Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cake

By srumbel

These bars are INSANELY chocolatey, sweet and salty, and totally YUMMY.
The peanut butter cups in between the layers add yet another layer of gooieness to these irresistible bars. Or are they cake? Dense, chewy, fudgy and tasty, they’re kind of a hybrid between the two. And the frosting almost takes on qualities of peanut butter cookie dough, amping up that salty peanut butter bite even more. You’ll love these!

from thedomesticrebel

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate fudge brownie mix, plus ingredients on back of box
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 24 Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped
• Peanut butter frosting (recipe and ingredients follow)
• Reese’s Pieces (about 1 cup)
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• Splash vanilla extract
• 3 About 3 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 13×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, eggs, oil, and peanut butter until combined. Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Place the peanut butter cups gently into the peanut butter dough base, 4 rows of 6 each. Top with the prepared brownie batter.
3. Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean, and center is set. Cool completely.
4. Frost with the peanut butter frosting and top immediately with Reese’s Pieces. Cut into bars and serve. Store leftovers airtight, for a couple days in the fridge.


Peanut Butter Frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, peanut butter and vanilla until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting is fluffy but still soft (it won’t be stiff like regular frosting but rather more soft like dough). Spread onto cooled bars.