Reese's Peanut Butter Cake

North Carolina has recently been hit by a ton of snow. And while conventional Southern wisdom before any winter weather event says, "run to the store and buy up all of the bread, eggs, and milk," I avoid that like the plague.

I knew this storm was going to hit us hard, and GASP! I hadn't even gone to the store LAST week, but I surveyed what we had in the refrigerator and in the pantry and STILL decided that I wasn't setting foot in the grocery store. Seems more dangerous than black ice if you ask me. :-)

Anyhoot, when stuck in the house with an eight year old and a five year old for a couple of days in a row, you have to do something to entertain them between sledding and snowball fights, so I looked to see if I could find the ingredients to bake something yummy. (They like to bake.) 

We had the ingredients for this recipe, and it is just in time for Valentine's Day - couldn't have been more perfect. Sweets for my sweets! I think you'll like it too.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cake

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 stick butter, softened

4 eggs

1, 16.5 oz package butter cake mix

2/3 cup water

Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting (recipe follows)

8 miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped coarsely

Hershey's Syrup for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Combine 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1 stick butter. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each one. Add cake mix alternately with water. Mix until just combined.
3. Spread batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done with toothpick.
5. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely. Frost with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting (recipe follows) when cool.
6. Top with chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Drizzle with Hershey's Syrup.

Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

1 cup peanut butter

1 stick butter, softened

4 cups confectioner's sugar

2/3 cup milk (approximate)

1. Combine 1 cup peanut butter and 1 stick butter. Cream until light and fluffy.
2. Add confectioner's sugar alternately with milk. Mix until combined. Only add enough milk to ensure that frosting is of spreadable consistency.
3. Apply to cool cake as per directions above.

Note: This recipe was originally written without the candy and syrup garnish, so if you have a friend or family member who is crazy for peanut butter (but not so much for chocolate), then leave those out and you'll have the perfect recipe for them.

If you're a fan of "doctored" cake mix cakes, make sure to check out these other Harris Sisters' recipes:

Triple Strawberry Cake
Confetti Cake with Buttercream Frosting