Taking chocolate and peanut butter to a whole new level.
Anyone who’s spent an extended amount of time in Philadelphia will most likely recognize Kandy Kakes (or Tandy Kakes). Vanilla sponge cake topped with peanut butter and coated in chocolate, these cakes carry something of a cult following in the Philadelphia area. I remember opening my elementary-school lunch box and looking around at the lunch boxes of my friends… chances were pretty high on any given day that at least three of us would be eating something from the Pennsylvania-based bakery, Tastykake, be it a krimpet, a honeybun, or their über-popular Kandy Kakes.
Today’s copycat Kandy Kakes recipe is MUCH healthier than the Kandy Kakes you can find in stores, with:
- 1/2 the calories
- 1/2 the fat
- 1/3 the sugar
- NO trans fat
- NO high fructose corn syrup
Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes
Peanut Butter Layer:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (110g)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar or Sugar Free Powdered Sugar (30g)
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (add an extra tbsp if using a natural peanut butter)
Beat all ingredients together until smooth, using hand beaters. (If you must, you can just stir everything together with a fork using maximum effort and patience.)
Cupcake Base (or you can use your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe):
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp spelt flour (90g)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar of choice or xylitol (90g)
- 1/4 cup mayo-style spread such as Vegenaise (58g)
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp water (95g)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 7 cupcake tins and set aside. In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients and sift very well. In a separate bowl, combine remaining three ingredients and whisk until the mayo spread is completely smooth. Pour wet into dry, and stir until just combined. Immediately divide among the cupcake tins. Bake 21 minutes, then let sit 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cut each cake in half, lengthwise, to make 14 cupcake tops. Place a sheet of wax paper on a large tray (or a few small plates). Spread a thick layer of peanut butter frosting over each cake—about 6g per cake. You won’t use all of the peanut butter frosting, but it’s a good idea to make a full batch for smoothest blending… I’m sure you can find something to do with the leftovers!
Chocolate Coating:
- 6oz chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp virgin coconut oil or non-hydrogenated shortening (15g)
Carefully melt the ingredients together, either using the double broiler method or microwaving in 30-second intervals and then stirring until a chocolate sauce is formed. Using two forks, cover each cake in chocolate. Be sure to let all excess chocolate drip off, or you won’t have enough to cover them all. Set each on the tray, then freeze 30 minutes or until chocolate shell hardens. Once hard, store leftovers in the fridge. Makes 14 kandy kakes.
Question of the Day:
Do you remember any of the snacks you’d get in your lunchbox as a kid?
Aside from the TastyKake pastries, I also remember opening my lunchbox to find Mounds bars, Dunkaroos (anyone remember them?), pudding cups, chocolate-filled koala bears, and Pocky (a Japanese snack). I distinctly remember once finding gummy bears in my lunchbox and going home to tell my mother to please not send those anymore… I was only interested if it was chocolate!
Link of the Day: Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
Oh, Dunkaroos were the best!! I honestly thought hey were just an Aussie thing though. I also loved those cheese stringer things (“bend me, shape me, anyway you want me…”) and because mum and dad were hippies from way back I often had falafels and soy yoghurt in my lunchbox. Yum!
My husband loves these! Haven’t had them in forever though but now we will 🙂 I had no idea tastycake was a regional thing..i grew up with them so i assumed they were everywhere lol
OMG!!! I am drooling now.
These look so good! I’ve never heard of that bakery so this is a fun new treat idea!
We always had hot lunch, unless we made our own. My mom always had lots of Little Debbie things around for after school tho. None of us can stand them now. This recipe looks really good but what I really wanted today was what you put on your link of the day. Thanks! 🙂
Dear Katie,
I am fighting a rare form of leukemia and have switched to an alkaline diet. Having any fun eating has become infrequent. So, your healthy desert recipes bring me a much needed treat.
Omg! Will have to try theese!
