Peanut Butter Choc Chip Cake

Over the christmas period, we had a few friends over for tea. I wasn't quite sure what to make but I knew I wanted to bake a cake. I also wanted something different yet quick and easy. So I looked through a cupcake recipe book that I have called 500 Cupcakes and Muffins by Fergal Connoly. I got intrigued by a recipe for a Peanut Butter cupcake especially when there was a variant that included adding in chocolate chips. Why was I so intrigued by this? Well, My little princess loves peanut butter; I've never baked a peanut butter cake before and as I said earlier, it was different.

I ran the idea by my little princess who was rather excited about the prospect of having a peanut butter cake especially when I said there would be chocolate chips in it. She immediately mentioned that it sounded like Hershey Reeses Cups - which she absolutely adores. She was completely sold on the idea.



Instead of baking cupcakes though, I baked it in a bundt pan. I was going to leave it as it was but my little princess was playing with The Lovely Wifes I-Phone and chanced upon a recipe for a chocolate glaze. She came running to me and asked if I knew how to make a choc glaze and if I could please, pretty please, put it on the cake.



So that's how I ended up with a layer of chocolate glaze on my cake although I think that in my rush, I kind off heated the chocolate a bit too much and it became a rather thick mess rather than the fine smooth glaze I had in my mind. I had to spread it on rather than just pour it over but it still tasted great.

Ingredients
250g butter
225g caster sugar
250g self raising flour
4 eggs
120g crunchy peanut butter
100g chocolate chips
Method
Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and continue to beat till thick and creamy. Combine the peanut butter and then add in the chocolate chips. Bake in a 180C oven for about 40 minutes or till done.

This cake was a little heavier and richer than I expected and although it was really delicious and enjoyed by all, it was a little dry. I put that down to baking in the bundt as it spent quite a while in the oven. The insides of the cake didnt bake as fast and so the outer parts turned kind of dry. Lesson to be learnt here - cut down on the amount of batter when baking in a bundt or just bake in a normal pan!