Tiger Cake

Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil, dull-side up, and set aside. Also make room in the freezer for it to lie flat.

Heat the 1/2 cup cream, peanut butter, and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring often, until smooth -- 3 to 4 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Combine cold whipping cream, cooled peanut butter mixture, and vanilla in a well chilled mixing bowl, then using a hand electric mixer with ice-cold beaters, whip to stiff peaks -- mixture should be consistency of butter cream frosting. If you like, tint a pale peanut-butter hue with yellow and red food coloring.

Frost one side of a chocolate wafer with peanut-butter whipped cream -- don't be stingy -- and stand on end in the plastic divider with frosted side facing inward. Frost a second wafer and stand on end in divider the same way, gently pressing two wafers together. Repeat until you have a log about 14 inches long. Gently press ends of log to firm it up, then set in freezer for half an hour. Refrigerate bowl of whipped cream. Do not cover either.

Carefully lift log from plastic divider and center on prepared baking sheet. Smooth ends of plastic wrap over foil and again press ends of log to straighten and compact it. Swirl remaining whipped cream over top and sides of log; sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Set uncovered in freezer for 3 hours, then wrap log in foil, date, label, and store in freezer (it will keep "fresh" for about two months).

Before serving, unwrap Tiger Cake, place on a small bright platter, and set in refrigerator to soften for 45 to 60 minutes.

To emphasize tiger stripes, slice wafer log on the bias (at about a 45-degree angle), spacing cuts 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches apart.