Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheeesecake

Recipe from Nigella

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
For the base
200g digestives
50g unsalted butter, melted
50g salted peanuts
100g dark chocolate chips
For the filling 
200g caster sugar
500g cream cheese
3 eggs
3egg yolks
125ml sour cream
250g smooth peanut butter
For the topping
250ml sour cream
100g milk chocolate, chopped
30g soft light brown sugar 
     

Method:
1. For the base, crush the digestives and peanuts with a rolling pin or in a food processor and mix in the butter and chocolate chips. Once well combined, press into the bottom of a 23cm (9 inch) springform pan and refrigerate while you make the filling. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/mark 3.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the filling and beat until smooth, then pour over the cheesecake base and cook for an hour, until the top has set.

3. For the topping, combine the sour cream, chocolate and sugar in a small saucepan and gently warm over a low heat.

4. Spoon the topping very gently over the top of the cheesecake, so as not to break the surface of the cheesecake, then return to the oven for 10 minutes.

5. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 8 hours before serving.

Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas, mashed
135g smooth peanut butter (may be substituted for half butter and half oil)
60ml canola/vegetable oil
1 egg
65g caster sugar
50g brown sugar
235g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
170g chocolate chips
3tbsp nutella



Method:
1. Grease and line a loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 180◦C/350F/mark 4.


2. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.


3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and briefly mix until completely incorporated.


4. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter and pour into the prepared pan. Drop the nutella on top of the batter, as three separate blobs. Use a knife to gently swirl the nutella across the surface.


5. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the centre of the bread comes away clean.

Slutty Rice Krispie Bars

Recipe from Bakers Royale

Slutty Rice Krispie Bars

Ingredients:
For the base (2/3 of the following)
200g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
60g muscovado sugar
170g dark brown sugar
1tsp salt
3tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
250g plain flour, sifted
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g chocolate chips
For the ganache
225g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
160ml double cream
For the rice krispie layer
45g unsalted butter
280g marshmallows
140g rice krispies
20 peanut butter cups
20 oreos



Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Line a 9x9 inch pan with foil, leaving a slight overhang.


2. For the cookie dough base, brown the butter in a small saucepan and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the sugars, salt, vanilla extract and egg and egg yolk. Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and chocolate.


3. Measure out 450g of the cookie dough and press into the bottom of the prepared pan. The thickness should be about 1/8 inch. Roll out any remaining dough to the same thickness on a separate baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp at the edges.


4. For the ganache, heat the cream until simmering and pour over the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has melted. Set aside for about an hour to thicken.


5. Once the cookie base has cooled, spread half of the ganache on top in an even layer.


6. For the rice krispie layer, place the butter in a large heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, add the marshmallows and continue to heat and stir until completely melted. Mix in the rice krispies and once evenly coated, spread about half of the mixture to a thin, even layer over the ganache.


7. Press the peanut butter cups in even rows over the rice krispie layer, and place an oreo on top of each peanut butter cup. Press the remaining rice krispie mixture on top, pushing into the gaps between the oreos and cups.


8. Spread the remaining ganache on top. Crush the excess baked cookie dough and sprinkle over the top. Cut into 40 pieces.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter Tart

Recipe adapted from Cookies & Cups

Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter Tart

Ingredients:
For the base(450g cookie dough- ingredients listed below for 900g)200g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
60g muscovado sugar
170g dark brown sugar
1tsp salt
3tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
250g plain flour, sifted
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g chocolate chips
For the filling
200g peanut butter
85g unsalted butter
60g icing sugar, sifted
2tbsp double cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
For the ganache
100g milk chocolate
120ml double cream
pinch salt
To serve
10g milk chocolate, grated


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Grease the bottom and sides of 9 inch pie dish. 


2. For the base, mix together all the ingredients for the cookie dough, starting with the butter and sugars, then mixing in the remaining ingredients. Press the cookie dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden. Leave to cool for 30 minutes.


3. For the filling, beat together the peanut butter and butter. Mix in the icing sugar, followed by the cream and vanilla extract. Transfer the filling to the base and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.


4. For the ganache, break up the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Add the salt and stir to combine, then refrigerate for 5 minutes.


