Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich Cake

I flew to visit some of my grandchildren (and daughter and son-in-law) for a week and just returned home yesterday.  An important part of my visit was to continue the tradition started by my mother-in-law,  school clothes shopping and lunch with the new kindergartner (and her mommy). It was a lot of fun!

I was also there for the first day of school:)  The second-grader (big sister) decided that we should have a party to celebrate the new school year.  It was a bit too busy for that, but I did manage to make a cake...a peanut butter & jelly sandwich cake!  The perfect cake for the occasion.

It was a fun and easy cake to make.  It all started with a square (8 x 8-inch) white cake, made from a mix. The second step was to take a serrated knife and slice across the top of the cake, exposing a plain, white crumb, the "bread". 

The little ones at home got to lick the batter from the beaters, and they took their job very seriously:)

I actually only have half of the cake pictured (as a sandwich) on the platter because the other half didn't hold together as well (I put the cake in the freezer before slicing it in half horizontally, but ran out of time before it was more ideally firm).

The school girls were pretty happy with their cake, which we enjoyed after dinner and baths.  The second-grader saw it and asked me where I got the "big bread":)  I must admit, it really did look like an authentic (big) sandwich.  It was tasty too!

I found the original idea and recipe in the September issue of Food Network magazine.  I love that magazine!

The directions may look long-winded, but it's really rather simple.

PB & J Sandwich Cake (adapted from Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix (18.25 ounces), prepared.
1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tube store-bought purple icing

Directions:
Grease an 8 x 8-inch cake pan, line pan with parchment and grease and flour pan again.
Prepare cake mix according to directions on box and add batter to pan.
Bake cake according to directions on box.
Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Remove cake from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.
Prepare the peanut butter frosting by mixing together the peanut butter, powdered sugar and milk until well incorporated and smooth. Set aside.
With a serrated bread knife cut across entire top of cake evenly, removing the top crust. (Save the scraps for cake pops:))
Place the cake in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm up.
Remove cake from the freezer and slice it evenly in half horizontally.
Place both cake pieces side by side on a work surface. (Be sure and keep the perimeter crusts (outer edges) intact so that it resembles bread.)
Spread the peanut butter frosting on one of the cakes, covering it as you would with peanut butter on bread.
Take the tube of purple icing and squeeze out a thick "rope" of icing all along the outer edge of the cake, on top of the peanut butter frosting.
Also, squeeze out a thick purple rope of icing diagonally (from one corner to the opposite corner) down the middle, so that when the cake is sliced in half some of the "grape jelly" is visible on the cut edge.
Place the other square piece of cake evenly on top of the pb & j covered half.
With a serrated bread knife (or other sharp knife) slice down the middle of the giant sandwich diagonally.
  
Eat and enjoy!

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