Single-Serving Peanut Butter Chocolate Cakes
I just spent the past hour looking at an incredibly thorough 56-picture slideshow of Reese Witherspoon’s sartorial history.
Before that, I indulged myself by reading the New York Times Magazine and its riveting Ellen Barkin profile for a half hour.
And after leisurely clicking through the Reese Witherspoon slideshow, I researched potential citrus tree and blueberry bush candidates for the backyard.
At no point this afternoon did I ever consider sitting down to write this post on single-serving peanut butter chocolate cakes made in a muffin tin.
Mind you, this is a recipe I made more than a month ago in lieu of fixing a busted sink stopper, (finally) taking the heaviest winter coats to the attic for their seasonal nap, and putting a looming writing deadline to bed.
But chocolate and peanut butter are a more freakishly perfect match than Brad and Angelina, a more powerful combination than The Smith Family and a sweeter duo than Russell Brand and Katy Perry (what? I’m really rooting for those two crazy kids to make it work).
And so the procrastination cakes belatedly take center stage.
Even though I procrastinated on writing up the recipe and post for these peanut butter chocolate cakes, there’s really nothing that complicated about making them.
They bake in a muffin tin, so you can have a single serving cake without worrying about keeping leftovers around.
And the recipe requires so few ingredients and comes together so easily, there’s really no excuse not to toss these off in an afternoon and still finish all your projects by deadline.
And just one cake will totally make you more creative and mellow–or fend off the wooziness of pesky low blood sugar, at the very least.
Based on the molten chocolate cake brought richly to the public consciousness by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the recipe’s frankly nothing less than an instant classic.
And it’s much less expensive and time-inducing than replicating Reese Witherspoon’s entire wardrobe for your own closet.
Single-Serving Peanut Butter Chocolate Cakes
Single serving peanut butter chocolate cakes are made in a muffin tin for small-batch indulgence, but are rich(and almost instant) dessert classics.
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 1/4 cup (64 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons (14 grams) confectioner's sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces (113 grams) chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and generously spritz 6 wells of a muffin tin with baking spray.
- Beat the peanut butter and confectioner's sugar together in a small bowl with a silicone spatula until smooth and creamy.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, then stir in the chocolate until fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with an electric hand mixer until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes.
- Fold in the flour and then the melted chocolate.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter into each greased muffin tin well.
- Add about 2 teaspoons peanut butter to each, dividing evenly.
- Spread 1 tablespoon batter into each, covering the peanut butter.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the tops are puffed and just slightly cracked.
- Cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
- Run an offset spatula around each cake to loosen it from the pan, then gently remove.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 35mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 4g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.
FTC Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Good Food Stories LLC receives a minuscule commission on all purchases made through Amazon links in our posts.
Casey Barber
Casey Barber is the owner and founder of Good Food Stories LLC and a visual storyteller whose work often focuses on the intersection of food and culture. She is also the author of the cookbooks Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food and Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats, and she couldn’t get anything done without the help of her executive assistant cats, Bixby and Lenny. Her favorite color is obviously orange.
While you are ptting away your heavy winter coats, I am trying to get rid of my heavy winter weight. No PB cakes for me. Although they look so damn good and I know I would eat about a dozen of them.
I think I hate you. No, love you. No, hate you.
I can’t wait for Passover to be over already.
Wow, I missed a lot yesterday–donuts and chocolate peanut butter cakes? Damn!
Sarah, I made and photographed the cakes a month ago – no one got to sample them last night! (You gotta just hang out here forever, waiting for the random results of procrastination cooking.)
But now you have to write up the doughnuts. ;)
I am totally making these!
Today my kids begged me to buy half-price Reese’s Easter eggs. This will be better.
YES and YES to this. Wow.
I read that Ellen Barkin profile. Loved the line about being great mates with her first ex — and keeping every piece of jewelry he ever gave her — unlike the second. Talk about having the last word.
My daughter is a Reese’s fanatic; I even got her Reese’s peanut butter eggs for Easter. She’ll love these!
Looks so yummy I am very glad that I have no chocolate in my cupboard or I’d be whipping these up NOW!
thanks casey – i just spent 20 mintues looking at the Reese slideshow
These look really, really, really good. I am not the least bit interested Reese Witherspoon though so no distraction there.
This sounds amazing! I am going to put the ingredients on my grocery list. I’m allergic to peanuts so I’m thinking of putting a blog of raspberry jam or something in there instead…
Never made anything like this before. Can’t wait to try. So cool and yummy!
Before I even finished your story I had to bookmark the recipe. Goodness..do those cakes look amazing! I really enjoy your blog for the stories and the food!
Amazing looking! And they probably taste even better than they sounds. Can you come over and cook for me? Please?
Wow – these sound (and look) sinfully good! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This is a dangerous recipe. It is SO simple. Do you have a preference on what kind of peanut butter you use? I love natural PBs myself.
These look delicious. I can almost smell them through the computer screen. There’s going to be some serious chocolate procrastination at my house today.
There’s a lot to be said for that unsung hero procrastination, especially when it involves something as heavenly as your chocolate morsels.
Wow …. easy-peasy recipe! The results are amazing + great quality lil cakes. Perfect for a kid party. I will double this up to make extra.
Reese sure has changed. For the better no doubt. Older and wiser. Her kids are gorgeous …. !
Seen all of her movies …. beginning when she was like 13-14 or maybe even younger. “Fear” is definitely scary. Not going to watch that again. Yeek. I cannot imagine that ever happening to/in my family. I wouldn’t permit it. Ha.
Thanks for the yummi recipe!