5. Pour the ganache over the pie and return to the fridge for an hour. Sprinkle with the grated chocolate and serve.

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Blondies

Revision is so much more bearable when you have the reassuring buttery embrace of a stack of blondies to hand.

I haven't had much time for baking recently, and this recipe is really quick and easy. I adapted it slightly, using peanut butter rather than 'Biscoff'.

The batter was thicker than I had expected it to be, as I am used to more of a pouring consistency, but the texture of the blondies once baked was just what I had hoped for- squidgy but solid, firming further upon cooling.

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Blondies

Ingredients:

60g butter

210g light brown sugar

70g peanut butter

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

150g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

⅛ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp salt 

¼ tsp cinnamon

85g white chocolate, chopped into little chunks

     

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Grease and line an 8 x 8 baking tin with baking paper.

2. Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring continuously. Take off the heat and mix in the peanut butter. Leave to cool.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon.

4. Mix the egg and vanilla extract into the slightly cooled peanut butter mixture. Pour into the sifted dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in the chocolate pieces.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes, or until a cocktail stick poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool and cut into about 12 squares.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

For my first post, I have chosen my mother's belated birthday cake. I saw this cake a couple of months ago on Smitten Kitchen's blog. Because my mum's birthday is only three days after Christmas, it doesn't feel like much of a hardship going without a cake. Anyway, a few days later I decided a cake must be made, as it wouldn't be fair to have an over-a-week-belated birthday cake, and besides, we all wanted some cake. This was when I turned to this recipe.

I edited the recipe only slightly- some of the quantities differ a little, but are mostly the same- and, as I mention below, I reduced the amount of frosting considerably.

The original recipe is a triple layered cake, but I only did a double layered one because it is rather large- and rich, so the serving sizes are relatively small. The recipes I have posted are enough for a triple layered cake; I reduced the ingredients below for the cake by 1/3 and used 2 cake pans. For the frosting, I reduced the ingredients by 1/4, which was a good amount (although it was less than the volume recommended)- though if you're a frosting maniac, you could go for the full amount- roughly 1 1/2 of the listed amounts for a triple layered cake.

I really do recommend making this cake- if you're looking for something deeply chocolatey, this probably will not suffice, so you could use a different recipe for that. But the frosting is great, and very versatile; that, combined with the chocolate cake and topping makes a truly indulgent dessert- therefore it is noteworthy that thin slices are more than enough, and you should probably only do all three layers if there are plenty of mouths to feed. You could even do a single layered cake if you don't think you'll get through more than that-even just make half a batch of chocolate cupcakes topped with the peanut butter frosting. Or, in a bit of a different direction, a vanilla cupcake with jam filling would be pretty cool with this frosting.


As a last point, make sure you freeze the cake before you try to assemble it- it is very fragile.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients:
280g plain flour
490g sugar
65g cocoa
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp salt
240ml flavourless oil
240ml sour cream
360ml water
2tbsp white vinegar
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Peanut butter frosting:
190g cream cheese
80g unsalted butter
400g icing sugar
100ml smooth peanut butter
Chocolate topping:
75g dark chocolate
75g milk chocolate
2tbsp smooth peanut butter
1dsp golden syrup
80ml single cream

Method:
1. Pre heat the oven to 180°C/ 350F/Gas 4. Butter and line three 8-inch diameter cake pans.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water, then the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Divide among the three cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack and removing the greaseproof paper to cool completely. Put the cakes back into the re-papered (not buttered) pans, wrap in foil, and place in freezer bags and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up.

4. To frost, spread about one fifth of the frosting on top of the first cake layer, then place another cake layer on top and spread on the same amount of frosting. Top with the final layer and spread a little bit of frosting over the top and sides as a crumb coat before refrigerating for 15 to 30 minutes. Take out of the fridge and spread the rest of the frosting over the top and sides before returning to the fridge while you make the chocolate topping.

5. Melt the chocolate, peanut butter and golden syrup in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring to blend. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Spoon (while warm- reheat if necessary) over the cake once the frosting has well set and spread around the top of the cake, pushing towards the edges to let the chocolate drip down the sides.

6. Return to the fridge, uncovered for about 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set, then take the cake out of the fridge and leave for about 30 minutes to take the chill off.

Store in the fridge in a Tupperware. Take out of the Tupperware and leave for about 30 minutes at room temperature to warm up a little.