Delicious! Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cake

Do you love peanut butter? Butterfingers? Cool whip? Ganache? And just how do you feel about cake? If you answered love it to each of these questions then this cake is perfect for you. Seriously, it is one of the best cakes I have ever tasted and it is the best cake that I have ever made. This scrumptious cake will be all you can think about after you taste it.

Ingredients
Cake:
1 stick salted butter, softened slightly
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 eggs
1 box butter cake mix
2/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
Whipped Cream Frosting:
2 cups cold heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
8 fun sized Butterfinger candy bars, crushed (about 3 regular bars) plus additional bars to garnish the top of the cake
Peanut Butter Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup (or honey)



Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray two 9 inch cake pans with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth and combined. Add eggs one at a time and mix after each addition. Then add vanilla. With the mixer on medium low, add cake mix and water alternately, starting and ending with the cake mix (I did this in 5 additions starting and ending with the cake mix). Spread batter in pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched in the center. Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto a baking rack to cool completely.
3. Place metal mixing bowl and your mixer's whisk attachment in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Once metal bowl has chilled, prepare whipped cream frosting: Pour cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in mixing bowl. Beat on high speed with whisk attachment until thick like whipped cream. Fold in crushed candy bars (these I crushed really well). After this was finished I put the bowl of topping in the fridge for about ten minutes to give it a little bit of time to get a little firmer.
4. To make your ganache: In a microwave safe bowl, combine cream, peanut butter, and peanut butter chips. Heat for about 2 minutes, stopping to stir every 15 seconds until melted and smooth. Stir in corn syrup (or honey) and set aside to cool slightly. Or you can use a double boiler on the stove top for this part. When you have everything combined remove from heat. It will look too thin, but after you give it a few minutes (for me it was more like 5 minutes) it will be thicker.
5. Assemble cake: Place one cake round on a plate, flat side (bottom) facing up. Spread whipped cream topping over top and place the other cake round (flat/bottom side up again) on top. Frost completely with whipped cream. I went ahead and did this before I even made the ganache and then placed the cake in the fridge. Spoon ganache on top, spreading to the edges and letting it drip down the sides. Then place in the fridge. Garnish with additional crushed candy if desired (I waited until after the cake had been in the fridge a bit so that the ganache could harden a little before placing this on).

**Remember** to store the cake in the refrigerator. It is actually better the next day!



Original recipe from: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen