Peanut Butter Smith Island Cake is a variation of the official Maryland dessert featuring 9 thin layers of moist peanut butter cake layered with chocolate fudge icing.

Jump to recipe

No that it not a big stack of pancakes. Although now I am dreaming of a cake made of layers of pancakes but that will have to wait for another time because today it about this Peanut Butter Smith Island Cake for #PBchocSat!

What is a Peanut Butter Smith Island Cake? Well first I have to mention that it is the official Maryland state dessert since 2008 but dates back much further. The official origins are unknown but the story is that this 8-10 layer cake was made by wives of oystermen and fishermen in the 1800s to feed their husbands as they traveled along the Chesapeake Bay – where Smith Island resides. While vanilla is the classic version, you can find many other flavors including lemon, coconut, carrot cake, strawberry, and now peanut butter!

As you might suspect Ohio State plays Maryland today, hence the peanut butter action on their state dessert. While I am sharing the recipe for this moist peanut butter cake covered in chocolate fudge icing for the football game later today, I actually enjoyed it while celebrating a friend’s passing of her veterinary boards exam. Thankfully she loves peanut butter and chocolate so this peanut butter Smith Island cake was able to do double duty.

• Eight years ago: Chipotle Turkey Club Stromboli
• Ten years ago: Ultimate Pumpkin Spice Cookie & Oreo Brownies
• Twelve years ago: Spinach and Feta Chicken Rollatini
• Thirteen years ago: Lighter Chicken Parmesan
• Fourteen years ago: Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Fifteen years ago: Apple Butter Granola

PEANUT BUTTER SMITH ISLAND CAKE

Print

Yield: 12 Servings Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE ICING

• 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 6 oz. (170g) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*
• 1-2/3 cups (335g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• 2 tsp corn syrup**
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt, to taste

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

• 3-3/4 cups (443g) all-purpose flour***
• 1/4 cup powdered peanut butter
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (277g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk, room temperature
• Sprinkles for garnish, if desired

Directions

1. Make the icing: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, chocolate, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and corn syrup, stirring constantly until the butter and chocolate are melted. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, bringing the icing to a boil and continuing to cook for another 2 minutes (or until it reaches 220°F). Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Add salt to taste. Set aside, uncovered, to cool for at least 2 hours.
2. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and three 9-inch cake pans and line with greased parchment paper rounds; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, powdered peanut butter, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
4. In a second large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat another 2 minutes. On medium-high speed, add vanilla then 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with two additions of buttermilk (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients) and mix each addition until just combined.
6. Pour less than 1 cup (200–210g) of batter into each of the three prepared cake pans and spread evenly (cover rest of batter loosely at room temperature). Bake for 11–12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for a couple minutes before inverting onto parchment paper. Peel off the parchment and place back in the pan with more grease. Repeat with the remaining batter until you have 9 layers. Allow cake to cool completely, about 1 hour.
7. Assemble the cake: On a large flat surface or serving platter, place one layer of cake. Top with1/4 cup of icing, spreading evenly to the edges, then repeat with the rest of the cake layers and icing. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired, then set aside for at least 1 hour to let the icing set before slicing and serving.

Notes

*You ca use semisweet if preferred but do not use chocolate chips as they do not melt as smoothly. **Corn syrup makes the icing shiny but can be omitted if preferred. ***Floursshould be sifted, spooned and leveled if measuring by volumes instead of weight for better accuracy.

Source: Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction and slightly from my Peanut Butter Sheet Cake with Chocolate Icing.

Caramel apple coffee cake combines tender spiced cake, fresh apple chunks, crunchy streusel, and a rich caramel drizzle with a subtle, aromatic infusion of fresh rosemary.

Jump to recipe

If you recall my Peach-Basil Coffee Cake this Rosemary-Caramel Apple Coffee Cake is it’s fall counterpart. Baking sweet treats with herbs in the mix is one of my favorite things to do and the aromatic, woodsy rosemary really complements the sweetness of the caramel and apples. I really am not sure what else to say about it. I ate slices of this caramel apple coffee cake for breakfast, as a snack, and even as dessert – it can do it all!

The only thing left to say, I suppose, is to sign off for Fall Flavors week. To recap, we enjoyed some molasses chocolate chip cookies and savory scones earlier this week, and even more showcased by other bloggers who participated in this food event. Find the rest of the recipes for the final day listed before the recipe for this rosemary-infused caramel apple coffee cake.

• Pear Fritter Loaf Cake by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Apple Squares by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Pumpkin Chili with Roasted Poblano Peppers, Black Beans and Corn by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Yogurt Dill Dip by Art of Natural Living
• Apple Crumble Muffins by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Crock Pot Beef Stew by Blogghetti
• Deviled Eggs with Basil Pumpkin Seed Pesto by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Sweet Potato Waffles with Cranberry Topping. by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Lentil Sweet Potato Salad by Magical Ingredients

• Five years ago: Single Serving Buckeye Scone
• Seven years ago: Lemon Cookies with Caramelized Milk Jam
• Ten years ago: Weekly Meal Plan #30
• Eleven years ago: Mesquite Chicken Sausage and Pepper Pizza
• Twelve years ago: Cheetos Cheeseburgers
• Fourteen years ago: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Browned Butter Sauce

ROSEMARY-CARAMEL APPLE COFFEE CAKE

Print

Yield: 1 cake Prep Time: 35 Minutes Cooking Time: 55 Minutes 55 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

STREUSEL

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch of salt

COFFEE CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp freshly minced rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cup chopped fresh peeled apples (about 2 medium)

GLAZE

• 1/2 cup thick caramel sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch spring-form pan with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. In a small bowl add all the streusel ingredients and cut in sugar until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl mix the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until just incorporated. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, mixing just until combined. Gently fold in the apples until evenly distributed.
6. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with streusel, pressing lightly to make it stick*.
7. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Drizzle caramel sauce over cooled cake. Slice and serve.

Notes

*It's going to seem like too much streusel, but I promise it's not.

Source: Adapted from my Peach-Basil Coffee Cake.

Make a soccer ball cookie cake worthy of the 2026 World Cup that resembles the new Trionda soccer ball design.

This content contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to recipe

While watching soccer for a week straight I realized something – the classic soccer ball shape we all associate the sport, the 32-panel truncated icosahedron originally introduced by Adidas for the 1970 World Cup, was updated to a 14-pannel ball by Adidas for the 2006 World Cup improve accuracy and hasn’t been seen since in professional play. And yet we still all envision that 32-panel black and white ball when we think of a soccer ball. To be fair it is still used for recreational use so it’s not completely gone.

Now that you’ve had a little soccer ball history lesson, I will explain why it is relevant to this recipe. At first I was looking to create homemade soccer cookies since a few people have been having trouble finding the Pillsbury soccer ball cookie dough that I used in my World Cup Soccer Cookies. But then I thought about making a jumbo soccer ball cookie cake that would essentially look like a life-size, albeit flattened, soccer ball!

But then while scrolling Instagram I saw that Kelly of Just A Taste had already beat me to it! I could have gone ahead and still done mine but I decided to give myself a challenge and make a soccer ball cookie cake that looks like the Adidas Trionda used in the 2026 World Cup. It’s not that much harder to make but it was much harder to describe in the directions as you’re not just simply creating round balls of dough and pressing them flat. I hope you are able to figure it out based on my photos.

If I wasn’t in such a hurry to get this done in time for the USA vs Australia game today I should have hunted down Canada and Mexico flags to pair with USA for my photos as they are the three North American hosts this year. Instead I used Italy (whom isn’t even at the World Cup this year) and a Czechia hat because I was working with what I had at the moment. This is what happens when I bake on a whim at 6am before my day job.

