Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pound Cake w/ Peanut Butter Glaze

Can we just take a minute and pause to give thanks for how amazing this cake is?

Okay, done. Holy cow this cake is amazing. It is very dense, very peanut buttery (that's now a word) and the chocolate chips are just icing on the cake (pun intended). I made this for our temporary receptionist's last day at our office. We had a potluck lunch for her and I brought dessert, naturally.

  

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pound Cake w/ Peanut Butter Glaze

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 20 min

Ingredients:

CAKE:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup creamy peanut butter (don't use natural)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

3 cups granulated white sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

GLAZE:

1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 10-cup tube pan generously with nonstick spray (I like the Pam Baking Spray).

2. Prepare cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together peanut butter and butter. Add sugar and beat an additional 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared tube pan. Tap it a couple of times on the counter to shake out any hidden air pockets.

2. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking on the cake at 1 hour to make sure it's not browning too quickly on top. If browning too quickly, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan. When a toothpick is inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean, your cake is done. Let cool for 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.

3. Prepare glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. The glaze will set eventually- if you'd like to quicken the setting process, just place it into the refrigerator for a bit.

Tips:

*Might be nice to chop a bunch of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and swirl those into the cake instead of the chocolate chips. Then you can add chunks on top as well!

*My oven has a tendency to brown things pretty quickly, so I baked this cake on the very bottom rack and only covered it for the last 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.