How To: Chocolate Peanut Butter MST3Cake
In the not too distant future, this Friday, A.D., in fact, brand new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will be coming to a Netflix screen near you and me.
There was a time in the mid-nineties when every Saturday morning meant waking up to the smell of bacon on the griddle and the catchy MST3K theme song on the TV. I'd wander from my room, bleary-eyed, to plop in front of Mike (this was Mike's era), Tom Servo and Crow as they made fun of Puma Man or the Hobgoblins or some other odd science fiction trainwreck while my dad made breakfast.
When we became aware that the show was ending, my dad started taping every episode that aired. What were we going to do without more Mystery Science Theater? Tapes quickly filled with episodes like Space Mutiny and Time Chasers. Of course, now you can turn on Hulu or Netflix and watch these episodes whenever you want, but in a time before DVR and streaming services, the end of a show meant it could be gone from your life forever, and that was simply unacceptable.
I've enjoyed the other ventures the MST3K crew have put together in subsequent years. Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic have been able to scratch that MST3K itch that was left all those years ago. But I'm very excited to see the bots back with a new human test subject. It's been too long, MST3K. Welcome back to my tv.
MST3Cake - Chocolate with Peanut Butter Frosting
Special equipment
Sphere Cake Mold or 6" oven safe bowls
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Mix
Eggs and Oil as called for by box instructions
1/2 Cup Butter at room temperature
1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
pinch salt
2-3 Tablespoons Milk
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
Spray your pans with Baker's Joy or butter and flour each pan. Make Chocolate Cake according to package directions, and use sphere cake mold instead of round cake pans. Check after recommended time for 8" cake pans by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. Bake until the cakes are set. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
Mix butter and 1 cup peanut butter in a bowl with a paddle attachment, until well combined. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until sugar is incorporated. Add vanilla and salt. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the texture is creamy but still stiff - it needs to hold its shape.
Trim the top of one of the cake rounds to create a flat surface for the bottom of the sphere. Use a dollop of frosting to anchor the cake, then spread some frosting for the middle layer of the cake and top with the other half of the sphere. Spread a thin crumb coat around the entire cake, then refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
While cake is cooling, make the lettering by mixing 2 tablespoons peanut butter with white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 15 second increments in the microwave, stirring each time, until the white chocolate is melted. Use an offset spatula to fill your silicone letter mold with white peanut butter chocolate and transfer to the fridge to set. Don't throw out your chocolate - you probably won't get all the letters you need from one mold, so you'll need to remove the letters and fill the mold again.
Fill a piping bag with the rest of the peanut butter frosting. This doesn't need to be very clean - the original MST3K logo has a pretty hand-made look to it, so you can just snip off the end of the bag and start swirling frosting onto your cake. Try to cover the whole thing with swirls.
When your letters are set, use an offset spatula to smooth an area on the side of the cake (the letters are hard to read otherwise) and stick them on to spell Mystery Science Theater 3000. Gather your robot friends and get ready for a good time. We've got Movie Sign!