Dessert fanatics and savvy bakers in Canada know that for the best and most reliable recipes for almost any sweet treat you can think of, you turn to Anna Olson. Her newest cookbook, Bake with Anna Olson, continues to fulfil that expectation, with more than 125 recipes covering everything from essential tools and basic cookies to more advanced cakes and pastries, to breads. If you haven't picked up your copy, you can make these peanut butter cookie cakes with this recipe for a taste of some of the dishes from her Food Network show.
Excerpted from Bake with Anna Olson by Anna Olson. Recipes copyright © 2016 Olson Food Concepts Inc. and Peace Point Entertainment Group Inc. Photography copyright © 2016 Ryan Szulc and Mike McColl. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Random House of Canada Ltd., a Penguin Random House Company. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Caramel
Bring the water, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Continue to boil, uncovered, occasionally brushing the sides of the saucepan with water, until the sugar turns a light amber colour.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream and butter (watch out for the steam).
Set the caramel aside to cool to room temperature, then chill until firm.
Cakes
For the cakes, grease six 5-ounce ramekins and coat the insides with sugar, tapping out any excess.
Cream the butter with both sugars by hand until smooth and light. Beat in the peanut butter and then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the peanut butter batter and stir until evenly blended. Divide the batter evenly between the six prepared ramekins, holding back about ½ cup (125 mL) of the batter to spoon over the caramel filling. Make an impression in the centre of the batter in each dish and spoon in about 2 tbsp of the chilled caramel. Top the caramel with the remaining batter, making sure that the caramel is completely covered. Completely wrap the dishes in plastic wrap and freeze until the batter is firm, at least 3 hours, or for up to 1 week.
To bake, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Unwrap the ramekins, place them on a baking tray, and bake them from frozen for 20 minutes, until the top of the cakes are domed and an even golden brown. Let the cakes cool for just 5 minutes, then run a knife or spatula around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the cakes and tip them out onto a plate and serve immediately.
