Muddy Buddy Cake

That beauty right there is eight layers of chocolate peanut butter goodness! There are two layers each of chocolate peanut butter mousse, chocolate cake, peanut butter cake, muddy buddy crunch and it's iced with the chocolate peanut butter mousse and topped with muddy buddies!

Now THAT is a cake! 

Look at those layers! INTENSE. The only criticism of the cake I have is that I went too thick on the middle muddy buddy crunch layer. Should have gone as thin as the bottom layer.

I'm particularly fond of the elegance of the top of the cake. A quick swirl and a muddy buddy really make for a good border. Just enough of an accent without going overboard. Once you cut into the cake all the focus goes there and that's just the way it should be! 

While you can make this all in one day, it can be done over a few days as well. With so many  moving parts split it up! Bake and make muddy buddies one day, stack and ice the next! You'll be happy you did! 

Muddy Buddy Cake 

1 chocolate cake mix (plus eggs, oil, etc. as the box recommends)

1 butter cake mix (plus eggs, oil, etc. as the box recommends)

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1 cup simple syrup

8 cups Muddy Buddies, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

3/4 cup peanut butter

Bake two 8 inch round chocolate cakes, according to the mix instructions. 

Make two 8 inch butter cakes according to the mix instructions. Add in peanut butter when you add the butter. 

Allow cakes to cool before leveling. 

Line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Put 8 cups of muddy buddies into a food processor and grind into crumbs. Turn out into bowl and add melted butter. stir until the crumbs are well moistened. Pat the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of two 8 inch cake pans.  Put in freezer for one hour.

Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light colored and well blended. Beat in the thoroughly cooled chocolate, and peanut butter, until you reach a uniform consistency. Be sure to scrape down the sides.

To assemble the cake, place on layer of the muddy buddy crunch down first. 

Place a leveled layer of peanut butter cake down next. Brush the top of the cake with simple syrup.

Pipe of layer of the chocolate peanut butter mousse on top, then gently place a layer of the chocolate cake on top. Brush the top of the cake with simple syrup. 

Repeat with the remaining layers. 

Ice cake with the mousse. To get very smooth frosting, dip your knife in hot water occasionally. The heat will help the icing smooth. 

Pipe swirls on cake, placing a muddy buddy in between each swirl. 

Pipe a border along the bottom of the cake. 

Store in the fridge. Take the cake out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving. 

Et voila! You have a lovely cake full of deliciousness!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Pumpkin Chiffon is a light, smooth, creamy version of tradition pumpkin pie. It's my mother's favorite, and that right there says it all! :) Mama knows best, right?

For my birthday party we held a mini-pumpkin themed night. Or at least we tried to. We were going to play games like mini pumpkin bocce, capture the mini pumpkin, mini pumpkin relays, and of course, mini pumpkin pie eating contest! In the end, the weather made most of our plans impossible, and though playing in the rain can be fun....this would have been playing in a downpour. Not. So. Fun. 

We did however get to have our mini pumpkin pie eating contest and these little beauties were it! I made them in a cupcake tin! I'm not sure how it happened, but I FINISHED DEAD LAST! Everyone kept yelling at me not to be dainty. DAINTY?!?!?! Are you kidding me? I had pie across half my face! The stupid  adorable little pie kept scooting farther and farther away from me as I tried to eat it. I spent half my time trying to pull it back with my teeth so I could get another bite! Epic. Fail. My friends Tristan and Hugh won practically in a dead tie. Amazing. My favorite part had to be when someone commented "Wow. That was the best pie eating contest pie I've ever had!" ....first off, thank you, but secondly, how many of those have you had?!?! This was my first! 

In a few weeks I'm going to the Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Goffstown, NH. I hear the festival has a pumpkin pie eating contest. I hope so, because I could use a little redemption! 

I also recommend making the pumpkin chiffon filling and simply putting it into individual ramekins or hallowed out mini pumpkins as a pumpkin mousse dessert. 

Chiffon Pumpkin Pie

2 baked 9” pie shells or about 24 mini pie shells

4 tsp. gelatin

6 tsp. cold water

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

¾ cup milk

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar minus 4 tablespoons

4 eggs, yolks and whites separated

To slightly beaten egg yolks, add ½ cup of the sugar, pumpkin, milk, salt, and spices.

Heat in a double broiler. Pour cold water in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top

of water. Once set add to hot pumpkin mixture. Mix thoroughly and cool. Beat egg

whites with remaining sugar to make a meringue. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour into

previously bake and cooled pie shells. Chill in refrigerator.

Phyllo Pie Shells

sugar

cinnamon

nutmeg

butter

phyllo dough

Make up a cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg mixture to your preferred ratios. Take phyllo and layer it, about four deep, brushing with melted butter in between each layer, and sprinkle the sugar mixture on every other layer. Press down into your molds and bake at 350 for a few minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan completely before trying to remove.