WORLD CUP TIRONDA SOCCER BALL COOKIE CAKE

Print

Yield: 8-12 Servings Prep Time: 2 Hours 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Blue, green, and red gel food coloring
• Blue, green, and red sanding sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in flour mixture until it comes together into a dough.
3. Divide the dough into sixths (I used a kitchen scale). Wrap three dough balls in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
4. Place the remaining 3 portions into three separate small mixing bowls. Add a few drops of blue food coloring to one, green to the second, and red to the third. Mix until blended. Wrap each color in plastic wrap and refrigerate all of the dough for at least 2 hours.
5. When ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 10-inch springform or cake pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
6. Take out the 3 undyed dough balls and place on a clean, floured work surface*. Roll each into approximately 1/2-inch thick and 12-inch long log; set aside.
7. Take out the 3 dyed dough balls and shape each into a lowercase "b" shape** (see photos), about 1/2 inch thick.
8. Place colored sanding sugar into separate bowls. Coat each colored dough with its corresponding color. Shake off the excess and return to the work surface.
9. Pair one white log with each colored dough, wrapping the log around the long outside edge and tucking into the short edge (shaped like a 6 around the b - see photos).
10. Arrange the three doughs in a circle so that the long arms on the outsides, underlining the "b" of the adjacent color (see photos). Lightly press together. Using a cake lifter or large spatula*, transfer dough to the prepared baking pan.
11. Press cookie dough evenly into the pan to fill the spaces, but be careful not to disturb the sprinkles***. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until center is set and dough is very lightly golden.
12. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Serve and slice as desired.

Notes

*Alternatively you could work on a sheet of parchment paper and use it to lift and place in the bottom of a springform pan, cutting off the excess. **If you want to get fancy, I pinched off the tail of each and swapped them to the tails of the adjacent one to try to emulate the pattern on the real soccer ball. ***I recommend placing a piece of wax or parchment paper on top to help spread evenly while not disturbing the sprinkles.

Source: Adapted from my Cut Out Sugar Cookies and Pizza Cookie Cake.

Get the party started with this easy no-bake funfetti dessert lasagna. Tastes like my childhood, licking funfetti batter off the beaters.

This content contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to recipe

All these years of blogging and I’ve only missed posting on my birthday once. It was 2019 and I was in Italy for our belated honeymoon. I was too busy eating gelato for breakfast – good enough excuse right? For 41, I decided that every new recipe I share this month will be inspired by one of my favorite things. I started with a Hawaiian SPAM pizza because I love a fruited pizza, especially the OG.

Since my birthday is also May the Fourth be with you I often post a Star Wars-inspired recipe today for my actual birthday but decided to take my Funfetti stuffed cookie for one into a multi-serving dessert instead. No-bake dessert lasagnas are one of my favorite desserts in general especially the first one I ever made – peanut butter cup dessert lasagna. I have made several variations over the years and it was finally time to make a funfetti dessert lasagna.

I debated using birthday cake Oreos instead of graham crackers but I didn’t want this to be an Oreo and Funfetti desert lasagna because the grocery only had the classic chocolate Oreo version, none of the vanilla Oreos. Although Oreo Funfetti would be delicious I wanted the cake batter flavor to shine – and if I’m being honest I find the cake batter creme in those Oreos is extra artificial tasting. I’d rather a classic Oreo than the birthday ones and that defeats the purpose of using the Oreos in the first place. But I digress.

This Funfetti dessert lasagna is pretty simple but has all the birthday vibes. Layers of graham cracker soften overnight between layers of a filling reminiscent of Funfetti batter/cheesecake Finished with a layer of whipped toping and lots of sprinkles! And yes I did eat a slice of this for breakfast this morning.

