Chocolate and Peanut Butter Traybake

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This isn't a sophisticated chocolate cake; this is for lovers of milk chocolate and peanut butter. My grandsons were coming for tea, so I made the basic cake and they helped me ice it - or at least one of them did, the other 2 got bored! It's a WI recipe that my mil gave me - I've been sorting out my recipe folders and came across some great recipes I must try, and this was one of them. My grandsons love peanut butter, so to have it in a cake AND in the icing, was great.
It's almost an all in one mixture, as nearly everything goes in the bowl and you beat it together. Then you add the chocolate drops and some milk.

Preheat oven 180C/gas4 and grease and line a 28x18cm tin .

You put 115g of crunchy peanut butter, 115g of soft margarine or butter, 175g of soft brown sugar, 3 eggs and 1 tspn of vanilla extract in a bowl. Sieve together 175g of sr flour and 11/2 tspns of baking powder and add to the bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer for about 2 mins, making sure you scrape the mixture off the sides. Add 80g of milk chocolate drops and 2 tbspns of milk and mix again.
Spoon into the tin and bake for 30-35 mins till golden. Leave in tin for 5 mins then put on a wire rack to cool.

For the fun part - the topping - you melt 80g of milk chocolate with 50g of crunchy peanut butter and 3 tbspns of milk in a bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave. Stir it till it's smooth, and gradually beat in 115g of icing sugar.
Spread this over the cooled cake and allow icing to set before cutting the cake into pieces.


I'm not a great peanut butter fan, but enjoyed these. Good texture in the sponge, and nice contrast with the pieces of chocolate and peanut. Topping is rich, but finishes the cake off nicely.



Comments

The Caked Crusader said…
Ooh yes; this beats 'sophisticated' chocolate cake any day!
13/2/14 9:51 am
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