Peanut Butter Crunch Cake

Winter has hit Kansas with a blast this weekend. Cold weather and snow make staying inside and baking the best activities. Even the Rancher who has to go out to check new baby calves doesn't mind the weather so much when the house smells warm and sweet with fresh baked goodies. 

A great snack cake or light dessert

Peanut Butter is favorite flavor at our house, good in many recipes or just on a cracker for a snack. We even enjoy the standard PBJ sandwiches on some days. Peanut butter was first patented as a process for making the creamy paste in 1884, developed as a health food for those who had dental problems and couldn't chew solid food well. Today's PB has made many changes from the paste made of boiled peanuts in those days. Did you know it was called "monkey butter" in WWII? Or that it is called pindakaas (peanut cheese) in the Netherlands because only products that contain butter can use that name? 

This recipe starts with a cake mix, so it's preparation is quick and easy. The original recipe calls for chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Next time I make it I will use 1 cup peanut butter chips and omit the chocolate chips. I only had mini-chocolate chips and they didn't seem to add that much flavor (and looked like bits of something that shouldn't be there!)

Peanut Butter Crunch Cake

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix

1 cup peanut butter

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup water

3 eggs

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 cup peanut butter chips

½ cup chopped peanuts

Ready to go into the oven

Directions: 

Combine the cake mix, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Mix on low speed of electric mixer until crumbly. Set aside ½ cup of mixture. 

Add eggs, water, and oil to original mixture and mix on low speed until moistened. Mix on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in ½ cup pb chips.

Pour mixture into greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Mix peanuts and ½ cup pb chips with reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle over top of batter. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. 

With the glaze (It was impossible to get a pic
before it was half gone!)

After I served the first servings, I thought it needed a glaze. 

For glaze combine: ⅓ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, milk or half/half cream to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over cake top, if desired spread lightly with a knife.