Thursday, August 4, 2011

Peanut Butter and Jelly Belly Cake








From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you do not cook for the very young or young at heart, please stay long enough to accept my apology for not yet responding to your comments of the week. Time and intent are at odds with each other and time has obviously trumped intent. There simply has been no time. Those of you who occasionally bake for children's parties might want to tarry, but all others have been granted an excused absence, as long as they are present for tomorrow's morning meeting, where adult, or at least semi-adult, recipes will again be the order of the day.

One of my special boys turned four this week. He wanted a peanut butter and jelly cake for his party. He was pretty insistent about it and could not be dissuaded. I did some inward groaning and probably glared at his mother, who I am sure put him up to the request, but, in the end, thanks to some help from folk's at the Hershey test kitchen, Joshua had his birthday cake. The recipe is easy in the extreme and I must say the finished cake is not half bad. The frosting is actually delicious.

We have a tradition that allows the birthday boy or girl to put candles on their cake as soon as they can select the correct number of them from a pile. As you can see, Joshua has mastered the technique. I'd like those of you who know our family to note the nearly perfect line he's formed with his candles. I had hoped for a poet, but I think we have another budding engineer on our hands. Without further ado, here's the recipe for Joshua's birthday cake.


Peanut Butter and Jelly Belly Cake
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Hershey Test Kitchens

Ingredients:
1 package (about 18 oz.) white cake mix
3/4 cup strawberry jam
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:
1) Prepare cake as directed on package for two 9-inch layers. Slice each layer in half horizontally to form two layers. Place one layer on serving plate; spread 1/4 cup jam over top. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with plain layer on top.
2) Stir together peanut butter chips and milk in medium saucepan. Heat over heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Cool until slightly thickened. Beat whipping cream with electric mixer until stiff; gradually blend into peanut butter mixture. If necessary, cool until of spreading consistency. Frost top and sides of cake. Yield: 12 servings.

Cook's note: If frosting becomes too thick to spread, thin it with milk or cream.








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57 comments :

Ana Rita Marreiros said...

Just his look to the cake it's more than 1000 words...He's just blown away!!!

Kisses,
Rita

Adam said...

My mother's birthday is this weekend, and I think this may have jumped to the top of the list for her cake (heck I'd like it for my birthday too :)). My family is full of peanut butter and jam fiends. I think some of us would eat it for every meal if we could. Was the decision to use white cake mostly because of the colour or would yellow cake be just as good (I love my current yellow cake recipe)?

Heather S-G said...

Such a sweet post, Mary...and the handsome birthday boy looks thrilled! I would be, too...a pb&j cake is so fun =)

lena said...

adorable kid! i'm sure that frosting must have been finger licking good for him !

Tracy's Living Cookbook said...

Who wouldn't love this birthday cake?

Anonymous said...

I thought this was going to have jelly beans in it!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

One of your special boys is very very lucky I would love a slice of this awesome cake!

Janie said...

So cute..

AND this cake look delicious! I just have to try it..even though we are all "grown-ups" here I know it is gong to be a hit (and ti is pretty too)

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

Happy birthday, Joshua. Grandma did a great job on your cake. Enjoy!!

Cooking Creation said...

Happy birthday to the sweet little boy! I bet this cake tasted yummy!

Sue/the view from great island said...

Only you, Mary, could come up with such a great looking cake from such a request! I hate to admit it, but it looks pretty tasty!

RATOLINHA said...

But what a beautiful cake. Fabulous.
beijinhos

Jeannie said...

Such a cute birthday boy:)no wonder he got his fave cake:D The cake looks really grand indeed!

From the Kitchen said...

Please tell Master Joshua that I would have loved to share his peanut butter and jelly cake. Good choice! And, when you wish him a happy birthday from me. tell him that I have a real live dalmatian just like his. Even Oliver's left ear is solid black!!

Enjoy the family time!

Best,
Bonnie

Unknown said...

the look and smile must have melted the cake.

happy birthday

Gloria Baker said...

Happy belated Birthday to Joshua the cake is amazing!You are a lovely grtand Ma, blessings gloria

Barbara F. said...

I am way past the age of eating pb&j sandwiches, but I still do sometimes (not too often) :) but this cake looks so gooooood. xo,

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

You got me with the first photo. You've made all of us kids happy today!

Ginny Hartzler said...