I LOVED having anything from Uwajimaya–the best asian supermarket in Seattle where I grew up. My favorite things were their cream puffs (SOO good!) but we also picked up green tea flavored mochi balls that were filled with green tea ice cream–YUM! I loved the tuna filled humbows, too (main course–not dessert).
Random question: Do you have a southern accent, because you live in Texas, right? Or did you never pick one up? I might go to college in Texas next year, and I was thinking about how I might pick up an accent and that would be kind of cool =}
Hmm.. no I don’t think so. I do say “y’all” quite often though :).
What is the function of the oil in the chocolate coating? Isn’t just the melted chips good enough?
I will say when I made the recipe I considered not adding the oil as well, but I do think it made more of a thin chocolate shell when it reset versus if it had been just the chips alone. Because of the property of the oil it actually sets up after you freeze it (as opposed if you just did a margarine).
Anyway, I know the question wasn’t for me, but that was experience from making this recipe. I think the oil was worth it. Not that it wouldn’t still be a good chocolate topping without it, just probably not set up the same.
Sam
Oh Katie, why are you so cold about the blog now? Damn, you post twice a week and answer huge complimenting comments with some questions and loads of thanking just by saying “I dont know”, and answer 1 in each 100 comments just to rpeat “aww thanks” 🙁
I love ypur blog and you, dont get me wrong, i have just been wondering what happened. Maybe it is just hard to have the same excitement so long after creating the blog? You used to be so much more enthusiastic and genuine, writing honest and bigger sized texts ( i would read ’em with delight!)
Kisses, love your blog anyway 🙂
I’m sorry but wow what an obnoxious and offensive comment. Since I highly doubt Mary will ever come back and apologize for herself, please accept my own apologies that people like “Mary” exist. And keep doing what you’re doing!
I too was disgusted to read Mary’s comment. Mary, are you paying Katie for any of the content you get from her site? If so then I guess you have a right to complain. Otherwise really I think your comment is a little uncalled for.
As far as the blog is public, I believe I have the right to comment. Furthermore, it’s hilarious that you are saying MY comment is uncalled when you are answering something that was meant for someone else. I did not insult her and, as I said, I like her blog. I was just wondering the meaning of all of this… And I strongly believe the blog is different. Now, that is my opinion – you might have your own, but trust me, I will be perfectly fine without it. As far as I remember, i was talking to Katie.
It gets to be ridiculous how the white knights show up everytime someone makes a question/suggestion saying “OMGG such a mean person, oh no katie, you are perfect girl, this comment is ridiculous and the world is all pink”. For god’s aches, I did not offend anyone. I actually like reading the blog (third time I say this, just to see if you understand), but she used to be so sweet and kind to all the commenters (and answer all of them) I had to ask.
About the paying to read this – now that was mean of you. You weren’t paying for my comment either and you still managed to get all pissed at me didn’t you? Oh and, FYI, ALL of the readers, between all the links , visiting the blog, and seeing publicity, if not buying the future book, make it possible for CCK to have profit.
Uncalled for, as far as I am concerned, is when someone makes a normal comment and (haven’t you seen how stormily ironic it was?!) people just call her “disgusting”, wish her death (?) and attack her. And no, I am actually not afraid of coming back, and you know why? Because I firmly believe YOU are wrong, and I have nothing to be ashamed of. I apologize though if I offended anyone, once it was’t my intention, but it would rather be you doing it once your reaction was rather unpolite.
Wether you want it or not, there will always be critics, some better, some worse. Just use them to grow up instead of freaking out. Consider them before making a scandal out of it!
I also don’t need anyone to apologize for me, because I did nothing wrong. Please, stop putting yourself down just in order to defend someone you worship for some reason. And if that way you can help not insulting angrily and with rage people you don’t know based on a phrasis, I will be happy for you.
Best regards,
Your hated one, for some reason.
lol I think you’re the one who’s making a scandal out of it. Calm down, hun! 😉