Tuxedo Crunch Cake

This week's Project Pastry Queen is one of my personal favorites - the Tuxedo Cake. I've made this cake before, on numerous occasions and in many different forms:

• In it's original form
• Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
• S'mores Cupcakes

It truly has become my go-to chocolate cake recipe. When I saw that Shawnda picked this recipe for PPQ this week, I jumped at the chance to try yet a new iteration of this basic Tuxedo Cake recipe. I would marry the chocolate cake base and whipped cream frosting to the crunchy layers of Nancy Olsen's Crunchy Milk Chocolate–Peanut Butter Layer Cake. The result? I give you, the super delicious Tuxedo Crunch Cake:

There are essentially two layers - one is a meringue base composed of beaten egg whites, confectioner's sugar, ground almonds and salty peanuts on top. The second layer is a gooey mixture of melted chocolate and peanut butter with Rice Krispies folded in. For more crunch, I added in more crispies I purchased from a local baking supplies store. These crispies are meant for candy-making and can withstand heat and moisture, maintaining its crunch under different cooking conditions. A chocolate ganache is used on top as well, to secure these layers to the cake.

Crunchy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layer
adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

Meringue Layer, Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layer
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup Rice Krispies

Ganache
1 1/4 pounds milk chocolate, chopped
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, warmed

MAKE THE FILLING Trace a 9-by-13-inch rectangle onto a sheet of parchment paper and lay it on a large baking sheet. In a food processor, pulse the almonds with the confectioners' sugar until they're finely ground. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the whites are stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the almond mixture. Spread the meringue on the parchment to fill the rectangle. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and firm. Let cool.

In a medium bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water, heat the peanut butter with the butter and milk chocolate, stirring constantly, until smooth and melted. Remove from the heat and fold in the Rice Krispies. Spread the mixture all over the meringue rectangle. Transfer to the freezer and let cool completely.

MAKE THE GANACHE In a medium bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Whisk in the cream until smooth. Remove from the heat and refrigerate for 1 hour, whisking occasionally, until thick enough to spread.



To assemble the cake, I followed the same recipe as the Tuxedo Cake but replaced the middle layer of whipped cream with the ganache-merigue-chocolate PB Krispies layer. The result is an amazing combination of rich chocolate cake, fluffy whipped cream and crispy, crunchy goodness. The salted peanuts were a great addition - balancing out the sweetness perfectly.

Tuxedo Crunch Cake. Make it. Now.