First Place:

Sharon Kurtz, Emmaus

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

2-1/8 cups Pennsylvania Preferred Daisy Organic All-Purpose Flour

2 tsps. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa

2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 tsps. pure vanilla extract

1 cup Pennsylvania Preferred milk

1 cup boiling water

3 Pennsylvania Preferred extra large eggs

Combine all dry ingredients in mixing bowl and blend well. Combine all wet ingredients in another bowl and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl and add eggs one at a time on medium speed for another 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour batter into two greased 8-inch round by 3-inch deep cake pans. Bake at 325º for 50 minutes or until done. Cool on a cooling rack. When cakes are cool, cut each layer in half horizontally. Place 1 cup peanut butter filling between each layer and frost top and sides of cake with chocolate frosting. Garnish with chopped peanut butter cups. Drizzle peanut butter ice cream topping over top of peanut butter cups.

Peanut Butter Mousse Filling

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 (0.35 ounce) packs whipping cream stabilizer

1 pound confectioners sugar, divided

4 T. softened butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Beat whipping cream and stabilizer on medium high speed for 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Add 1/4 cup confectioners sugar and gently mix into whipped cream until well blended. Set whipped cream aside. In a large mixing bowl, blend butter, cream cheese, peanut butter, remaining confectioners sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium high speed for 2 minutes or until well blended and smooth. Add whipped cream to peanut butter mixture and mix on medium high speed for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter Crisco

1/2 cup softened butter

1 pound confectioners sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup Pennsylvania Preferred milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat Crisco and butter until smooth. Slowly add confectioners sugar and cocoa alternately with milk and vanilla until smooth. Since this cake is baked in 3-inch deep pans, it will be very tall when assembled. If decorating with a basket weave design, you will need to double the frosting recipe.

Garnish

2 cups chopped peanut butter cups

1/4 cup peanut butter ice cream topping

This recipe contains cream cheese and should be refrigerated until ready to serve.