Peanut Butter Marble Cake

 

2 1/4

cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 1/2

cups granulated sugar

1/2

cup peanut butter

1 1/4

cups milk

3 1/2

teaspoons baking powder

1

teaspoon salt

1

teaspoon vanilla

3

eggs

3

tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa

1/8

teaspoon baking soda

1/4

cup hot fudge topping, if desired

3

cups powdered sugar

1/3

cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2

teaspoons vanilla

1/4

cup milk

1/4

cup peanut butter

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan, two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans; lightly flour. In large bowl, beat flour, granulated sugar, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 1/4 cups milk, the baking powder, salt, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• 2 Pour two-thirds of batter (about 3 cups) into pan(s). Stir cocoa and baking soda into remaining batter. Drop chocolate batter by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in mounds onto peanut butter batter. Pull knife through batters in S-shaped curves in continuous motion for marbled design. Turn pan one-fourth turn; repeat marbling.
• 3 Bake 13x9-inch pan 40 to 45 minutes, 9-inch rounds 30 to 35 minutes, 8-inch rounds 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 13x9-inch cake in pan on cooling rack. Cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• 4 In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl. Stir in vanilla, 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup peanut butter; beat until smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting over 13x9-inch cake or fill and frost cake rounds. Drop hot fudge topping by teaspoonfuls randomly over top; pull knife through frosting in S-shaped curves in continuous motion for marbled design.