Peanut Butter Parcels
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, soft
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, regular or Dutch-process
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream
Peanut Butter Filling
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 6 to 8 tablespoons milk
Chocolate Coating
- 2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9" x 13" pan, line it with parchment paper (we recommend metal clips to hold it in place), and spray the paper.
1. For the cake: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions, and stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once or twice. Add the vanilla.
3. Whisk the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt through a strainer to break up any lumps in the cocoa.
4. Add half the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix.
5. Add the buttermilk or yogurt and mix. Scrape the bowl, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Level the top with an offset spatula. Bake the cake for 23 to 25 minutes, until it pulls away from the edge of the pan, and springs back when lightly touched in the center. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
1. For the filling: Place the peanut butter in a mixing bowl with the vanilla. Stir the confectioners' sugar through a strainer (to eliminate lumps) into the bowl, and mix at low speed until the mixture is crumbly.
2. Add 4 tablespoons of the milk, and mix at low speed. You'll see the mixture's texture go from crumbly to smooth, but stiff. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. After that, add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time,
3. until the filling is smooth and spreadable.
To assemble: 1. Remove the cooled cake from the pan using the parchment paper.
Split the cake into two layers.
2. Remove the top layer and set it aside.
3. Spread the filling over the bottom cake layer.
4. Replace the top layer.
5. Cut the filled cake into thirds lengthwise.
6. Cut the cake into nine 1 1/2" bars. Pull them apart slightly.
7. Melt the chocolate chips and shortening together at low power in the microwave. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
8. Drizzle the chocolate coating over the tops of the cakes; use a small spatula to spread the chocolate over the tops and along the sides of the cakes. The chocolate will firm up at cool room temperature, but you can refrigerate the cakes to firm up the chocolate if you're in a hurry.
Yield: 27 cakes.
Reviews
04/28/2011- These are delicious!! They're a lot of work, but totally worth it! I froze the filled cake before cutting it, which made it much easier to work with. The only thing I would change next time is increasing the peanut butter filling, but that's just my own preference. Thanks for another great recipe!
- 09/21/2010
- Made these today--unbelievable! better than drakes! took a while, however, to ice 27 of these. maybe next time i may just ice the top before I cut the cake and leave the sides without icing.
- 12/24/2009
- The instructions were a little confusing and I got the sizes wrong. Mine came out more like big bite sized snacks. My confusion did lead to an interesting technique. To coat the cakes, I used a tooth pick to keep the cakes (frozen please) from falling apart. I then dunked each cake into the bowl of melted chocolate. The result was a thick layer of chocolate and a quick, even coating process. Because the cakes were frozen, no crumbs in the chocolate. They are also very yummy right out of the freezer!
- 09/25/2009
- How great to have the nutrition analaysis! Way to go in this day and age! Mom
- 09/25/2009
- I love beanutbutter and and it goes with Chocolate,thanks for the recipe I am going to make it up this weekend.
- 09/25/2009
- Confusing instructions: It says to cut the cake into nine 1.5 inch pieces and yet yields 27. Wouldn't it be clearer to say to cut each third into nine pieces? PS My son is going to love this recipe.