FUNFETTI DESSERT LASAGNA

Print

Yield: 2 dozen Prep Time: 6 Hours 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding
• 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup white or yellow dry cake mix*
• 1 tsp cake batter flavor (or vanilla extract)
• 24 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 (14 oz.) box classic graham crackers
• 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles**, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whip together the heavy cream and instant pudding mix. Add cream cheese, cake mix, and vanilla. Whip for 2-3 minutes until fully combined and smooth. Add 16 ounces of the thawed whipped topping, 1 cup at a time. Continue to whip until fluffy and light. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles. Set aside.
2. In a 9 x 13 inch dish place one layer of graham crackers (I used 7-1/2 per layer). Spread 1/3 of the filling mixture over the graham crackers. Gently press the next layer of graham crackers into the filling and repeat, ending with the final third of the filling.
3. Cover and chill for at least 4-6 hours (overnight for best results). When ready to serve, top with remaining 8 oz. of whipped topping and decorate with more rainbow sprinkles before cutting into 24 squares.

Notes

*Heat treat raw flour before consuming. Toast it in the oven at 350F for about 5 minutes, or microwave for 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds, until an instant thermometer reads 160F. **Use jimmies as the nonpareils color bleeds easily.

Source: Adapted from my No-Bake Peaches and Cream Dessert Lasagna.

Chocolate covered strawberries but add peanut butter – that’s what these chocolate strawberry shortcakes are all about. Made with both peanut butter and peanut butter whipped cream.

Jump to recipe

Usually I reserve 12/31 for the top 10 countdown of the best recipes of the year but with the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes playing #10 Miami Hurricanes tonight in the Cotton Bowl I obviously had to adjust for one last peanut butter chocolate recipe in 2025! I have to admit todays recipe might cause an upset in my personal top 10 that I listed yesterday but hopefully not sending that energy into the game (being an upset, I mean).

While strawberries aren’t really in season right now, the official state cake of Florida is strawberry shortcake so you know I had to keep with my trend from last years successful CFP and make an Ohio State Buckeye version. Afterall, we already know both chocolate and peanut butter pair with strawberry so why not all three? Inspired by my dark chocolate strawberry shortcakes with amaretto cream I came up with these chocolate strawberry shortcakes with peanut butter whipped cream.

You can’t see it, but similar to my peanut butter oreo banana pudding there is a layer of creamy peanut butter underneath the first layer of whipped cream. The peanut butter whipped cream is delicious but I had to make sure the peanut butter flavor was not lacking.

Basically, these chocolate strawberry shortcakes taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with fresh strawberry jam but instead of regular bread it’s on chocolate bread and there’s some fluffy whipped cream action going on in as well. Doesn’t sound like a bad time to me at all. Would be a great dessert idea for Valentine’s Day, too.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM

Print

Yield: Serves 6 Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 17 Minutes 17 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

SHORTCAKES

• 2/3 cup 2% milk
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted cold butter, chopped
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 lbs. sliced strawberries, reserving a few for garnish

PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp powdered peanut butter***

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (or grease pan well).
2. Place 2/3 cup milk and dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Cool.
3. Meanwhile, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl, and whisk together until combined. Add butter and cut in with fork until crumbly in texture. Slowly add milk and chocolate chip mixture and stir in until just combined.
4. Using an extra large cookie scoop, spoon mixture into 6 large circles onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire racks before slicing.
5. In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Add powdered sugar and powdered peanut butter and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
6. To assemble, place the bottom slice of the chocolate shortcakes on serving plate then top each with 2 tablespoons of peanut butte, half of the peanut butter whipped cream, and the strawberries; end with the top slice of the shortcake. Top with remaining whipped cream and strawberries if desired. 

Source: Adapted from my Dark Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes and Peanut Butter Oreo Banana Pudding.

Why have regular round molten lava cakes when you can have skull lava cakes? Normally the inside is what counts but I think the outside does too in this scenario.

This content contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to recipe

More skulls! I seem to go through phases of Halloween inspiration and skulls are predominating in recent times. It helps that I finally got my hands on my favorite Skull cakelet pan that I found last year at HomeGoods (or Marshalls/TJ Maxx, who knows).

Last year I used to make skull sloppy Joe bombs which where amazing and turned out even better than I had hoped. The same goes for this years creation with the same pan – skull lava cakes! I think you should just have an entire skull-themed meal from start to finish.

