April 15--Tax Day for Some, Recipe Deadline for Others

While I understand that this isn't skydiving, learning M.M.A. fighting, climbing Mt. Everest, my cooking adventures are hiking a new path as I submitted my first recipe to a Taste of Home contest. Branching out, reaching higher, seeking the refreshing waters of a new hobby, new book, new friendship, new music--this is what life is about.

I'm not a top chef, and I honestly don't have hope in winning this contest, but seeing on the screen "The recipe Chocolate Peanut Butter Natty Cake has been updated in your recipe box and submitted to Simple & Delicious Magazine and contest Cakes & Torte" let me know that I've opened the doors to a aspect of the growing woman inside me.

To introduce the recipe, I replied:
Michigan sure knows sweets, and my favorite Michigan friend introduced me to a kicked-up Rice Krispy containing the flavors of peanut butter, toffee, and chocolate. Heaven in each bite, and my husband and I renamed these guys as "Natty Bricks" after my friend Natasha. My imagination sought ways to convert this recipe to a decadent cake, and I seem to have found the key. It's a "dressed up cake mix," but your taste buds will believe otherwise. This double layer cake will melt in your mouth with the lightness of the chocolate cake, creaminess of the peanut butter in between, and crunchy surprise of toffee chips in between. Try it yourself!

The contest called for a cake or torte, homemade or dressed up mix; if tempted by a decadent peanut butter and chocolate combination, read on and then cook on!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Natty Cake

Ingredients:
Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Fudge Cake
1 to 1 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
I jar vanilla or cream cheese frosting
1 1/2 cups toffee chips


Preheat oven
Grease two 8 inch round cake pans for baking by coating lightly with cooking spray.
Mix cake as directed on package.
After mixing batter, pour half into one cake pan.
Fold toffee chips with remaining batter and pour into second cake pan.
Cook as directed on the package, checking close to cooking time for lightness of cake. Avoid overcooking.

Allow cakes to cool completely before removing from pan.
Place cake layer without toffee chips on icing plate.
Over the stove, melt the peanut butter in small skillet over medium-high heat until barely boiling and thin.

Pour over first layer and spread. Peanut butter may overflow over sides of first layer.
Immediately top with second layer (toffee chip side down as they travel down to bottom of layer in cooking).
Allow peanut butter to cool.

After completely cooled, ice cake with frosting.
For presentation, melt a tiny bit of peanut butter to drizzle over the top.

Slice and enjoy! Yield: serves 12

One for you and one for me!
Enjoy!