CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PINECONE CAKES

Steps:

• For the Cake:.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs and mix in the sour cream, and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder, and hot water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove from the heat. Cool slightly, and incorporate the cocoa mixture with the dry ingredients, mixing just until blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
• For the Frosting:.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the peanut butter and mix until smooth. Remove from the heat. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the milk, and powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla, and slowly incorporate the peanut butter mixture, blending well after each addition.
• This frosting is best to spread when warm, so you may need to reheat it when constructing your pinecones.
• Assembly:.
• With an oval cookie cutter, cut ten ovals from the cake (you can also cut ovals freehand with a paring knife). Once you have your ovals, trim each one to resemble a pinecone: create a pointed tip on one end and a rounded base on the other. Then, shave off corners and top with the knife so that each cake further takes on a pinecone shape.
• Frost one cake at a time, arranging sliced almonds in the frosting to look like the scales of a pinecone. Start at the base and set the almond slices, pointy end out, in a spiral pattern. Continue adding almond slivers until the entire surface is covered. Repeat until all cakes are frosted and decorated.
• To create "snow-covered" pinecones, dust the cakes with powdered sugar and serve.