Smith Island Cake

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 8 large reese's peanut butter cups, frozen
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) box yellow cake mix, preferably duncan hines
• 2 cups evaporated milk
• 3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (i like to double it)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

Recipe

• 1 pulse 4 peanut butter cups in a food processor into small chunks; transfer to a bowl. pulse remaining peanut butter cups into a fine powder; transfer to another bowl. chill both until ready to use.
• 2 heat oven to 350°f grease four 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, dust with half the flour, and knock out any excess. set aside.
• 3 put cake mix, 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk, half the butter, vanilla, salt, eggs, and 1/3 cup water into a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 10-12 minutes.
• 4 divide half the batter between prepared cake pans. set remaining batter aside.
• 5 using the back of a spoon, spread out batter so that it covers the bottom of each pan, making it slightly thicker around the edges.
• 6 bake until cooked through and golden around edges, 12-14 minutes. set aside to cool lightly, then loosen cake layers with a knife and invert onto cooling racks. wash and dry cake pans.
• 7 repeat process a second time with cooking spray and remaining flour and batter.
• 8 when all 8 cake layers have cooled, make the icing. combine remaining milk, sugar, and cocoa in a medium pot; stir well, then add remaining butter. cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and icing is shiny, 4-5 minutes. let cool for 5 minutes. stir well.
• 9 spread a cake layer with about 1/4 cup of icing; sprinkle with about 1 tsp powered peanut butter cups. top with another cake layer and repeat process to make 8 layers total. frost outside of cake with remaining icing; sprinkle top with peanut butter cup chunks. let sit for 2-3 hours before serving.
• 10 the cake can be stored for up to a week refrigerated in an airtight container.