Just like my skull gnocchi the recipe itself is just a classic molten lava cake but it’s the shape in which you form it that sets it apart and with all those little nooks in the pan you need to make sure those skull lava cakes comes out whole. With precious cargo like these you don’t want the outside layer of cooked cake to get stuck and cause an eruption of chocolate lava before you’ve even had a chance to plate it.

Tip for successful skull lava cakes:

• I swear by Bak-klene ZT for shaped pans like these skulls, it’s freaking magical. PAM for baking would be my second choice if you cannot find Bak-klene ZT (try Williams Sonoma, Gordon Food Service, or Amazon).
• Don’t use chocolate chips! Besides the fact that chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape better, this is a dessert where the chocolate is the main component so please use a good bakers chocolate.
• Room temperature eggs are a step even I often skip but when mixing into the warm chocolate-butter mixture you don’t want the chocolate to seize up with the addition of cold eggs.
• Underbaking is the whole point. Once you see that the batter is no longer shiny on top it’s probably time for them to come out of the oven or you risk these small cakes cooking all the way through and lacking the molten effect.

Once you have successfully released the skull lava cakes are ready to be devoured! These are an eat right away kind of dessert and don’t keep that well. Technically you can save the leftovers but they won’t be as molten once they cool and you don’t want to reheat and thus cook the centers. So find 3 companions and enjoy them while they are hot, literally.

I served mine on plates splattered with melted red candy coating but some warmed up seedless fruit jelly or strawberry sundae syrup would also work well. I almost made them with a red cream cheese center similar to my slime lava cakes or a skull red velvet version but decided to stick to the classic and instead incorporate the “blood” into the presentation. A dusting of powdered sugar on top would look nice, too.

Technically one cake serves 2 people but I won’t tell anyone if you don’t share. Heck I put peanut butter cup ice cream on top of mine once I finished taking photos, who am I to judge?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Welcome to 2025’s #HalloweenTreatsWeek event!

This is our 8th year doing #HalloweenTreatsWeek … has it really been 8 years? Wow!

#HalloweenTreatsWeek is a Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife every October. This event is an online, week-long event that is filled with some amazingly wicked Halloween treats and recipes from some fantastic Halloween-loving bloggers!

Make Sure to check out all of the fun Halloween recipes that we’re sharing this week!

Make sure to check out all of the fun recipes that we’re sharing this week!

• Witches Brew Risotto by Big Bear’s Wife
• Magic Wands by Semi Homemade Recipes
• Melted Witch Fudge by Southern Halloween Queen
• Chocolate Haystack Werewolf Paws by Savory Moments
• Graveyard Brownies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Cookies and Scream Cupcakes by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Pumpkin Shaped Cheeseball by Art of Natural Living
• Monster Meat Pie by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties by For the Love of Food

SKULL LAVA CAKES

Print

Yield: 4 cakes (8 servings) Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 11 Minutes 11 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 4 oz. (4 squares) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease** four cavities of a skull cakelet pan***.
2. In a large microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate and butter on high for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds, or until melted and completely smooth.
3. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and egg yolks followed by the flour until just incorporated. Divide batter between the four prepared skull cavities.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are still soft and jiggle when disturbed. Remove from oven and let stand 1 minute. Carefully run small spatula or knife around the edges to loosen then invert onto a platter or dessert plates**** (Lightly tap the bottom of the pan while inverted to help loosen further, if needed). Serve immediately.

Notes

*You can easily sub your favorite GF flour for a GF option. I prefer Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour here. **I swear by Bak-klene ZT for all my shaped bakeware, but it's sometimes hard to find so PAM for baking would be the next best option. ***I used a pan with a little over 3/4 cup capacity in each cavity. ****I splattered some red chocolate candy melts on the plates to look like blood. Red fruit dessert topping would also work.

Source: Adapted slightly from Kraft.

