Dark Chocolate Wacky Cake with Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting

Wow, my last post here was more than a month ago. Sometimes life just happens, you know? But one of the really exciting things that has been taking up my time is real estate hunting. Yes, Big Man and I are close to choosing a great piece of land to buy so we can start building our home! We are so excited to be moving forward with our dream and amazed by the blessings God has poured out upon us. I’m looking forward to getting back to blogging more often and including posts about the progress of our home-building adventure! But in the meantime, I do have a fantastic chocolate-and-peanut-butter treat to share with you.

When I made this cake I didn’t really intend to post about it; I just wanted an easy recipe that didn’t require lots of ingredients or steps. I figured I’d get a tasty dessert, but it since it wasn’t really creative or beautiful it wouldn’t end up on the blog. But then Big Man and I ate some and agreed that it is possibly that best cake I’ve ever made, so I knew I had to share it here.

This cake is the perfect example of two good things coming together and creating something outstanding. The cake is simple and mixed right in the baking pan, so there is almost no cleanup. I used dark cocoa powder to add a deep chocolate flavor, and the cake’s light texture is a perfect complement to the rich frosting. Speaking of frosting, what happens when you take simple peanut butter frosting and broil it? Magic happens. Pure magic. The flavor takes on great complexity and the top gets a crispy sugar shell reminiscent of creme bruleé. Plus watching the frosting in the oven as it bubbles like sugar-lava is really fun!

If you are a chocolate and peanut butter fan, I hope you’ll try this version of the classic combination. The balance of dark chocolate cake and decadent peanut butter frosting is really spectacular. Plus, this recipe is simple, fast, and full of inexpensive staple ingredients. It’s definitely at the top of our favorite desserts list and I know I’ll be baking this cake again in the very near future.

Dark Chocolate Wacky Cake (adapted from Big Red Kitchen)

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3 rounded Tbs. dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbs. white vinegar

5 Tbs. butter, melted & cooled

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

1 cup cold milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9-inch-square pan, whisk together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, and baking soda. Make three evenly spaced wells. Pour the vinegar into one well, the butter into another, and the vanilla into the third. Pour the milk over the entire pan and stir until everything is well combined and there are no dry spots.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting (adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup coconut oil*

*I used refined coconut oil because I didn’t want any coconut taste to compete with the peanut butter. You could substitute vegetable shortening for the coconut oil

Combine the ingredients in a stand mixer and mix until extremely smooth (we’re talking no lumps at all). I used the paddle attachment on medium speed for about 3 minutes.

Pour/spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.

Set the oven to broil and place the cake on the middle rack. Broil for 2-4 minutes, or until deep golden brown, watching very closely to prevent burning. I actually stand next the oven and hold to door open a crack so I can watch the whole time. The frosting can go from perfectly broiled to burnt in about 10 seconds.

Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving, otherwise the frosting will be too runny.

Enjoy!

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Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

I know, I know, it’s December. The month where cookies have a monopoly on all baking. If it’s not a cookie, chances are you won’t see it in any food magazines or blogs. And Christmas cookies are great; I definitely bake and eat my fair share of them. But sometimes you just don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen rolling and shaping and decorating cookies. Sometimes you want to make an easy mix-bake-glaze recipe that will still look impressive and taste amazing. And for those times, there is no better choice than this fantastic cake.

Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of bundt cakes. Most of the ones I’ve had before were a little dry and pretty bland. But then I found this recipe from Joy the Baker and decided to give the bundt cake another try. And I am so glad I did. This cake is amazing! Full of dark chocolate flavor and perfectly tender. Then I decided to add a salted caramel glaze because salted caramel is one of the greatest flavors ever and goes really well with dark chocolate. Dark Chocolate + Salted Caramel = Best. Decision. Ever.

I made a couple minor changes to the original recipe to compensate for the high altitude here. The changes are noted in the recipe below. I hope you’ll try this cake soon.  It is a nice change from the usual December-overload of cookies and is a wonderful flavor combination. It’s a great choice to bring to a party, or to keep and savor with your sweetie while watching a Christmas movie. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy this spectacular cake!

Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake (adapted from Joy the Baker)

1-1/3 cups brewed coffee

3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

2 cups* sugar

1-1/4 tsp. sea salt

2-1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1-1/4 cups plus 1 Tbs. buttermilk

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3/4 cups* all purpose flour

* These measurements are for high altitude. If you are not at high altitude use 2-1/4 cups sugar and 2-1/2 plus 2 Tbs. flour

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the coffee and cocoa powder and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (or spray generously with “For Baking” cooking spray) a 10-inch bundt pan.

3. Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add the sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs, and egg yolk to the bowl and mix on low for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and mix on low for another minute.

4. Scrap down the sides of the bowl again and add the flour. Mix on low for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the cooled coffee mixture, and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour the (very thin) batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Keep the cake in the pan until it is completely cool. Then invert the bundt pan onto your serving platter and the cake will come out cleanly. Drizzle with glaze (recipe below).

Salted Caramel Glaze (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. sea salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugars and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Whisk in the whipping cream (it may bubble a lot) and return to a boil, stirring often. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in sea salt. Let cool slightly (about 5 minutes) and pour over cooled cake, allowing excess to run down the sides.

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DIY: Homemade Dark Chocolate Syrup

I’m always looking for DIY versions of common store-bought staples. The homemade version almost always tastes better and I like having control over all the ingredients. Plus, I feel all empowered and give myself a few Gourmet Supermom points whenever I switch over to a homemade version of a kitchen staple.

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest a few months ago, I knew it was only a matter of time before I tried it. Big Man really enjoys chocolate milk and I like making homemade mocha lattes so we go through a lot of chocolate syrup. I was really excited to find a recipe for homemade chocolate syrup that only used 5 ingredients and a couple simple cooking steps. What could be better?

I’m so glad I made this! The syrup is rich and chocolate-y with the same pour-able consistency of the bottled stuff. We will never go back to store-bought syrup again! I modified the recipe because Big Man and I prefer dark chocolate over the standard milk chocolate, and simmered it longer because of the high altitude here. Overall, this DIY was a complete win, and I’m glad I get to share it with you.

Homemade Dark Chocolate Syrup (adapted from One Good Thing by Jillee, original source Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 1968)

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened “dark” cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

1 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract (Bonus DIY points for using homemade vanilla!)

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until combined. Stir in the water and heat over medium heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. (Don’t look away for too long, it can boil-over quickly).

Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes (high altitude), until slightly thickened. (If you are not at high altitude, simmer for 1-2 minutes).Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. The syrup will thicken further as it cools.

Keep refrigerated.

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