New Year cake

When I think about New Year's Eve, I think about parties.  I think about how I celebrated New Year's Eve in my youth.  One year we played a game where every hour, at the top of the hour, we celebrated the new year as it became midnight in each time zone.  Oh my...what can I say?  We were young and dumb.

Now that I am a little more.....mature and I have a little more common sense, my new year was rung in by planning this cake and cruising around Pinterest (I like to live on the edge these days).  I barely made it to midnight.

This morning, even though not 1 drop of adult beverage was consumed, I still felt like I was hung over.  I decided to cheat on the cake and make a box cake.  I did, however, spruce it up a bit.  I added an additional egg.  I used butter instead of vegetable oil, and I used milk instead of water.  These little substitutions make all the difference if you must use a box cake mix.

When my husband dragged himself downstairs a little later, I asked him what kind of frosting he wanted.  He requested chocolate fudge.  I found a recipe on line that looked perfect.  Something went awry when I made it though.  It closely resembled the fudge batter I made last month for Christmas.  I knew it would not spread to cover the cake so I put it between the layers of the cake.  I found another recipe (here) and made yet more substitutions.  This recipe called for fudge topping.  I didn't have any of that, but I did have a bag of milk chocolate chips hanging around.  I melted them up in the microwave and added them.  I did need to add more milk than the recipe called for after I added the chocolate chips.

I had delusions of grandeur when I thought about the decorations.  I had chocolate fireworks made in about 4 different colors.  I had my confetti.  I had my little rolled up things...whatever they are supposed to be.  I started putting the fireworks on the cake and it looked awful.  Take 2 - get all of that off of the cake and just go with the confetti and those little rolled up things (which I was pretty proud of, BTW.  Fondant cut and wrapped around a straw to dry).

After our traditional pork dinner (minus the sauerkraut), it was time to reveal the cake.  Everyone seemed to like it a lot.  I guess today was not the day to count calories...

Happy New Year!   

Peanut butter fudge

I am pretty much in love with all things peanut butter.  However, good peanut butter fudge is hard to find.  I do not like my fudge to taste more like marshmallow or sugar than peanut butter.  I volunteered to bake some goodies for a fundraiser to benefit my son's indoor percussion unit and I wanted to include peanut butter fudge.  I found lots of recipes with the marshmallow fluff, creme, etc. in it.  I was getting a little discouraged when Pinterest pulled through again.  Thank you, Shop Girl!

I liked the fact that I did not need a science degree to make this fudge.  No stirring constantly for 3 minutes and 24.6 seconds exactly.  It could not have been easier.  

I could barely contain myself long enough for the fudge to set.  When I could no longer stand the wait, I cut into the fudge and sampled a piece.  I was literally weak in the knees.  So smooth, so peanut buttery, so fudgy.  I cannot wait to make more!

Here's the recipe (from Shop Girl):

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup milk

2 1/4 cups brown sugar

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional: add chopped unsalted peanuts for extra crunch

DIRECTIONS:

First, measure out all your ingredients, because you will need to have them on hand, as the fudge comes together pretty quickly. Place the confectioners' sugar in your electric mixer bowl. Then, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, making sure that it doesn't burn. Once the butter has melted, add in the milk and brown sugar and whisk until you have a smooth mixture. Constantly whisking, bring it to a boil, then cook for another two minutes, continuing to whisk. Remove from heat, and add in the peanut butter and vanilla extract and stir until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Pour it into your electric mixer with the confectioners' sugar, and mix until completely smooth and creamy. Pour into an 8x8 inch pan (line the pan with parchment paper) and let chill until the fudge is firm, then cut it into small pieces using a sharp knife. (*Note: I cut the recipe in half and made a smaller batch, and it was still a lot of fudge!)