Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cake

I'm back...sort of.  I know I haven't posted in forever, and to be honest this blog has felt more like my personal recipe book.  In that vein, I needed a place to not lose this recipe, so here I am.  This is the fourth year in a row that Jake has asked for a chocolate cake with a peanut butter swirl and peanut butter frosting.  The first year I just sort of threw it together without measuring or writing anything down.  As anyone who learned to cook this way knows, it is very hard to replicate.  The next year I tried measuring and writing it down, but I wasn't as happy with it so I tossed my very sophisticated post-it note list of ingredients in the trash.  Last year it came out great...but I didn't take a single picture.  This year I was determined to make a permanent place on the internet for this gorgeous cake.  I only got a couple of pictures, but they will have to suffice.

It starts out with a basic chocolate cake.  I like to use the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake recipe.  It always turns out delicious and moist (sorry, for all of you that hate that word) with a tender crumb.  Then you dollop in some peanut buttery goodness, give it a good swirl and you have a perfect cake for the chocolate & peanut butter lovers in your life.

Start out by mixing together your dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  For the cake pictured, I used dark cocoa because frankly, I prefer it.  Feel free to use regular cocoa powder if you like that better. Add in the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla and mix on medium speed with your mixer for 2 minutes.  At this point your batter will look smooth and beautiful and you will think you should put it in the pans, but you are mistaken.  Stir in the boiling water until fully combined.  It will be VERY liquidy and you will think you have ruined your cake, but you have not.

While your mixer is doing all the work for your cake batter, melt the peanut butter and butter in a large microwave safe measuring cup in 30 second bursts until melted and smooth.  Then add the powdered sugar, a little vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  Mix it together until smooth.

Spray two nine-inch pans with baking spray and pour the cake batter evenly between the two.  Then pour the peanut butter mixture all over the top.  Take a knife and swirl the peanut butter mixture into the batter.  If you want to lick that knife when you are finished, I won't tell.  This stuff is delicious!

Put the cake pans into a 350 oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out with only moist crumbs.  I usually rotate my pans halfway through because one side of my oven is hotter than the other.  When you cake is finished, let it cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before you take it out of the pans to cool the rest of the way.  It is so pretty, it's hard to cover it with frosting.

Once the cake is completely cooled you can frost it, but I personally like to freeze my cake layers wrapped in plastic wrap and a ziplock.  I find that it is easier to frost cakes when the layers are frozen.  We can't get enough peanut butter in this house so I make a peanut butter buttercream to frost this and then decorate with chocolate sprinkles and mini Reese's.  If you want to do the same, I've included my frosting recipe below. I will say that this frosting is really delicious, but is difficult to get smooth so it will not be your most beautiful cake.  That being said, once you take a bite, you will not care.

I always store this cake in the fridge.  This cake is incredibly rich and the perfect mix of sweet from the chocolate and salty from the peanut butter.  I hope you like it as much as we do!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cake

Adapted from Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder (regular or dark)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Peanut Butter Swirl

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 tlbs. butter
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of the mixer.
3. Add in eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed on your mixer for two minutes.
4. Stir in boiling water. 
5. Pour evenly between the two pans.
6.  To make the peanut butter swirl, melt the peanut butter and butter in a large liquid measuring cup (covered) in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring and recovering in between.
7. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt to the peanut butter mixture and stir until smooth.  
8. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the top of the cake batter and use a knife to swirl it into the batter.
9. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out with only moist crumbs attached.
10. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes.  Then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
11. If using the peanut butter frosting below, be sure to refrigerate the cake after frosting it.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup butter flavored crisco stick
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used JIF)
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbls. meringue powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbls. milk
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)

1. Cream butter, Crisco, and peanut butter until combined and smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar and meringue powder and mix until combined (you will probably need to stop and scrape once or twice).  *I like to wrap the top of my mixer with plastic wrap so the powdered sugar stays contained.
3. Add the vanilla, milk, and salt.  (start with 1 tsp., if it is too sweet tasting you can add the other 1/2 tsp. salt).  Beat on medium until frosting looks light and fluffy.

Free Printable Lightsaber Valentines

Hello strangers!  I know I haven't blogged in just about forever.  This whole working full time with two kids thing is HARD!  To those of you who have been doing this for a long time or have more than two kids, I am in awe of you. 

We miraculously had a low-key weekend for once so I decided to make Jake's valentines while I had the chance.  Jake is entering into that age where he doesn't want anything too lovey so hearts were definitely out.  He is obsessed with Star Wars right now so I knew it needed to be Star Wars themed.  If you follow my blog then you know that I love sweets just as much as the next person, but since kids get so much candy, I try to do a candy free valentine.  After searching around on google I saw this great idea over at Brassy Apple.  For some reason I couldn't get her printable to open on my computer so I decided to create my own. 

