Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Happy July 4th!  I didn't make anything themed for this holiday.  It's pretty un-festive of me.  I make this chocolate cake for a barbecue.  Parties are an excuse for me to make something a little decadent because I don't end up eating the whole thing.

A couple of weeks ago my mother told me about a chocolate cake that my sister-in law made for my nephews birthday party.  It was one of the best chocolate cakes she has eaten.  She told me that my sister-in law made it from a box mix but added additional ingredients to make it moister and richer. 

I'm not sure if this is the exact recipe my sister-in law used, but I'm sure it was pretty similar.  I have seen other doctored cake mix recipes that have similar ingredients.  Sour cream and instant chocolate pudding seem to be two popular additions.  The cake was a very moist and rich.  My mom knows what she is taking about.

The frosting and cake recipe came from Allrecipes.  The ingredients for the cake are 1 package devil's food cake mix, 1 5.9 ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup warm water, and 2 cups chocolate chips.  The ingredients for the frosting are 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 2 cups confectioners sugar, and 2 to 3 tablespoons milk.

For the cake, I added the cake mix, chocolate pudding, sour cream, and oil into a big bowl.

I added the eggs and warm water.

I stirred the ingredients together until the batter was smooth and lump free.

I added the chocolate chips and stirred.

I poured the batter into a 9 by 13 inch pan lined with parchment paper.  The batter is thicker than most cake batters I'm familiar with.  

I baked the cake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  If you bake this in a bundt pan, it will require 50 to 55 minutes.

While the cake cooled, I made the frosting.  I beat the butter and peanut butter together until smooth.  My butter was a little too hard, and I had to whisk it together for a bit.

I added the powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture a half a cup at a time.  I stirred after each addition.  

The frosting was thick after all of the powdered sugar was added.  I ended up adding 2 tablespoons of milk to loosen it up to the desired consistency.  The frosting was luscious, and I could have eaten it all by itself.

Once the cake is completely cooled, I plopped on all the frosting.  I put dollops across the cake to make spreading a little easier.

I smoothed the frosting out with a butter knife.  I might have left a little icing in the bowl as a treat to myself.  

I chopped up about half a cup of cashews to sprinkle on top.  Peanut would have been more appropriate, but I didn't have any on hand.  The nuts were a great addition because they provided a welcome crunch.

It was a mouthwatering cake.  Chocolate and peanut butter are a perfect combination.  The cake was dense and moist.  The frosting was creamy and not overly sweet.

The crunch nuts on top were delightful.  It was a excellent cake, and I'm sure I'll use the recipe again in the future.  It can't be kept out in the sun too long or the icing will get soft.