Inside Out Peanut Butter Cup Cake Food

GIANT PEANUT BUTTER CUP CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare the cake batter according to the package instructions. Pour into the bottom of a jumbo silicone cupcake mold and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool completely, then unmold the cake onto a cooling rack set in a baking sheet.
• For the filling: Meanwhile, beat together the peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer until completely combined. Slowly add in the confectioners' sugar about a 1/4 cup at a time, beating in between additions, until completely incorporated. Beat in the salt. Set aside until ready to use.
• Cut off the domed top of the cake if one has formed, and save for another use (or eat!). Cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers and put them on a work surface Use a paring knife to cut out a 3 1/2-inch hole from the middle layer; set the cake layer aside (save the cutout for another use).
• Stack the bottom and middle cake layers on the prepared cooling rack. Fill the hole in the center with the peanut butter filling. Place the last cake layer on top. Invert the cake onto a plate and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Pour some of the hardening chocolate sauce over the top of the cake and use a rubber spatula to gently smooth and level it. Using a silicone brush, apply more of the chocolate sauce on the sides of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving platter. Spread the remaining chocolate sauce on top of the cake in an even layer and chill in the refrigerator until set.
• Cut the cake into slices, exposing the peanut butter center.

INSIDE-OUT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CUPS

Steps:

• BEAT brown sugar, peanut butter, 1/2 cup shortening, milk and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add to shortening mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Spray mini-muffin pans with no-stick cooking spray.
• SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place each ball in prepared mini-muffin cups. Press dough onto bottom and sides of cup to within 1/2-inch of top.
• BAKE 7 to 8 minutes or until cookies are set and just beginning to brown. Cool 10 minutes on cooling racks. Remove cookie cups very carefully to cooling racks to cool completely.
• PLACE chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon shortening in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM for 1 to 2 minutes or until chips are shiny and soft. Stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate mixture into center of each cookie. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Cool completely.

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.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP ICEBOX CAKE

Steps:

• For the milk chocolate ganache: Place the chocolate and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium-high heat just until bubbles begin to form around the edges.
• Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and salt and let sit for 1 minute so it begins to melt. Gently whisk together until fully incorporated and shiny.
• Let come to room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and is less like chocolate syrup and pours more like hot fudge.
• (To make ahead, let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Reheat over medium-low heat until liquefied.)
• For the pudding: In a large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the milk and cream and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, whisk again, and place the saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly.
• Once the mixture begins to thicken and bubbles begin popping on the surface, turn the heat to medium and whisk vigorously for 45 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.
• If the pudding has any lumps, strain it through a medium-mesh wire sieve into a heatproof bowl. Add the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla and whisk until they are incorporated.
• The pudding should be used almost immediately; it should still be warm and relatively pourable when you layer it with the crackers.
• For the whipped cream: Refrigerate the bowl of a stand mixer and the whisk attachment (or a medium metal bowl and beaters from a hand mixer) until quite cold, about 15 minutes.
• Once chilled, remove the bowl and whisk from the refrigerator, add the cream, and whip it on medium speed until just thickened.
• Add the peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla and, on medium-high speed, whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks that stand upright when the whisk is raised. Use it immediately.
• To assemble: Lightly coat the sides of your springform pan with cooking spray, and line the sides of the pan with a 3-by-29-inch (7.5-by-75-centimeter) strip of parchment paper. Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread a generous layer of the pudding on the bottom of the pan.
• Cover as much of the pudding as possible with a layer of the graham crackers, filling any gaps with broken crackers. The pieces should touch. The goal is a solid layer of crackers.
• Generously spread a layer of the ganache over the crackers.
• Continue layering in this order (pudding, graham crackers, ganache) until you run out or reach the top of the pan. Spread the whipped cream on top of the cake. Gently cover the cake with plastic wrap, place it on a platter (to protect the inside of your refrigerator from any escaping ganache while the cake sets up), and refrigerate for 24 hours. (If you want to frost the sides of the cake with whipped cream, prepare the whipped cream after the cake sets up for 24 hours, and frost the top and sides just prior to serving.)
• Peel the plastic wrap from the cake and run a paring knife between the paper and the pan. Open the clamp, remove the pan sides, and gently peel back the parchment paper. Transfer the cake, still on the pan bottom, to a serving platter. Decorate with chopped chocolate-covered peanut butter cups or roasted, salted peanuts. Using a knife, slice into wedges and serve.