Peanut Butter Passion Cake

Ingredients:

For Cake:

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup coffee, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk

For Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter, creamy
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
2 cups chopped peanut butter cups
1/4 cups prepared chocolate frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13x2-inch pan, 2 9-inch round pans, 3 8-inch round pans or 1 10-inch round pan and set aside. Using an electric mixer, combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla; beat 1 minute. Gradually add remaining ingredients (alternating wet and dry) and beat for 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for approximately 50 minutes or so until cake is done. Cool for 5 minutes and carefully remove from pan(s). Using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, peanut butter until smooth. Using a spatula, gently fold in whipped topping until smooth. Chill frosting for about an hour (even overnight is okay). This frosting tastes like a creamy peanut butter mousse. Spread cake with frosting and sprinkle all over with chocolate cookie crumbs. Garnish with chopped peanut butter cups and warmed fudge frosting or as desired. For the cooking contest, I carefully cut each peanut butter cup in half and placed it on the cake (as shown in the photo) but what I really like to do is buy 2-3 packages of individually wrapped peanut butter cups (I think there are 8 in a package) and chop them up into chunks. This is easier to do if they're slightly chilled. Pile them onto the top of the cake (broken pieces, crumbs and all) and drizzle that with the softened fudge frosting (first soften it in the microwave for about 10 seconds - just long enough to thin it). Chill until serving time.

Source:  allrecipes.com