It looks very good, any kid would LOVE it!!! Yes, I see he not only put them in a straight line, he separated them right in the middle Two by two! He is a real cutie pie!!! And obviously a thinker, I think most kids would have just randomly stuck them somewhere in the middle.

Rambling Tart said...

What a cutie he is! Mmm, that cake sounds delicious. The perfect thing for a kid for sure. :-)

Kim said...

pbj cake sounds sooo good! you did a fabulous job with it too, Mary!

Rachana said...

Birthday wishes to Joshua! The cake looks fabulous!

Karen said...

I'm sure Joshua knew that whatever cake he chose, if grandmother made it, it'd be terrific! He's a cutie :)

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Happy b-Day and Mary, you have fun this week

Clint said...

Adorable kid. Adorable cake. Gosh I hope he's a poet!

Joanne said...

You never have to apologize to me about such things. (a) I love PB+J however I can get it. (b) This looks so fantastic. Apparently I'm actually a child at heart.

Anonymous said...

This is amazing,,

Anonymous said...

Love your kitchen (Or the few i've seen of it!) And this cake... love it too!! Happy B-day to this lucky little man!

Unknown said...

Mary, what beautiful cake. He is one lucky boy. Who wouldn't love this birthday cake?

Anonymous said...

Nice blog post. You always write a engrossing article. I will come back in future.

Unknown said...

it is a gorgeous cake and a beautiful child! you can tell how happy he is with your creation!

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

The beauty of this cake is only outdone by that gorgeous boy!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

Birthday cakes are WAY more important than answering our comments. We love your comments . . . but enjoy your darling boy.

Fondly,
Glenda

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

What a little cutie-pie!!! I'm sure he loved his special cake. What a sweet post!!!

MaryMoh said...

Joshua looks so happy to have the cake. That says everything! Hope you have a wonderful day. MaryMoh at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com

Unknown said...

Looks like he really enjoyed it and that's all that matters. I may be packing this for lunch this year instead of the original.

Claudia said...

Happy birthday to that gorgeous little fellow. He know what he wants and his lit-up face tells me that you did very well! It's part of the fun, isn't it? Being able to create for those you love?

The Blonde Duck said...

This is the only cake I'd like!

Anonymous said...

Look at that happy face of that lucky boy:)

Katarina said...

Such a beautiful birthday cake! Have a great day!

Julie said...

What a cutie!!! PB&J cake...how fun! Enjoy your time with the family.

Unknown said...

Peanut butter cake? first time for me here...but i'm sure it looks delicious!

The Harried Cook said...

What a fun cake! I love the picture of the birthday boy and his cake... Adorable! This cake would make both adults and kids very happy! Thanks for sharing :)

Elaine said...

How adorable, Mary! Happy birthday to Joshua! I think he made a perfect choice.

A Bitchin' Kitchen said...

Aw, he's so cute, and clearly excited to dig into his cake! This looks delicious - I love peanut butter desserts!

- Maggie

Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory) said...

I love this cake idea! Fabulous cake & lovely pics. Happy birthday to Joshua :)

Unknown said...

I don't need to have kids to make this, right?? WOW, that looks absolutely incredible!! What a lucky birthday boy!!

Anonymous said...

Such a pretty and tasty looking cake! Yum!

David said...

Mary, It's a beautiful cake with some of my favorite ingredients! What a happy grandson... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

What's next said...

sounds like something my big girls would like too! Hope you enjoyed a birthday with you handsom boy!

kelle said...

This is such a great idea! It looks delicious! My fiance would eat the whole cake!

Linda said...

What a fun birthday cake! Layers of happiness I'd say! The little birthday boy defintiely looks happy too! Great recipe!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I love this! I'm saving the recipe for when my someone special turns four :) What a cutie!

Adam said...

Thanks so much for the inspiration Mary. I made my own version yesterday for my Mom's b'day celebration. I used my favourite yellow cake, made a pectin free jam, and I used peanut butter (and a little powdered sugar) in the frosting instead of pb chips. Everything turned out fantastic. Thanks again, I was stressing over what cake to make her, and as soon as I saw this I knew it was perfect :).

What's Baking?? said...

Happy birthday to Joshua! He sure is lucky to have such a beautiful bday cake!

The Single Nester said...

What a sweet cake! How fun!

Jolene said...

Thanks for posting this, my own Joshua will be loving this cake come his birthday, next Dec ;)

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