Reese's Peanut Butter Cake

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (18 1/2 ounce) box dark chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6 -8 reece's peanut butter cups, chilled then chopped

Recipe

• 1 prepare cake according to directions for a 9x13 pan. set aside to cool.
• 2 mix peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with mixer.
• 3 add small amounts of milk until desired consistency is achieved. this is frosting; so thicker is better.
• 4 spread evenly over cool caked. (hint -- if cake is partially frozen, there is less “tearingâ€? when spreading the frosting.).
• 5 melt chocolate chips in microwave for one minute. stir to ensure all is melted and it has a slightly "runny" consistency. makes it easier to spread!
• 6 spread this over the top of the peanut butter frosting; spoonfuls at a time. reheat if it hardens.
• 7 sprinkle the chopped peanut butter cups over the warm chocolate to ensure it sticks. chill to set chocolate.
• 8 this will be easier to cut at room temperature as the top chocolate layer will have hardened.
• 9 you can bypass that difficulty by cutting thru the first layer before it sets too hard. not a problem really if you don't; just not as pretty if the top breaks while cutting it.
• 10 as an alternative; you can also use a bundt cake pan. make the peanut butter frosting a little thinner in that case so it “dripsâ€? better.
• 11 another idea would be to add the chopped peanut butter cups to the cake mix before baking.