MANILA, Philippines — When Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou was a kid, Skippy Peanut Butter was his favorite sandwich filling. He loved bringing peanut butter sandwiches with either sliced bananas or guava jelly as baon to school, and he would share his sandwiches with his friends in school. So, Skippy was a regular item in the Sarthou pantry during his growing-up years.
This is why he waxed nostalgic when he was recently asked to create recipes using Skippy Peanut Butter as an ingredient in celebration of the brand’s 90th anniversary.
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He created three recipes — Spicy Peanut Chicken Pizza, Chicken Satay Burger with Peanut Hoisin Sauce, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake — and even offered them in one of his restaurants, Azadore, for 16 days last August. They were big hits, as diners were amazed by the unconventional use of peanut butter in the dishes.
Chef Tatung shares the recipe for the third peanut butter creation, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. It’s a delightful blend of decadent chocolate and creamy peanut butter frosting between layers of moist and nutty chocolate cake.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
INGREDIENTS:
For the cake base:
400 grams cake flour
4 grams baking powder
5 grams baking soda
5 grams salt
3 grams instant coffee
100 grams cocoa powder
500 grams unsalted butter
250 grams brown sugar
250 grams white sugar
3 grams vanilla extract
6 whole eggs
300 grams Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
For the syrup:
100 grams white sugar
100 grams water
20 grams rhum
3 grams vanilla extract
For the peanut butter frosting:
500 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
250 grams condensed milk, chilled
300 grams Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
3 grams vanilla extract
4 grams salt
For the garnish:
200 grams Whip and Cook cream
100 grams roasted peanuts
PROCEDURE:
1. Prepare the cake base. Sift cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, instant coffee and cocoa powder into a clean, large bowl. Mix them together and set aside.
2. In a mixer bowl, cream the butter and add brown sugar and white sugar little by little. Add vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Add Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter. When the batter becomes creamy and has a whipped texture, add the dry ingredients mixture gradually. Whisk for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Line the bottom and the sides of the round baking pan with parchment paper. Pour the cake batter into the lined pan. Bake in a preheated 170°C for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. For the syrup, combine sugar, water and rhum in a small saucepan. Cook over medium to low heat until it produces a syrupy consistency. Before switching off, add the vanilla.
6. Prepare the peanut butter frosting. Whip the room-temperature butter in the electric mixer. Add chilled condensed milk. Then add vanilla extract, Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter and salt. Whip until it reaches an icing consistency.
7. To assemble, cut the prebaked cake into three equal layers. Spread 1 tbsp. butter on the cake turntable. Place one layer of cake on top. Lightly press down so the cake adheres to the butter and stays in place. Brush the top of the cake with simple syrup. Scoop peanut butter frosting into a piping bag and pipe out a layer of frosting over the simple syrup. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts. Top with a second layer of cake. Repeat layering, then top with the third layer of cake. Pipe a thin layer of frosting on top of the third layer of cake and on the sides. Smooth it out using a spatula. Garnish with roasted peanuts.
RELATED: Chef Tatung Sarthou creates peanut butter dishes at his new restaurant Azadore