Dark Chocolate Mud Cake

Ingredients
250g butter
180g dark chocolate
320g sugar
180ml milk
225g all purpose flour
75g self-raising flour
2 eggs

Chocolate Ganache
140ml cream
360g chocolate

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C
2. Place the butter, chocolate, sugar and milk into a saucepan/bowl over a low heat
3. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. Stir flours into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture
5. Add in eggs
6. Bake for about 1 hour 40 minutes
7. Let the cake cool in the pan.
8. Boil cream, remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring well to help dissolve the chocolate.
9. Cool ganache till it reaches a spreadable consistency.
10. Spread ganache on the cooled cake

*Makes a 9" cake

Peanut Heaven

Ingredients:
155 g creamy peanut butter
55g butter
150g sugar
2 eggs
190g flour
9g baking powder
2g salt
180ml milk
200g crushed peanuts (plain/honey roasted)
2-3 quantity Peanut Butter Swiss Buttercream [recipe below]
extra peanuts for decorating

Method:
1. Cream peanut butter, butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs; mix well.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt
4. Add to creamed mixture. Add milk. Mix well.
5. Pour into a prepared pan.
6. Bake at 175C for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

*Makes a 9" flat / 8" tall cake.

Assemble cake:
1. Slice the cooled cake into 2 layers.
2. Sandwich some buttercream and peanuts between the layers.
3. Frost the cake with remaining buttercream
4. Decorate with extra peanuts



Peanut Butter Swiss Buttercream:
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 large egg white
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
80g peanut butter

1. Whisk egg whites and sugar until y it turns white and about doubles in size.
2. Add the vanilla.
3. Add the half of the butter and whip until mixture is almost smooth
4. Add the remaining butter and whip until smooth


My entry to the event...Just because a party wouldn't be complete without a cake =)