Since I was starting from scratch I found this great free Star Wars font and decided to use that for my wording.  A little bit of playing around with sizing and I had this printable ready to go.

I made three on a sheet and they are just the right size. I printed them up on plain white cardstock, but if you wanted them to be more colorful, colored cardstock would look great too.  Then I used my paper cutter to cut them apart and to make a little slit at the top of the lightsaber hilt. 

I also made another little slit near the right side of the paper to keep the glow bracelet in there more securely.  If you don't have a paper cutter, you could easily do this with an exacto knife or even scissors.  I had Jake sign them all at this point, because it is easier to write on paper that doesn't have glow bracelets on them. 

Then grab a couple of packs of glow bracelets.  I got mine at Michael's but sometimes Target has theirs in the dollar spot too.  Slide a glow bracelet into the slits and you are ready to go.  You can also just make a slit at the lightsaber hilt and use a piece of tape to secure it on the back.  

That's it.  Some cardstock, tape, and glow bracelets and you've got adorable, cheap, candy-free Star Wars themed valentines with nary a heart in sight.  Download the printable here.

Kristine Andrews Photography

 I received a free photo shoot and digital images but all opinions are my own.

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now, but obviously I haven't been super active on my blog lately.  I thought I was busy before, but now that I'm back to work full time I realize that I didn't know what busy was.  Finding the time to do, well anything, is proving to be quite a challenge.  We are slowly getting our feet under us, but it is definitely a work in progress.  Anyway, back to this post.

I don't know about you, but I love taking pictures of my kids.  Of course I think they are the cutest children in the world and they change so fast that I want to capture their sweet little faces as often as I can.  As great as the photos I get are, there is no substitution for professional photos.  A professional photographer is exactly that, a professional, and the photos show it.  

I was lucky enough to meet Kristine Andrews about a year ago and she has helped us get some amazing photos of our boys.  Kristine did Luke's first birthday photos.  He did not like frosting!

She did an adorable Valentine's Day mini session with both boys.  Love!!

Then over the summer we finally got around to doing  family photos.  

Kristine has an incredible knack for capturing all of the aspects of my boys' personalities, and there are many.  

I mean, look at those faces!  Honestly it was hard for me to pick which shots to include because I just love them all!  My favorite shot from the whole day is this one where you can just see how much we love each other.

Professional photos can get really pricey which is why a lot of people don't do them, but Kristine is super affordable.  I also love that she includes digital images in her packages because in this day and age, let's be honest, that's what I want.  Of course I want to frame prints and hang them up, but I also want to be able to put them in a digital frame, share them on Facebook, and use my amazing professional photos in the grandchildren calendars I make as holiday gifts for our parents every year.  Owning the digital images allows me to do all that and more.

Another cool thing that Kristine does is when you get your digital images, she gives you more than one edit of each of them.  She gives you a black and white, as well as several slightly different color versions where the colors/light have been adjusted.  I actually don't know what the real terms are for that, I'm not a professional photographer.  I just know that I like having the options.

If you are thinking about having some photos taken, I highly recommend Kristine Andrews Photography.  We have so many amazing photos of our beautiful boys, and our little family, thanks to her.


 I received a free photo shoot and digital images but all opinions are my own.

Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

After a year away from teaching, I'm getting back into the classroom full time.  Because I gave up my spot at my school when I took the year off, I'm starting at a new school.  My team has been unbelievably welcoming and helpful so I wanted to make them something sweet for the first day of school.  The only fly in the ointment is that one of my teammates is vegan and another one can't eat gluten.   Every year for Passover my stepmom makes the most amazing flourless peanut butter cookies so I knew that gluten-free wouldn't be a problem.  That just left the vegan part of it.  Her recipe has an egg and I've had success in the past using flax as an egg substitute when I've been short on eggs so I decided to give it a try in this recipe.

These cookies only have four ingredients, five if you count water, and come together really quickly.  The first thing you want to do is to make your "egg" by combining the ground flax with water.  Stir it together and then set it aside for at least 5 minutes.

Mix together a cup of peanut butter, a cup of sugar, a teaspoon of baking soda, and your flax "egg."  The dough will look a little crumbly but it comes together when you roll it. 

I used a cookie scoop to portion out my dough and then rolled it into balls.

Just like with regular peanut butter cookies I made a cross-hatch pattern on top with the tines of a fork.  My stepmom rolls the dough up and then chills it and does them like slice and bake cookies so you can go that route if you prefer.

Bake them for about 10 minutes and then cool completely before eating.  Because there are so few ingredients, the peanut butter flavor really shines.  Mmmmmm!

Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tbls. ground flax
• 3 tbls. water

1. Combine flax and water and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Combine peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, and flax & water mixture.
4. Roll cookies into balls and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Make a cross hatch pattern on top with the tines of a fork.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.

