this week is huge reason to celebrate around our house. pa’s birthday was monday and sister’s is upcoming on thurday! as a result, I’VE TURNED INTO A BAKING FIEND!! 3 cakes in the last week with another one on it’s way tomorrow-stay tuned 
pa requested a chocolate cake. i made a simple but unbelievably good, moist and chocolatey one from Pioneer Woman. do you know her site?! she’s hilarious, an amazing photographer, talented chef and all around down-to-earth-rancher’s wife. {her site is linked on the left side of the blog}
what i love most about this recipe is that it uses all ‘normal’ ingredients…she lives in the middle-of-nowhere Oklahoma…so she can’t get specialty products. this took 25 minutes and tasted SO GOOD. pardon a few clumps of confectioner’s sugar in frosting that you can see in the picture below-my arm was burning from whisking…i need to get back into baking shape 
pa blowing out the candles that melted MUCH faster than i expected. don’t worry, we only lost approximately 4 sq. cm of frosting in the salvage…
NOW…below is the evidence of my first-ever-cheesecake-baking-extravaganza. YIKES. sister LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES cheesecake. this is a peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake recipe i got from a new site i discovered called Bake or Break:Adventures of an Amateur Baker {linked on the side under “foodie”}.
here is the base crust for the cake-crushed up nutter butter cookies, peanuts & butter
lots and lots of cream cheese goes into this bad boy…let the mixing begin (be sure to have a big bowl, and powerful mixer and soften the cream cheese in the microwave before trying to meld these ingredients in the first stages)
the batter will soften up as you work it…don’t be afraid to spend an extra minute or two mixing beyond the ‘melding’ point…it can really improve the overall consistency making it bake better.
the eggs are going to make it more runny but don’t worry….
the peanut butter will thicken it back up right away {notice the texture of the batter on the mixers two pictues above and the one just below…that’s the consistency change i’m talking about}
YUMMY! starting to salivate yet??
throw in some chopped peanuts last minute for a little surprise texture when you bite into it later!
plop, plop…fill ‘er up!
by the way, it smells divine at this point already!
then you put it in the oven for a total of ~4 hours {see recipe for specific baking directions}
lots of waiting time…i got bored and started snapping artsy shots…
this was a behind-the-back shot {i think bows should come back into style-they’re so feminine & sweet}
{solemn & wide-eyed}
{black toenails and FABULOUS shoes }
back to the task at hand…during the last 1/2 hour of ‘baking’, start on the frosting.
be sure to let it chill after you melt/mix it before applying it to the top of the cheesecake, otherwise it will just drip right off the sides.
swirl, make wacky patterns or do whatever else strikes your fancy at this point…marbling is ALWAYS, ALWAYS so beautiful
be sure to plan ahead for this cake because right after you frost it, you need to throw it in the fridge to chill overnight! in the morning, remove the spring form, slice and serve. enjoy!