Thursday, September 23, 2010

Marbled Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bundt Cake With Salted Caramel Glaze

Every time we use the bundt pan, there is a period of at least 5 minutes where the only thing heard in our kitchen is laughter and that stuttering "it's a bundt" "a butt?" "a bundt!" "a bunk?" "A BUNDT!" "Ahh, its a cake" conversation from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. You'd thank that after all this time, 8 years, that the joke would have lost its edge. Nope, we still make it and we still laugh. Its amazing what being in a good mood can do for your sense of humor, the better the mood, the easier the laughs. Why it takes two college educated grownups to figure out what any 4 year old could tell you we'll never know, but its still as true as can be. Its also true that good food can change your whole mood too. In this case, we did this cake on a day particularly in need of a better mood: bill paying day. Bill paying day is a very dangerous day around our parts as the bank accounts go from being full of newly cashed paychecks to being decidedly less full. I think everyone can attest to that being a big wet blanket on any given day. Sometimes the fates work out and we have people over for dinner on bill paying day, which often adds a big grocery bill on top of everything else. The secret to fixing bill day is something that every woman already knows and every guy (including Eric) refuses to admit is that chocolate always makes things better. (Eric says "its because eating anything raises endorphin levels as the body. Endorphins are the bodies way of rewarding any species for acts that encourage survival and reproduction". Chraisse said that was dumb, and chocolate tastes so good because its chocoalate. And that was the end of that argument). This particular chocolate was indeed in the form of a bundt cake, marbled with peanut butter and covered in a homemade, salted caramel glaze and definitely made bill paying day better.





Marbled Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bundt Cake 
What you will need


Bundt Cake Pan
2 Cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. banking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Set your oven to 350*F and prep your bundt pan with cooking spray. Mix up the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl (or KitchenAid if you have one) beat the butter for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar beating until fluffy, and add the eggs with one minute or so between each egg, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Next add the flour mixture alternating with the milk to the bowl until just barely combined.
Divide the batter between two different bowls. In one bowl stir in the peanut butter and in the other add the chocolate. Add the two bowls to the bundt pan, alternating between the two a little bit at a time and gently use a butter knife to create the swirl patter. Don't over-mix the two cake types!
Bake for 40-45 minutes and then let cool on a rack for another 15. Pull from the pan and let cool completely.

Salted Caramel Glaze
What you will need


1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 - 3/4 tsp large grain sea salt

In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the sugar. Bring it to a boil and ad the cream. Once it boils again, let it boil for 2 minutes before adding the salt. Pour over your cooled bundt cake!

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens April 2010

22 comments:

  1. This looks amazing! I wish I had some sour cream... because other than that I could make this right now! I do the My Big Fat Greek Wedding thing every time I make a bundt cake too. :)

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  2. That cake looks incredible but for me what really makes it stand out and puts it over the top is that delicious sounding salted caramel glaze. I would be in soooo much trouble with this delight! :o)

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  3. Wow, this is amazing - I want a piece! I haven't made a bundt cake in so long. I noticed a recipe for one last week and almost dug around for my bundt pan but I will definitely be looking for it now. Your photos are amazing.

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  4. First I love bundt...second, chocolate, third peanut butter...and THEN you had to add caramel? Seriously? I'm in heaven.

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  5. That cake is right up alley! Time to get my bundt pan out... Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  6. You're right 'bundt' is a funny word:) This cake is one gorgeous gooey delight,WOW, gorgeous photos!

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  7. I love that scene from My Big Greek Wedding :) And this cake! That caramel drizzle puts it seriously over the top.

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  8. Chocolate DOES fix everything. Nuff said.

    Well, a glass of good wine does help too but chocolate is definitely up there.

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  9. NO WAY. Salted caramel glaze on a chocolate PB cake? I think you're my new bff. I'll even do the "butt... bundt!!" joke with you!

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  10. Oh MY, that looks AMAZING. You can drop that off when I'm paying my bills ANYtime you'd like :)

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  11. My son's girlfriend loves peanut butter and chocolate, and so do I, so I'm making this for her birthday. The caramel glaze puts it over the top.

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  12. This might be the best-looking baked good I've seen all year!! YUM!!! I do the same thing when I make a Bundt cake-- it will never not be funny :)

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  13. Fantastic looking cake! I want to dive right in. Scheming in my head to see if I can make this low-carb so I can partake. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Looks so good and you are tempting me to make one

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  15. You're right! Chocolate DOES make everything better:) This cake has everything in it to make a perfect payday treat, and looks absolutely delicious!

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  16. This seriously looks like heaven on a cake plate, WOWZA!

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  17. This bundt cake would definitely make any unsavory tasks much more...um, savory. :D Must remember to make some before starting law homework. It looks delicious!

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  18. I remember that scene from the movie and I didn't get it really. I thought "Really? They are living in the states, seem to have been here for some time and they don't know what this type of cake is?"

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  19. Oh. My. Gosh. Looks like I'll be getting out my bundt cake really soon! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It looks (and probably tastes) stunning!

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