You’ll be a fiend for this no-bake peaches and cream dessert lasagna. With layers of cinnamon graham crackers, juicy peaches, and a creamy filling, it’s the perfect make ahead summer dessert.

Jump to recipe

Another year, another dessert lasagna. Seriously, I make a new version nearly every year. The years I don’t I make up for it in the next with more than one. As proof: this will be my thirteenth dessert lasagna in the year 2024 and I started this blog in November of 2010. Although my first, chocolate peanut butter cup lasagna, didn’t happen until 2014. Immediate obsession.

While most of my early renditions were focused on different chocolate pairings, after topping my patriotic dessert lasagna with blueberries and strawberries I knew I had to do more. Shortly after I moved on to the fruit category and I pretty much haven’t looked back.

Since I made my first fruited dessert lasagna in 2017, coconut strawberry shortcake, all of those that I have made since, except for a root beer dessert lasagna, have been fruited. What can I say, other than peanut butter, fruited desserts are my favorite.

Now that you’ve had your history lesson of The Spiffy Cookie’s dessert lasagnas, it’s time for the latest – peaches and cream dessert lasagna! The idea came to me after making peaches and cream pie bars and wishing there was more of the “cream”. This peaches and cream dessert certainly has plenty of cream layered with cinnamon graham crackers, juicy peaches and then topped with whipped cream, more peaches, and crushed graham cracker.

What’s in peaches and cream dessert lasagna?

• A lot of cream cheese
• A lot of frozen whipped topping
• Whole box of cinnamon graham crackers
• Package of instant vanilla pudding
• Five peaches
• Heavy cream

Welcome to this year’s #SummerDessertWeek event hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife. We’ve got 15 spectacular bloggers creating summer-themed dessert recipes that we’re going to be sharing with you all week! You can find them on our blogs (some of those recipe links posted in this post) and on social media with the hashtag #SummerDessertWeek.

Check out today’s recipes:

• Sno-Cone Cupcakes from Hezzi-D’s Recipes Box
• Cherry Crisp from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Easy Lemon Berry Puff Pastry Cups from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Peach Streusel Cake from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Banana Split Pudding Parfait in a Jar from Blogghetti
• Glazed Drumstick Crumb Cake from Sweet ReciPEAs
• Frozen S’Mores from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Chocolate Chip Brookie from Jen Around the World
• Air Fryer Caramelized Pineapple Foster from For the Love of Food
• Summer Fruit Salad from Our Good Life

PEACHES AND CREAM DESSERT LASAGNA

Print

Yield: 24 Servings Prep Time: 6 Hours 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

FILLING

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding
• 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 16 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 4 peaches*, thinly sliced
• 1 (14 oz.) box cinnamon graham crackers

TOPPING

• 8 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 peach*, cut into 24 thin slices
• 1/2 cinnamon graham cracker sheet, crushed

Directions

1. Prepare the filling: In a large mixing bowl, whip together heavy cream, pudding mix, cream cheese, and vanilla. Whip for 2-3 minutes until fully combined and smooth. Add the thawed whipped topping and continue to whip until fluffy and light. Set aside.
2. In a 9 x 13 inch dish place one layer of graham crackers. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the wafers, followed by half of the peach slices. Gently press the next layer of graham crackers into the filling. Top with a second 1/3 of the filling, peaches, repeat the graham cracker layer, and end with the final 1/3 of the filling.
3. Top with more whipped topping and 24 peach slices. Chill for at least 4-6 hours.
4. When ready to serve, crumble half of a graham cracker on top, cut into 24 squares and serve.

Notes

*I used quartered peaches that I had previously peeled and frozen, and sliced thinner for this recipe.

Source: Adapted from my No-Bake Banana Pudding Dessert Lasagna.

Bundt cakes are secret powerhouses of flavor and this tangerine rosemary olive oil cake is no exception. Aromatic and sweet flavors combine into a party for your taste buds.

This content contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to recipe

The flavor of this tangerine rosemary olive oil cake was inspired by one friend’s creation shared on Instagram in mini bunt form but then made a reality by adapting from another friends recipe. So much friend loving.

