14 August 2012

PB & Nutella Sandwich Cakes

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So, school starts next week. {Yay!}

I love so many things about the start of a new school year.

I love that twinge in my belly...the newness. Everyone says Spring is the rebirth...but for me I feel like I start anew every September. And, even though I have not personally attended classes or taught for seven years now, I still get that renewed feeling.

I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils.  Actually, I love the school supply section in general. Pens, pencils, erasers, folders, notebooks, oh my! And everything is on sale for practically $1!

{Unless you buy 30 things. Then you've just spent $30. With $30 I could have gotten a pedicure.}

I love the  early mornings. We don't have to re-train Jordan to get up early. I'm lucky if she stays in bed until 6:00 am on a Saturday, let alone on a school day. The early out of the house means I can run outdoors (no childcare needed) in cooler weather.

I love the thought that, because school is here that means that eventually it will be Fall and it won't be 108 degrees anymore.

What I don't love about the school year? Making lunch.

Is anyone with me on this? I mean, it's hard enough to get variety in my kids' diet without having to pack it in a box with an ice pack that will inevitably melt before recess, rendering the contents luke-warm and melty by lunch.

If I left it to Jordan she would eat salami every single day. But only because I won't let her have fried chicken.

I'm constantly trying to come up with new lunchbox ideas. But when your kid won't eat anything but salami, that gets difficult.

However, I think she'd eat this sandwich, no problem.


I saw the idea for this sandwich in Food Network Magazine. That "bread" is actually cake.

Kinda genius, actually.

It's a cupcake without the icing mess.

Because the icing is the sandwich filling.


The Food Network version was a big cake. I wanted to make actual sandwich size mini cakes. So I baked half a box of white cake mix and baked it in a 9" square pan. I cut the square into four pieces and cut off the edges and the top and bottom (because no crust is allowed in my house). Do you all have that problem? I stuff a sandwich with crust in the lunch box and it comes home looking like a deformed rainbow.


Then you tort the four small cakes, so they look like bread. I know, my torting skills need work. But that crooked piece doesn't matter. Just turn it upside down, no one will ever know.

You could use jelly for the rest of your sandwich. That's not how we roll in this house.


We roll Nutella-style.

Sandwich these babies up, wrap 'em in plastic and chill until they've firmed up. It's like April Fool's Day in August.


A sandwich Jordan will eat. And a new reason to love the new school year: making cute school-themed food.

What do you love about back-to-school?


Peanut Butter and Nutella Sandwich Cakes
by Crazy for Crust (Adapted from Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients
    For the Bread
    • 1 1/2 cups white cake mix from a box
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 7 tablespoons oil
    • 2 egg whites
    • (This recipe makes 4 sandwiches. If you want more, make the whole box of cake mix using the ingredients called for on the box.)
    For the Peanut Butter & Nutella Filling
    • 1/2 stick butter, softened
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/3 cup peanut butter
    • 1/3 cup Nutella
    • 2-4 tablespoons milk, divided
    • (You will have extra filling unless you make extra “bread.”)
    Instructions
    Make the Bread
    1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9” square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal.
    2. Mix all cake ingredients in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan and bake 20-23 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.
    3. To make your slices: Cut cake in four equal pieces. Cut off the edges. Carefully cut off the top and bottom. Slice in half lengthwise to create two slices of bread. You will have 8 slices.

    Make the Filling
    1. 
Mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with a hand mixer. Divide into two equal portions. Transfer half to another bowl.
    2. Add peanut butter to one half of frosting and mix with a hand mixer. Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to get desired spreading consistency.
    3. Add Nutella to remaining half of frosting and beat with hand mixer. Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to get desired spreading consistency.
    4. Spread peanut butter frosting on one slice of “bread.” Top with Nutella frosting and second slice of bread. Wrap in plastic and chill until firmed up. Repeat with remaining bread and frosting.
    Powered by Recipage

    Enjoy!

    I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!
    Chef in TrainingTrick or Treat TuesdayCast Party WednesdaySweet Treats ThursdayChic-and-CraftyTastetastic ThursdaySweet Tooth FridayI'm Lovin' it FridaysSweets for a SaturdayA Well-Seasoned LifeStrut your Stuff Saturday, Weekend Wrap Up Party, Weekend Potluckand all of these too!

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    30 Comments:

    At August 14, 2012 at 6:45 PM , Blogger Back for Seconds said...

    What a fun idea! I am cracking up that crust is not allowed in the Crazy For Crust housa, haha! ;)

     
    At August 14, 2012 at 7:00 PM , Blogger Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel said...

    I saw this idea in FN magazine and loved it! Love that you made mini snack cakes :) I totally want this in my lunch! And I love that you're so excited for school, miss math teacher!

     
    At August 14, 2012 at 7:26 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    ohh I like this!! How fun would this be for a pic-nic themed party :)

     
    At August 14, 2012 at 8:04 PM , Blogger Elle said...

    This comment has been removed by the author.

