March Close Cake

I'm an accountant and today is the start of close week. My coworkers and I do not look forward to this week since we are so busy so I decided to start a new tradition and bake something sweet for close week. Karen requested a chocolate peanut butter cake so I decided to try this recipe.

Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Good Housekeeping, February 2002
Prep: 30 min + cooling; Bake: 1 hour
Makes 16 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk
Rich Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease decorative 10-cup metal loaf pan or 10-cup fluted baking pan; dust with flour.
2. On waxed paper, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.
3. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat peanut butter and butter with sugars until blended, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until creamy, about 3 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl.
4. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until smooth.
5. Spoon batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
6. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Loosen cake from side of pan; invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Glaze cooled cake with Rich Chocolate Glaze.

RICH CHOCOLATE GLAZE – Prep 5 min, Cook about 3 min, makes ½ cup

3 oz milk chocolate, broken into pieces
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp milk

1. In a 1-quart glass measure, heat chocolate with remaining ingredients in microwave on HIGH 1 ½ to 2 minutes until smooth, stirring twice during cooking.
2. Immediately pour glaze over top of cooled cake, allowing it to run down sides. Let cake stand for at least 30 minutes to allow glaze to set before serving.

I'm not sure why it's called Peanut Butter cup when there are no peanut butter cups in it. It may be better having some crushed pb cups sprinkled on top.