Chocolate and Peanut Butter Frosted Chocolate Sheet Cake

 Do you ever wish you had a go-to frosting that was easy, but darn versatile?  Something you can use on cookies, cakes...straight from bowl to mouth?  Then this is your frosting.  It uses things you have in your pantry....and it's so quick to make, you microwave it!  Whoot! 

Used while still warm over a fresh from the oven cake, it oozes into all the nooks and crannies and sets up soft and pliable.  Cooled down, you can pipe it over cupcakes or cookies for a glamorous look.

Today I'm using this frosting over a chocolate or Texas sheet cake.  I'm not providing the recipe for the sheet cake, so simply find one you like.  I prefer to use This one by the Pioneer Woman, but go with whatever works for you.  When the cake is about 5 minutes from being done, get going on the frosting.  You want the cake and the frosting to be warm at the same time.

In previous posts about this frosting, I've used a double broiler to melt everything...but not today!  Today it's all about making the yummiest frosting the simplest way possible, in the microwave.

 You do need a microwave safe bowl.  That can be glass or microwave-safe plastic.  I'm using a silicone bowl that I got for Christmas.  It's perfect if you make hand-dipped chocolates because the silicone doesn't hold onto the heat like glass or Pyrex does.

Okay, so let's get started.  Your cake has about five minutes left of cook time, and....

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Frosting over Chocolate Sheet cake

8.5 oz. chopped dipping chocolate or fine quality chocolate chips

4 Tbl. Creamy Peanut Butter

3 Tbl. softened butter

Handful of salted peanuts, chopped fine

**You don't have to be terribly particular about the measurements here.  If you have a bit more chocolate, that's fine, and I never actually measure my peanut butter.  Have you ever tried getting peanut butter out of a measuring spoon?  It's the worst.  I just throw in what looks to be 4 Tbl, and then taste it to make sure it's delicious.**

Chop your chocolate into smallish chunks.  You don't have to be too obsessive about this because you're melting them in the microwave.  If you were going to use a double broiler, then I might say cut them fine to save some melting time.  If you notice my fancy chopping tool, it's called a chocolate chunker, and if you regularly cook with large blocks of chocolate, it's a finger saver.  Urmmm....

Place chocolate, peanut butter and butter in your microwave-safe bowl.  Heat for 30 seconds at a time, remove from microwave, stir and check the consistency.  You want it to be nice and liquid-y smooth.   No chunks.  The reason you are heating in 30 second increments is you don't want to scorch your chocolate.  I think mine took about 1 minute and 30 seconds to get to the consistency I wanted.

Add peanuts and stir until they're coated.

The second the cake gets out of the oven, make sure it's on a level surface and then pour all the creamy, gorgeous frosting over the warm cake.  Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting all around until it covers the cake.  Be careful not to puncture the cake with the peanuts or your spatula and then let it sit and cool.

I did not lick the bowl clean....my kids did.

Once cooled, the frosting will have firmed up a bit and is the perfect foil for the rich, chocolate cake.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream and you'll have the best dessert around.  It's not too sweet thanks to the peanut butter and salted peanuts and for those of us who aren't impressed with big globs of sickeningly sweet frosting, this is perfection.

Thanks for reading!

Heather