STRAWBERRY POUND CAKE & PEANUT-CHOCOLATE BARS

Pound Cake Strawberry Shortcake Tower
pound cake(*see recipe)
1 pound of strawberries, thinly sliced
2 cups heavy whipping cream
powder sugar(to taste…I used about 2 TBSP)
2 TBSP Amaretto(optional)
shaved chocolate for garnish(I used Lindt Coconut Chocolate)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Whip the cream, sugar and Amaretto with a mixer(or by hand if you are crazy strong) on high speed until you have made your whipping cream become whipped cream.
2. Take your cooled pound cake. Slice into even slices(however thick you personally would like). Take a biscut cutter(again the size you like) and cut out three circles.
3. Take a pound cake circle, place a layer of whipped cream mixture, then a layer of strawberries. Take another pound cake circle and place it on top of the first layer. Then top again with whipped cream mixture and then strawberries. Add the last pound cake circle and top with more whipped cream. Garnish with shaved chocolate and put a strawberry on top.
4. Repeat this process until you run out of pound cake circles.

*Perfect Pound Cake

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons milk
3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups sifted cake flour
¾ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
13 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl lightly combine the milk, eggs and vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 minute to aerate and develop the cake’s structure.
Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. The batter will be almost a ½-inch from the top of a 4-cup loaf pan. (If pan is smaller, use excess batter for cupcakes.)
Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover loosely with buttered foil after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and invert it onto a greased wire rack. If baked in a loaf pan, to keep the bottom from splitting, reinvert so that the top is up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Love Bars

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unsalted peanuts
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups tightly packed brown sugar(light)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toast the peanuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool the nuts to room temperature before chopping by hand.
Use a stiff whisk to blend together the peanut butter and brown sugar(I used my mixer) in a bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until thoroughly blended. Add the peanuts and the chopped semisweet chocolate, mix well. Transfer mixture to a 9X13X2 inch pan. Use your fingertips to press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan and into the corner and sides, creating an even layer. Place the pan on the center tack of the preheated oven and bake for 22 minutes until set in the center. Remove from oven and cool at room temperature for 1 hour before cutting.