While I did consider making these in my mini bunt pan (gifted to me by another friend, The Baking Fairy), I decided to go big and use my favorite bundt pan instead because I don’t use it enough for being my favorite. Maybe I will keep it in rotation and make a blueberry lemon bundt cake next.

Besides the shape of the pan, the other important components were the tangerines from Melissa’s Produce for #SpringSweetsWeek back in March (yes I made this a long time ago and am just now sharing it, my bad), and the rosemary olive oil all the way from Italy thanks to Pomora. Both are delicious on their own, but combined? Oh my.

While you don’t have to make this tangerine rosemary olive oil cake with those specific products, they are pretty stellar ingredients and definitely helped make this cake delicious. In truth, this may be one of my favorite recipes from 2024. Stay tuned for the end of year Best of 2024 Recipes recap ;-).

Aside from the bundt shape and flavor, my other favorite thing about this tangerine rosemary olive oil cake is how freaking flavorful it is. I know it looks kind of boring, but I think that’s the secret to bundt cakes. They are unsuspecting-looking powerhouses.

No need for fancy frosting or baking skills, just simple, delicious flavors all baked into one pan, which then gets doused in glaze. You could add some fresh fruit if you want or whipped cream, but it really can stand on its own.

TANGERINE ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL CAKE

Print

Yield: 16 Servings Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 55 Minutes 55 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CAKE

• 2-3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup Pomora rosemary olive oil*
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp tangerine zest (from about 2)
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh squeezed tangerine juice (from 3-4)
• 1/2 cup milk, room temperature

GLAZE

• 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp tangerine juice
• Zest from 1 tangerine
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• Splash vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack on bottom third. Coat a large 10-12 cup bundt pan with Baker's Joy non-stick spray** or heavily grease and flour the pan; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
3. In a glass measuring cup, combine the juice and milk; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), beat the oil, sugar, and zest on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between eat. Beat in the vanilla extract.
5. Beating on medium speed, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with half of the liquid mixture, ending with the flour mixture.
6. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes, then carefully invert the cake onto a cooling rack, remove from pan, and cool completely.

Notes

* or add 1 Tbsp dried rosemary to regular olive oil. ** In this case, using a specific kind of non-stick spray truly matters. With all those nooks in a bundt pan, you need a high quality spray.

Source: Adapted from Neighborfood.

The famous Michigan chocolate bumpy cake gets a buckeye twist with stripes of peanut butter buttercream piped over a rich chocolate cake topped with fudge frosting.

Jump to recipe

Today Ohio State plays that cheating team from up North. A team that somehow is playing the victim of their own crimes, using it to band together. As such I am nervous about going into the big house for the game. Even if the game were at home I would still be on edge, just a smidge less. There are always fights but tension is running extra high this year.

In honor of these bumpy times I decided to take a famous Michigan cake, chocolate bumpy cake, and make a buckeye version. They stole our signs so I am stealing their cake!

Have you heard of chocolate bumpy cake before? It’s a chocolate sheet cake that was born out of an accident of Fred Sanders Schmidt having too little frosting and deciding to just pipe lines of buttercream before pouring chocolate fudge icing on top. Long story short, it became the famous Sanders Confectionery Chocolate Bumpy Cake.

But what if you changed the buttercream to peanut butter buttercream? After all, peanut butter buttercream is basically the same as the filling of Buckeye Candies just slightly different proportions. And I’m pretty sure peanut butter > regular buttercream any day. And just like that the Peanut Butter Chocolate Bumpy Cake was born in honor of The Game: Ohio State vs Michigan.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BUMPY CAKE

Print

Yield: 24 Servings Prep Time: 2 Hours Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CAKE

• 1/2 cup (43g) Dutch-process cocoa
• 1/2 cup (113g) brewed coffee or water, hot
• 1/2 cup (99g) vegetable oil
• 1 cup (227g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups (347g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour

PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

• 8 Tbsp (1/2 cup/113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (125g) creamy peanut butter
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 cups (227g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tbsp (14-28g) milk, as needed

FUDGE FROSTING

• 1/2 cup (113g) buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp (39g) dark corn syrup
• 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup (43g) Dutch-process cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 cups (454g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan; set aside.
2. For the cake: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa and hot coffee until smooth. Whisk in the oil and buttermilk until combined.
3. Using a hand mixer, add the baking soda and salt and beat for 30 seconds. Then add the vanilla and eggs, mixing just until smooth. Add the sugar and flour and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
4. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 33-35 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed and the edges just begin to pull away from the pan.
5. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
6. For the peanut butter buttercream: In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and salt together until lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until the frosting is fluffy, then add 1 tablespoon of milk if needed for a smooth consistency.
7. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a 1/2-inch round tip. If soft, chill in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
8. Pipe the buttercream across the cake's shorter side (9") in 1/2"-diameter strips, one inch apart. Return to the freezer while you prepare the frosting.
9. For the fudge frosting: In a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom, combine the buttermilk, dark corn syrup, 1/2 cup of butter, cocoa, and salt over medium heat.
10. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bubbles make a snapping sound as they pop (or until the mixture reaches 235°F). Immediately stir in the remaining butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
11. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the powdered sugar until it melts and the frosting is smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla.
12. Remove the cake from the freezer. Immediately drizzle the frosting over the surface of the cake, covering all the buttercream and tilting to fill in any gaps. If needed, gently rewarm the icing and pour again.
13. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve, slicing into 24 pieces. Store any leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Source: Adapted from King Arthur and The Kitchn.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Pumpkin gooey butter cake is the perfect combination of spice cake and pumpkin cheesecake all in one irresistible fall dessert – and you only need 7 ingredients to make it.

Jump to recipe

What happens when I finish a week sharing exclusively Halloween recipes? We move on to Pumpkin Week!

I’m starting off with these irresistible pumpkin gooey butter cake bars. With a simple spice cake mix base and a pumpkin cream cheese topping they are a whole lot of fall flavors in one bite.

When I dreamed up this pumpkin gooey butter cake recipe, I first thought of using a box of spice cake mix for the base. But then I found a seasonal box of pumpkin cake mix and was conflicted. Pumpkin on pumpkin??

However, I thought the spice cake might give these bars the extra flavor contrast they need to avoid being too one note – and I was right! I don’t think they would have been as good with the pumpkin cake mix (but now I do need to find a recipe in which to use that).

These pumpkin gooey butter cake bars are simple to make and crazy delicious as proven by the rave reviews they received from everyone who had the pleasure of trying them. Even some pumpkin haters were turned into fans.

What you need to make pumpkin gooey butter cake:

• Spice cake mix
• Eggs
• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Pumpkin puree
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar

Pumpkin season is here, and we are celebrating our love of pumpkin with #PumpkinWeek hosted by Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures. All week-long 11 bloggers will be sharing over 30 pumpkin-filled recipes for all your Autumn celebrations, including breakfasts, baked goods, savory pumpkin recipes, desserts, and drinks.

More #PumpkinWeek Recipes Below:

• Chipotle Chicken and Pumpkin Chowder from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Easy No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Dessert from Blogghetti
• Pumpkin Meatballs in a Creamy Tomato Sauce from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls from A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Pumpkin Madeleines from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Malai Kofta from Magical Ingredients
• Pumpkin Milkshake from Art of Natural Living
• Pumpkin Spice Brioche Rolls from The Redhead Baker
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie from Palatable Pastime
• Spiced Pumpkin Butter from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

PUMPKING GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Print

Yield: 24 servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

BOTTOM

• 1 package spice cake mix
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

TOP

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 (16 oz.) box powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared baking pan.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin puree until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden on top*.
4. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Notes

*Make sure not to over-bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Source: Adapted from my Gluten-Free Ooey Gooey Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE