Chocolaty Peanut Butter Encrusted Rum Cake Food

CUTHBERTS' TEA SHOPPE RUM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Oil and flour a large bundt pan and set aside.
• Mix all remaining cake ingredients together in a mixing bowl until combined, about 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Let cake cool.
• While cake is cooling, make glaze: melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in hot water and sugar and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes while still stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.
• Poke holes in cake and drizzle half of the glaze over the cake. Invert onto a serving plate and then drizzle the rest of the glaze over the top and sides of the cake. Serve.

SNICKERDOODLE RUM IGLOO CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk the flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until just combined, then add the vanilla. Combine the milk and rum in a measuring cup, then alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk mixture to the butter mixture in two additions each. Beat until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, then turn the cakes out onto the wire rack to cool completely.
• For the decoration: Meanwhile, put the white melting candies and coconut oil in a medium heatproof glass or metal bowl that fits over a small saucepan without touching the bottom. Fill the saucepan with a couple of inches of water and place over medium heat. Place the bowl of white melts over the top and melt until smooth.
• Pour a small amount of the white chocolate into a 6- to 7-inch plastic chocolate dome mold and swirl the mold to coat the inside completely in a thin layer. Place in the refrigerator for 1 minute. Remove and spoon 1/4 cup more white chocolate into the mold. Using the back of the spoon, smooth the white chocolate all around the inside to create a thicker layer; refrigerate for 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat this process 2 more times, so that you have a solid white chocolate layer in the mold. Leave in the refrigerator while you finish assembling the cake. Place any leftover melted chocolate in a disposable pastry bag or resealable plastic bag.
• To make the penguins, form a ball of black gum paste about the size of a golf ball. Using the insides of your palms or the tabletop, gently roll one end to form the ball into a egg shape. Orienting the pointier side of the egg up, make a small snip with a sharp pair of scissors on one side of the egg, close to the bottom, and use your finger to lift the snip up to form a wing. Repeat directly across from this snip on the other side to make the second wing. Repeat the making egg shapes and snips 3 times for 3 more penguins.
• Take a small amount of white gum paste and roll it out thinly, dusting with cornstarch so it doesn't stick to your surface. Cut out 4 small teardrops with a cutter or very sharp paring knife. Trim a small V-shaped notch from the tip of each white teardrop. Brush a small amount of vodka on one side of a white shape and adhere to the front of a black penguin body. Repeat with the remaining penguins.
• Split the orange melting candies in half, then gently press the body of the penguin onto 2 of the orange melt halves to position them for feet. Lift the penguin off and brush the foot indents with vodka, then press the penguin gently back on top of the orange melts to adhere. Repeat with the remaining penguins. Cut the sour belts in half lengthwise, then cut into 6-inch strips. Tie one in a loose knot and drape around a penguin's head; tighten as needed, then trim to the desired length. Repeat with the remaining penguins. Press an orange chocolate-covered sunflower seed into each head to create a beak on each penguin. Use edible markers to draw eyes on each.
• Level both cake layers using a serrated knife. Flip one round upside down and secure to a 12-inch round silver cake board set on a cake turntable with a dollop of Frosting. Spread an even layer of Frosting (about 1/2 cup) over the top of the cake layer. Flip the second cake layer upside down and place atop the Frosting. Frost the entire cake with a thin even coat of Frosting. If your Frosting has picked up a lot of crumbs, refrigerate the cake 30 minutes. Generously frost the cake with a second layer of Frosting, using an offset spatula to create swirls and snow drifts.
• Remove the chocolate mold from the refrigerator and invert onto a clean work surface, using the edges of the mold to lift it off. Use a sharp paring knife to cut a broken-looking hole into the front of the igloo. Place the chocolate dome on top of the cake, positioning it close to one edge. Snip a very small bit of the tip off the end of the pastry bag with the white chocolate. Create 'ice bricks' on the igloo by piping horizontal lines at 1-inch intervals around the dome (put the pastry bag back in the microwave for a couple of seconds if it gets too hard to pipe). Then pipe in staggered vertical lines to create the bricks.
• Add more Frosting where you wish to make snow drifts against the igloo and around the bottom of the cake. Place your penguins on top and along the sides of cake.
• Place the sugar and 3/4 cup water in a saucepan and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, put the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat to stiff peaks. With the mixer on low, stream in the boiled sugar syrup, then add the vanilla and turn the mixer to high. Beat for 7 minutes.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CANDIES

Steps:

• Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving 1 inch of foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan; grease foil with butter.
• In medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup peanut butter, the butter, peanuts and vanilla. Stir in 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until stiff dough forms. If dough is crumbly, work in additional 1 tablespoon peanut butter. Pat mixture in pan. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
• Use foil to lift candy from pan; remove foil. Cut into 8 rows by 8 rows. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly. Dip 1 peanut butter square at a time into chocolate mixture. Place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate uncovered about 30 minutes or until firm.
• In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Beat in milk with wire whisk until smooth. If necessary, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until thin enough to drizzle.
• Drizzle icing over tops of chocolate-covered squares. Refrigerate uncovered about 30 minutes or until firm. Store candies loosely covered in refrigerator.

JAMAICAN BLACK CAKE

Steps:

• Add the dates, figs, 1 cup of the port, 1 cup of the rum, the almonds, brandied cherries with their liquid, currants, candied orange peel, prunes and dark and golden raisins to a food processor. Process this mixture until the dried fruit is broken down into smaller chunks. Stir in the orange juice. Allow it to soak in the rum for at least 2 hours 30 minutes, but preferably for 2 to 3 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 cake pans and line them with brown or wax paper.
• In a stand mixer, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, molasses, browning and eggs. Slowly add the rum-soaked fruit to the mixer a little at a time and mix to combine all of the ingredients.
• Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes in a water bath by filling a large roasting pan halfway up with water and then setting the cake pans inside. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the remaining port and rum on top of the cakes and let them cool. These cakes will last for days stored in parchment paper and plastic wrap and for weeks when frozen.

INSIDE OUT PEANUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a 15 by 10 by 1-inch baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Line the pan with parchment paper and butter the top of paper. Place nuts, both sugars, ginger slices, almond extract, and cake flour into food processor. Process until nuts are finely ground.
• Beat the egg whites in a large, clean bowl until stiff, forming peaks, but not dry. Fold nut mixture into beaten egg whites in 3 separate additions (the egg whites will collapse if too much nut mixture is added all at once). Add cake mixture to prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake is lightly golden on top. The cake will be moist. Do not overbake. Cool cake for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out onto cooling rack and cool until cake is slightly warm.
• Line a 2 1/2 quart bowl with plastic wrap overlapping sides by 3 inches. Cut cake lengthwise into 1/3-inch wide strips. Line bowl with cake strips placing slices tightly side by side with cut side down in a single layer, trimming to fit and completely covering bowl. If cake slices break, piece together to fit. Brush cake with 2 tablespoons amaretto. Spread ganache over cake covering completely. Gently press peanut butter chips into ganache. Spread peanut cream into center and smooth top. Cover filling with remaining cake, placing slices side by side, fitting tightly together and trimming to fit. Brush with remaining 1 tablespoon amaretto. Fold excess plastic wrap over top. If plastic wrap does not cover cake completely, cover with more wrap. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Garnish the cake with Apricot Roses and the Sugar Cage.
• Heat the heavy cream, butter and sugar in a 2 1/2 quart saucepan over medium high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature.
• Add chilled whipping cream and stabilizer to a large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat until cream is firm. Fold amaretto into whipped cream in 2 additions. Add chopped nuts, chocolate and zest into a bowl and stir to combine. Gently fold nut mixture into soft whipped cream in 2 additions trying not to deflate whipped cream.
• Roll each apricot out, sticky side down, between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 1/16-inch thickness. Roll up tightly, sticky side in, to form a tight center bud of a rose. Wrap another apricot around the bud, sticky side in, pressing gently to stick together. Repeat with 2 more apricots, overlapping half of each previous wrap. Gently bend top of outer 3 apricots outward to form petals. Place toothpicks through bottom of rose and cut off apricot below toothpick to form a flat base. Repeat until desired number of roses are complete. Place roses on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes. Garnish finished cake with apricots roses.
• Place sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Cook the sugar mixture until it reaches the hard-crack stage (310 to 320 degrees F). Remove the pan from heat and carefully pour into a heatproof microwaveable glass bowl. Do not leave sugar in the pan because it will continue to cook and turn brown. (If sugar thickens and is not easy to work with, place the sugar into the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes to thin.)
• Spray a bowl (large enough to fit over cake) lightly with vegetable oil. Dip a fork into the hot sugar and quickly wave the fork over the inside of the bowl in a swirling motion allowing the sugar to drip off the fork in long, thin strands distributing evenly on the sides and bottom of the bowl making sure the sugar comes up to the rim. Set aside to cool about 5 minutes. Gently pull the "cage" loose from the side and bottom of the bowl. If the sugar is too warm, the cage may collapse. Place cage over finished cake.
• Be extremely careful when working with cooked sugar. The temperature of the sugar exceeds the temperature of boiling water and can be very dangerous.

GINGER RUM CAKE

Steps:

• Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 3?-inch tube pan (or two loaf pans). Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Combine milk and rum and set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs individually, scraping the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula to keep mixture smooth. On lowest speed alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and the milk/rum in two additions, scraping the bowl with the rubber spatula as necessary and beating only until smooth after each addition. Stir in grated ginger. Turn the batter into prepared pan(s). Level top by gently shaking pan back and forth.
• Bake for about 65 minutes until a cake tester comes out dry. Let cake stand in the pan for about 3 minutes and then cover with a rack and invert. Remove pan, leaving the cake upside down. Place over a large piece of aluminum foil or wax paper and prepare glaze.
• GLAZE: 1/3 cup rum, 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• Stir the rum and sugar together and brush all over the hot cake until absorbed. If using loaf pans, turn the cakes over and brush the tops too.
• Do not cut cake for at least several hours.

CHOCOLATY PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle marshmallows into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, peanut butter, oil and eggs; beat on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour over marshmallows; sprinkle with chocolate chips. , Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base of three 19cm sandwich tins. Mix the flour, cocoa, bicarb and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and beat in the syrup, eggs, oil and milk with an electric whisk until smooth.
• Divide the mix between the tins, and bake for 25-30 mins until the cakes are risen and firm to the touch. Cool in the tins for 10 mins before turning out onto a cooling rack and cooling completely. At this stage, they can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to eight weeks.
• Make the bark while the cake is cooling. Melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, stirring every 20 secs, until smooth. Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking tray and smooth over with a spatula to make a thinnish layer, around 35 x 20cm. Sprinkle over the chocolate chips along with the pieces of pretzel and honeycomb, then chill until solid. Remove the bark from the fridge and leave for a minute to come to room temperature before using a sharp knife to cut it into shards (if it's fridge cold, the chocolate will snap rather than cut). Chill again until you're ready to decorate the cake.
• To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring between short blasts, then leave to cool a little. Meanwhile, beat the butter, icing sugar and 1 tbsp boiling water with an electric whisk or stand mixer, slowly at first, then turn up the speed and beat until you get a pale, fluffy icing. Spoon out a third of the mix into a separate bowl and stir in the peanut butter. Whisk the melted chocolate into the remainder of the icing, then beat in the cocoa if you want a darker, more chocolatey-coloured icing.
• Sandwich the three cakes together with the peanut butter icing. Use half the chocolate icing to coat the sides and top of the cake and fill in the edges between the layers, scraping off any excess. Chill for 20 mins. This is called a crumb coating, allowing you to get a really smooth finish when it comes to the final icing.
• Spread the remaining chocolate icing over the lightly chilled cake, smoothing over the sides and top so you get a neat finish. Chill again for 20 mins.
• To make the ganache, heat the cream in a small pan until steaming. Tip the dark chocolate into a bowl, then pour over the cream. Mix well until smooth and shiny. Transfer to a piping bag and leave to cool for a few mins at room temperature.
• Pipe the ganache on top of the cake, nudging it over the edge and allowing it to drip down neatly. Do this all the way round the cake, then fill in the centre with more ganache. Smooth the top with a knife. Chill for 1 hr for the ganache to set.
• Press the bark shards into the cake, sticking up. Add lots of chocolate eggs, popcorn and pretzels in and around the shards. Cut into slices to serve. Will keep for up to three days kept in a cool place in an airtight container.