Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

Total Time: 49 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 34 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) box devil's food cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped chocolate-covered peanut butter cups (about 8 ounces, plus more to garnish, i used twice as many peanut butter cups so i could decorate th)
• 6 ounces prepared chocolate pudding (not the dry mix, the actual snack sized container of pudding)
• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 350°f coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. line with waxed paper; coat paper.
• 2 in a large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil on low for 30 seconds. increase speed to medium-high; beat for 2 minutes, scraping down side of the bowl after 1 minute. stir in the pudding. fold in 2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups.
• 3 divide batter between prepared pans. bake at 350 degrees f for about 34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. let layers cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. turn out cakes onto wire racks and cool completely.
• 4 place chopped dark chocolate in a medium-size bowl. bring cream just to a boil and pour over chocolate. whisk until chocolate melts. add peanut butter and whisk until smooth.
• 5 trim top of cake layers flat with a serrated knife. put 1 cake layer on cooling rack and place on a baking sheet. pour 1 cup frosting on top; spread evenly with a spatula. top with remaining cake layer. pour remaining frosting over the top, allowing it to spill over the sides. smooth top and sides with spatula. refrigerate 1 hour to set. transfer cake to serving plate and garnish with chopped candy, if desired.