Simple Fare, Fairly Simple

Who doesn't love peanut butter? What about peanut butter balls....aka Buckeyes! Well, here's a cake I found that gives you the same result as making 3 or 4 dozen little candy balls but without all the rolling and dipping...just a one layer cake with a yummy peanut butter filling and ganache on the top. How easy is THAT? I made this for our New Year's Day celebration and it was gone lickety-split. Chocolate and peanut butter.....is there anything better?

Buckeye Cake



Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease one 9-inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper; grease

Cake:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 tablespoons butter - melted
3 1-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate - melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Layer:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter - softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Ganache:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups (12 ounce package) chocolate chips

Drizzle:
1/4 cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoons peanut butter

For cake: Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter, melted baking chocolate, vanilla and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pan. Let cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and parchment paper and let cool completely.

For peanut butter layer: Beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar until smooth. Spread mixture on cooled cake. Chill for 30 minutes.

For ganache: Heat cream in small saucepan to boiling then remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread on top and sides of cake.

For drizzle: Combine peanut butter and chocolate chips in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave additional seconds until mixture is smooth. Transfer to a zip-top bag. Cut a small hole in the corner of the zip-top bag and pipe mixture onto frosted cake.

Makes 8 serving.

Here's the goods! As you can see by the picture, I used cocoa (hiding behind the peanut butter) and oil in place of the unsweetened chocolate because I was OUT. The substitution is: 3 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 tablespoon of oil.

Grease the pan..add the parchment and grease THAT.

Mix the eggs and sugar....

...then add the flour, melted butter, 

chocolate, vanilla and salt.

Combine and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake it, baby!

Cool then turn it out onto your serving platter.

Combine the peanut butter, butter 

and vanilla. Mix well then add the 

powdered sugar. As you can see here, 

I added everything at once. I'm such a rebel.

Mix it up....

...and spread it on the cooled cake.

Heat up the cream and add the 

chocolate chips. Let sit then stir to smooth.

Mmmmm....chocolate!

Then...get so excited about this cake 

that you forget to take pictures of the 

frosting and drizzling process. 

Then you can be just like me!