Swirled Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

The kids and I haven't baked a cake in ages.  Or at least that's what my daughter told me last week....

"Mom, I haven't licked a beater in ages.  We should probably make a cake for dad to eat."

Why not?   As soon as I give them the nod that it's time to bake they race to the table to grab a chair and push it up to the counter.   Now that they are both equally keen on helping me, it's actually a bit of an exhausting endeavor.  They fight over who will stir first.....who will measure out the next scoop of ingredients..... who will crack the next egg.  Yup, that's right.  These kids can crack eggs.  Even the little guy, still in his twos, doesn't do too badly at it....

I had a jar of peanut butter that was nearing the end of it's life.  If I scraped it clean, I'd probably have about 1/4 of a cup.  I hate using that last bit of the peanut butter for toast and sandwiches....it's such a pain scooping out those last bits.  Using a spatula to get rid of that last bit for a recipe would save me from this over the next couple days.  I'm doing myself a favor by making peanut butter cake.....

Whenever I am looking for a new recipe, my very first stop is always Taste of Home.  I did a quick search for peanut butter and chocolate cake and came across this little gem:  Swirled Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake  .  It was so easy to make, and turned out to be a very rich, moist, and fudgy tasting cake.  The peanut butter swirls almost taste a little cheese-cakey thanks to the cream cheese and egg combo.  I froze a portion of this cake too, and it held up really well.  (Let's face it, if I had this delicious cake sitting on my counter, it would be in my belly by the end of a couple days.......)  Here is the recipe, straight from Taste of Home, with a few photos added by me.

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• PEANUT BUTTER BATTER:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• 1 egg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• 1. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into oil. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
• 2. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/3 cup sugar, egg and salt until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
• 3. Drop by tablespoonfuls over cake batter; cut through batter with a knife to swirl the peanut butter mixture. Sprinkle with pecans and remaining sugar.

• 4. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before cutting. Refrigerate leftovers.Yield: 24 servings.

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (1 piece) equals 217 calories, 11 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

© 2016 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC

The finished product

Both kids absolutely loved this cake, and so did I.

Look at these happy little bakers!