Peanut Butter Cup Cake

We are celebrating a birthday today and so I made a cake. If we were still living in Elkhorn I would have gone to the Lakeland Bakery and purchased a marble cake with fudge icing in the middle and the 1/4 inch of butter cream frosting (one of my friends told me I was the cheapest person they knew, which I took as a compliment, because I prefer to make things, like a cake, at home rather than paying $20 for one. I would pay that for a cake from LB). My word, my mouth is watering just thinking about that. I so miss the LB!!!! But this cake is AWESOME!!! I served it with "Moose Tracks" ice cream, a fabulous invention.

Ingredients:
Yellow cake mix (look at the instructions on your cake mix. I changed what I added slightly)
Add amount of water and eggs that the instructions tell you to add.
Add 1/2 of the oil that is called for.
Add 1 cup of peanut butter (I used chunky, just cause I like that word. It reminds me of "Chunky Monkey" ice cream from Ben and Jerry.)

Reese's peanut butter cups - full size, not the mini candy (I needed at least 15 because I had helpers who all needed to try some.)

Preheat oven (I baked it at 350). Mix cake mix ingredients together, pluse PB. Unwrap RPC's and break them into pieces. Put half of batter in a greased 9 by 13 pan (or you could use a bundt pan). Top with broken RPC's, and try not to eat a ton of them. Very difficult for me. I love those 2 great tastes that taste great together. Top with the rest of the batter so that the RPC's are in the middle of the cake. Bake according to cake mix box (I think mine took 35 minutes). Send the kids off to play while you lick the bowl clean.

Frost when cake is cool. I have also included the recipe for my favorite frosting in the world. I use to make the full recipe just so I had left overs to snack on. I cut it in half this time and there was just enough for the cake and a couple of small tastes, just to make sure it was ok. My friend, Nicole, likes to use this on top of angel food cake, it is really good. I got this recipe ages ago, so I have no one to credit for it. Sorry.

Buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (I never have shortening, so I use all butter. It is thicker, so you have to whip in a little bit of milk. If you use the shortening the frosting is fluffier.)
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used the full teaspoon even though I halved the recipe)
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring (I didn't have this on hand and it was still good)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
About 1/4 cup water (you could also use milk)
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
If you want it to be chocolate frosting mix 1/3 to 1/2 cup of cocoa into the powdered sugar before you mix it into the frosting. (If you are adding cocoa, the frosting will be thicker, use a little bit more milk to make it more spreadable) If it needs more cocoa, add more.

Cream butter and shortening. Add flour, vanilla, water or milk, and extracts (one time my kids were begging me so much for a taste, so I let them taste it at this point. They let me alone after that.) Add sugar (and cocoa) a bit at a time. Frost cooled cake and then hide left overs in the fridge for a treat for yourself later. If you are nice, share. I am not that nice some days.