED to try it. 

I was happy to see that the recipe came from a trusted source: 
Confessions of a Cookbook Queen!!!! 

Her website is full of baker-friendly recipes with minimal fuss, but LOTS of deliciousness! 
Check her out at: http://www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/ 

Here is the beloved cake that reminded me of my childhood and a tall glass of cold milk...

This cake is SUPER moist and soooo yummy. It's easy to make and took little to no prep time. 

The original post can be found by clicking here:
 http://www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/2013/06/twinkie-layer-cake/

I also copied the recipe from her site and pasted it below for your convenience...

I hope you guys make it and love it as much as we do!!!! 
When you make the cake, leave me a comment below or on Facebook and let me know what you think of it and whether you like it or not.


***(The recipe below was copied directly from 'Confessions of a Cookbook Queen')

Twinkie Layer Cake

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 5.1 oz box instant vanilla pudding (the large box)
• 1 cup water
• 1 stick salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Filling/Frosting:
• 1 stick salted butter, slightly softened
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 7 oz jar marshmallow creme
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 2 (8 inch) round cake pans and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, combine eggs and butter. Add water, pudding mix, and cake mix and beat on medium for about a minute, until batter is smooth and thick. Spread evenly in prepared pans and bake for about 20 -25 mins or until tops spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
3. Cool cakes for a few minutes in the pans, then turn out on to wire racks to finish cooling.
4. For frosting/filling: Beat butter and vanilla in your mixer until combined. Add marshmallow cream and beat until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar until just combined. Add heavy cream, Increase speed to high, and beat for one minute, until light, smooth and fluffy. Spread on cake layers and serve.

Notes

Cake batter portion of recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

READ MORE ...