   

Strawberry Breakfast Bruschetta

 
My wonderful Mommy & Me group has a monthly ladies only brunch.  We love spending time together with our little ones, but it's also hard to hold an uninterrupted conversation with a bunch of babies and toddlers running around.  That's why once a month we leave the kids at home with our hubbies and catch up over mimosas and delicious brunch treats.  In the summer months it's nice to make something that doesn't involve heating up the house.  That's where this breakfast bruschetta comes in.
 
Just like it's savory cousin, you start out with some toasted bread.  I sliced up a baguette and spread each piece with a thin layer of butter or coconut oil.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top and pop them in the toaster oven until they are as toasty as you like them.  Now you have adorable little cinnamon toasts, but we aren't finished yet.

Take your cinnamon toasts and schmear them with some ricotta.  I threw mine in my immersion blender to smooth it out a bit but you can totally skip that step.

Dice up some fresh strawberries.  I did this the night before and the natural sugars in the strawberries really came through.  If you don't plan ahead or your strawberries aren't as sweet, sprinkle them with a bit of sugar.  My original plan was to put some fresh mint in with the strawberries, but the mint at the store was pretty sad looking. It was delicious without it, but if you have a mint plant or your store has some decent looking mint, toss some in.  Spoon some of your diced strawberries onto each crostini.

Before serving, transfer your bruschetta onto your serving platter and drizzle with honey.   These Strawberry Breakfast Bruschetta were a great addition to our weekend brunch, but they are easy enough for a weekday.  The crunch of the crostini, the creamy ricotta, and the sweetness from the strawberries and honey combine to make a delicious and relatively healthy morning treat.

derma e® Skin Care - Product Review

I was provided with a complimentary product for review.  All opinions are my own.

I've always been concerned with skin care, but once I entered my thirties it became even more important to me.  One step that I've been meaning to add into my skincare routine is a serum.  They are all the rage and seem to be the key step to keeping your skin looking great.  When derma e^® reached out to me about trying one of their serums I jumped at the chance.  

Family owned and operated for 30 years, derma e^® is focused on developing vitamin-rich, high-performance, antioxidant skincare solutions.  The award-winning line features over 80 doctor-developed and clinically-tested products that are free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and petrolatum.  derma e^® products are cruelty-free and 100 percent vegan.  Manufacturing and operations take place in California and are backed by 100% wind energy.

derma e^®  has a wide variety of products for every skin type.    I got to pick from all of these amazing sounding serums:

• Firming DMAE Serum - This silky, firming facial serum helps support healthy texture and tone for visibly firmer skin.
• Soothing Redness Reducing Serum - This gentle, fragrance-free moisturizing serum for sensitive skin helps reduce redness, calm irritation, diminish blotchiness and discomfort.
• Evenly Radiant^® Brightening Serum - An intensive skin-brightening treatment that targets uneven pigmentation and age damage for a visibly brighter complexion.
• Hydrating Serum with Hyaluronic Acid - A concentrated treatment that plumps skin full of moisture and nutrients so it appears softer and smoother with fewer visible lines and wrinkles.
• Deep Wrinkle Peptide Serum - This nourishing, double-action treatment formula addresses the look of deep lines and wrinkles to promote smoother, younger-looking skin.

I kind of wanted to try them all, but ultimately I decided on the Firming DMAE Serum.

I've only recently started using it so I can't really speak to results.  I will say that when I put it on, my skin feels tighter, in a good way, if that makes sense.  It has a light, natural fragrance that absorbs quickly and it feels light on my skin.  It has been an easy step to add into my skincare routine and it has made a derma e^® fan out of me.

If you are interested in trying out the derma e^® line for yourself (and I recommend that you do) they have a quick quiz on their website that gives you personalized product recommendations.  Take the quiz HERE and see what derma e^®products are right for you. 


I was provided with a complimentary product for review.  All opinions are my own.

DIY Glitter Cupcake Toppers

If you saw my last post on Creating Free Digital Invitations then you know that I recently threw a pink and gold "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" shower for one of my dearest friends.  To add some glitter to her shower, I decided to make these adorable gold glitter cupcake toppers.  They were super easy to make and turned out so cute.  I used my Silhouette Cameo, but if you don't have one you could use a star-shaped craft punch or even trace and cut out stars (it will just be a little more time consuming).

I went to Joann's and picked up a 12 x 24 sheet of gold glitter sticker paper.  I made a star in the Silhouette software and then replicated it to fill the page.  Then I just loaded the sticker paper in and let my Cameo get to work. 

I repeated this process with some white cardstock for the backing.  The only other thing you will need is a box of toothpicks.  Once you have your white cardstock stars cut out, one at a time peel off one of you new glitter star stickers.  Lay a toothpick on the sticker side so that it about 2/3 of it is sticking out. 

Lay a cardstock star on top and press them together. 

That's it!  Just repeat for as many cupcakes as you need.  I love the way these turned out!

They were so adorable on top of our pink frosted cupcakes!  Sorry for the photo, I forgot my regular camera.