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Sunday, October 25, 2009

SMS: Devil's Food Cake (Cupcakes) with Peanut Butter Frosting


Happy October to all! This is one of our favorite months around our house - Fall is in full swing, Cole has just had his birthday (turned 2) and as far as Aidan is concerned the entire month should be all about Halloween. The fact that is was Cole's birthday is the reason I chose the Devil's Food Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting for my recipe choice for Sweet Melissa Sundays!

I made a scaled down version of the recipe to come up with 12 cupcakes - mainly just because since we were doing Cole's birthday celebration with just the four of us, there was really no reason to have a full sized big cake. I hadn't really read the recipe all the way through when I made the selection and hadn't realized first, what a big cake it would make, and second, the incredible amount of butter called for to make the peanut butter frosting (which was really much more of a buttercream frosting with a light peanut butter flavor). I know that some SMS Bakers scaled down the amount of butter significantly and increased the peanut butter flavor - personally, I felt I should try to stay as close to the original as possible, for the sake of trying it first, but in the future I will definitely increase the amount of peanut butter since the flavor was very subtle and I would have liked it even more featured just a bit more prominently.


All that said, the birthday boy, his big brother, and his papa and myself, were all very happy with these cupcakes and really enjoyed them. Perhaps my favorite thing about them was the fact that they were even better the next (and the next) day - which is how long it took us to work through our dozen cupcakes. I hate to admit that most of that dozen was still eaten by me!

While I have managed to make a couple of the recipes for Sweet Melissa Sundays since this crazy thing called pregnancy started back in June, I swear, managing to post anything has been a bit ridiculous around here. I'm not entirely sure why, and I'm going to attempt to do better since I am getting more and more (and more behind)! Present count is that I have at least 16 items ready to write up and post, pictures and all - but can't seem to get my act together. So, my point is, I wanted to send out an extra huge thank you to the other SMS Bakers for baking with me this week and for continuing to stop by during my craziness and to all my loyal readers for visiting when I do get my rear in gear, so to speak.

I have included the original recipe below, but if anyone is interested, I did keep track of the conversions I actually used to take the recipe down to a dozen cupcakes (the math was a bit crazy) and can share that recipe as well.


Devil’s Food Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Makes one 9” cake

For the Cake:
6 oz best-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely shopped
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 2/3 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup best-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups hot strong brewed coffee (I just used hot water)

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 ½ pounds unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp whole milk
½ cup smooth peanut butter, at room temperature

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour two 9×2-inch round cake pans, Line each pan with a 9-inch round of parchment paper.

To Make the Cake
1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering, not boiling, water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is completely melted, whicsk in the vegetableoil until smooth. Remove from the heat, but keep warm over the hot water.

2. In the bowl, of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs until smooth.

4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, and mix until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix until combined. add the hot coffee (or water) in a stream, and mix until combined. (Again, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.) The batter will be loose.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool in the pans for 25 minutes before turning out the layers onto the rack. Cool completely before finishing.

The baked layers may be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2 days. For longer storage, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze wrapped in plastic wrap and them aluminum foil for up to 2 weeks. Do not unwrap before thawing.

To Make the Frosting
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the confectioner’s sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk, and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined. Use the frosting immediately, if possible. It may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let the frosting come to room temperature and briefly rebeat it in the mixer before using.

23 comments:

Nina said...

Thanks for hosting this week! I seriously think that this recipe was amazing! Although I never got to have one, I made a whole bunch and being gone for the weekend and most of them were gone by the time I got back. It was seriously pretty cool.

Flourchild said...

Thank you for being such a wonderful hostess this week. Your recipe selection was a hit with everyone! I love your cupcakes and the cupcake wrappers are so darling! Im glad the birthday boy and everyone else liked them! My sons bday is Oct. 30, he wants dirt cake!

amanda said...

Lovely cupcakes! I love those wrappers!

Stephanie said...

Yum, nice choice this week! These were delicious! Your cupcake liners are so cute. I'm glad they were enjoyed in your house, and i hope your son had a great birthday!! :)

Susan said...

Thanks so much for choosing this recipe. I loved the cake and anytime peanut butter and chocolate are combined it's a winner in my book. Love your cupcake wrappers too!

Katiecakes said...

What a wonderful recipe!

Your cupcakes look amazin. And I agree with Cole, October should be Halloween from start to finish!

Katie xox

Shandy said...

What gorgeous little cupcakes!!! Your choice, my dear, was just Perfect. The frosting. . . delish! The cake. . .YUM! BTW, when life gets busy, it is "very" hard to find the time to sit down and actually collect your thoughts, get the layout right to go with the photos and then write.

Happy Birthday to Cole too!

Lucie said...

This is my first visit to your blog, it's great! These look delicious, I have to make these :)

Best wishes, Lucie
http://cookingatmarystow.blogspot.com/

Katrina said...

Love your "black and white" photos. Wow, there's more butter in the frosting than sugar! I'd surely kick up the pb flavor more.
One of the greatest combos!
I can't remember if I got on here and told you, but I made that awesome "Nutella" and linked it to you after posting about it recently. De-lish!

Snooky doodle said...

Nice choice, Chocolate and peanut butter is a winner :)
my blog changed name here's the new link http://maltesebakes.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Thank you for hosting this week's recipe. It was a definite winner! Great choice!

Julie said...

Great choice! My favorite SMS so far.

Love the black and white cupcake liners.

Sarah said...

Great choice, Holly! This cake was so yummy, and the best Devil's Food recipe I've made yet!

margot said...

Excellent choice, Holly! It was the perfect selection for Halloween time. I hope you're feeling better these days. I totally understand about not being able to sit down and write a blog post; I've had just a little less free time lately and it was the first thing to go.

k.a.r.e.n said...

LOVE THE LINERS!!! Great choice!

Gourmified said...

First...BIG happy Birthday wishes to Cole! I can't believe he's 2, but why doesn't that surprise me....I have one of those monsters at my house, too! Good times.

Second, the cupcakes look divine! Buttercream in any form is just plain heavenly and to add some PB, too! I can't stand it! PB and chocolate is one of the best combinations out there! Cute cute photos and liners to match! I really need you to give me some tricks for the camera one of these days!

HanaĆ¢ said...

From the pictures and descriptions, it looks like you picked an SMS winner. I haven't had a chance to bake this week (or the last 24 days, but who's counting) due to my kitchen remodeling project :o) I'll have to put these on my rewind list (sans PB frosting). Happy belated bday to the little one. I'm glad your family enjoyed it!

HanaĆ¢ said...

Oh, and congratulations!!!! I didn't know you were pregnant. The two boys must be excited :o)

Karin said...

Thanks for picking such a great recipe! And how appropriate- a devil's food cake for Halloween week! These were delicious once I got around to trying them. I'm glad I took them in to work or I probably would have eaten more than I should have!
And if you're pregnant with two boys, you definitely have an excuse for being a little behind!!!

Anonymous said...

thank you for choosing such a wonderful recipe!

great looking cupcakes and adorable liners :)

steph- whisk/spoon said...

mmm...tasty-looking cupcake!!

Pamela said...

I love the cupcake liner. So sassy and wild!!

Mermaid Sews said...

These look amazing. Man, I am embarassed. You have been doing much better than me and I'm not even pregnant, not sure how you mom's do this. Sooooooooo sorry I didn't get back to you on the legal thing, I will send you an email this weekend to see if there is still anything I can do.

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