     
    At August 14, 2012 at 8:07 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Oh I'm glad my son (who is 2) isn't the only one that lives off salami. I think I'll try this for lunch tomorrow, thanks for posting!

     
    At August 14, 2012 at 8:22 PM , Blogger Kristin said...

    Those are awesome. I should start packing them in my lunch. I just loaded up my food drawer (oh, I do have a food drawer) with granola bars and Soup at Hand today. I'm horrible at packing lunches.
    Did you have "extra filling"? I wonder what you did with it...

     
    At August 14, 2012 at 8:34 PM , Anonymous Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

    PB & Nutella - the only thing better than PB & J or PB & Chocolate may be PB & N :)

     
    At August 14, 2012 at 8:37 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

    LOVE this idea. And cake for lunch? You're like the lunch box fairy. Kids will love you for spreading this idea.

    I'm thankful I don't do packed lunches. My kids all have school hot dinners which is great for me as I'd go insane packing 3 separate packed lunches.

    -Lisa.
    Sweet 2 Eat Baking

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 1:11 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I recently came across a similar "cake-wich" recipe, but the best part was that it was made with an actual cakewich mold! Go figure, they make everything nowadays. This was her blog post: http://sweetlittlethang.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/cakewich-time/

    Favorite part of going back to school: the smell of freshly-minted textbooks! And tossing some *cookie butter* into that packed sandwich. (Yep, I just went there.)

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 5:48 AM , Anonymous Sue @ Cakeballs, cookies and more said...

    ok I would so eat that! But we are not allowed to send nut things to school, which is fine because my kid will not eat a sandwich. Seriously it is all we can do to get him to eat, so he gets veggies and cheese and olives and such. I leave lunch to hubby because he is way better at it than me ,I will sneak in a cake pop every now and then. And is usually comes home too.

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 6:53 AM , Anonymous sally @ sallys baking addiction said...

    cake sandwiches! adorable! What a fun lunchbox treat. And umm... a fun lunch bag treat to eat at my desk? :)

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 7:39 AM , Anonymous Robyn said...

    That is a fun cake, Dorothy. My FN Mag subscription ran out. Looks like I need to re-subscribe.

    I have to agree with you on the school and office supply thing. I could spend myself poor. Pens, pencils, notebooks, binders .... Oh fun!

    No school lunches, but I do pack my own lunch for work. Yes, it gets old. Love the weekend when I don'have to eat out of a lunch box or pack it.

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 8:48 AM , Blogger Susan said...

    If I had school-age children, this would be a treat...so I'm just going to have to make them for myself! I lived on PB & J as a kid and this looks amazing, as usual! XOXO

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 1:10 PM , Anonymous Shannon said...

    Those are so cute! I wished I liked hazelnuts but I just can't do it. I like your story about the crust. We've been giving my son whole wheat bread for so long that I sent white bread with sandwiches for lunch two days last week and both days he ate the crust off and left the rest of the sandwich so I had to switch back so he would eat the whole sandwich again. It was pretty funny, I'm pretty sure I have the only kid who eats the crust and leaves the sandwich. Thanks for sharing that idea. It looks really fun! :)

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 1:17 PM , Blogger The Cooking Actress said...

    THAT IS SO CLEVER AND CUUUTE!!! Love it, it totally looks like bread.

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 1:52 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

    You do realize you said NO CRUST ALLOWED? Haha too funny!

     
    At August 15, 2012 at 5:33 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

    I have a no-cruster as well! on your cakewich I think she's make the exception. LOVE it.

    PB seems to be a recurring theme in blogland

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 10:03 AM , Blogger Dip It In Chocolate said...

    Man, I wish my mom would've made me this for school lunch!

    I too have a slight obsession with the school supply section.

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:35 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    That would be too cool. Thanks for visiting!

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:35 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    That's for sure!

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:37 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    Yum, cookie butter would be totally awesome! And I'll have to check out that pan. :)

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:37 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    I'm not sure what I'd do without peanut butter. It's only a matter of time before that happens at our school too.

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:38 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    Thanks Sally, for sure!

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:38 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    I love that about weekends too. I hate packing lunch!

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:39 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    Thanks Shannon! You can totally use jelly instead of Nutella. :)

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 12:39 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    Yes, it must be the August theme! :)

     
    At August 16, 2012 at 5:31 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    This won't make it into a lunch box, but will definitely be eaten by my family! I love it :)

     
    At August 18, 2012 at 8:52 PM , Blogger Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl said...

    Eek! I'm looking for lunchbox items my very picky eater will actually eat, and I KNOW these would make the list! Thanks for a great (and even better, EASY) idea.

     
    At August 19, 2012 at 8:05 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

    You're welcome Ashley! I know how that is, too well!

     
    At August 21, 2012 at 7:11 AM , Blogger Katie Drane said...

    I'm so glad I'm following you! I love this recipe and your tutorial is great. Thanks for posting on the Terrific Tuesddays link party!

    Katie
    www.funhomethings.com

     

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