Extreme Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge Cake

I've been on an unplanned "poke cake" roll lately, ever since I made a tres leches cake for some friends' Cinco de Mayo party.  It received rave reviews and several people asked for the recipe.  Then, those same friends invited my b/f and I over for dinner several weeks later...under the one condition that I bring dessert...more specifically, another tres leches cake!  Haha.  I was totally flattered and excited to make the cake again!

Then, per usual, I signed up to bring dessert to a leadership planning dinner/meeting last week and stumbled upon a recipe from Something Swanky for a Reese's Cups & Pieces Better Than Anything Poke Cake (that's a mouthful, literally and figuratively haha ;)  It looked absolutely delicious, so I figured it was worth giving a try....the verdict from my friends affirmed that thought. :)

So, here's my version...renamed accordingly:

Extreme Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Cake

• 1 box chocolate fudge or Devil's Food cake mix (plus the oil, eggs, and water called for on the package instructions)
• 1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 - 12.8 oz. jar hot fudge sauce
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 - 8 oz. container Cool Whip Free (optional)
• 3 tbsp. peanut butter (optional)
• 1/2 cup Reese's Pieces
• 6 Reese's cups, broken into small pieces

Directions:

Grease bottom-only of a 13x9 cake pan with Pam for Baking non-stick spray.  Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and water in a medium bowl.  Bake according to package instructions.  Once cake has been removed from the oven, allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.

Use a fork to poke holes evenly throughout the cake.

Slowly pour the can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the cake.

While waiting for the cake to absorb the milk, spoon the hot fudge into a medium bowl.  Add the 1/3 cup peanut butter.  Microwave for 30 seconds, then for another 15-20 seconds, or until of a spreadable consistency.  Stir until the fudgy-peanut butter mixture is smooth, then spread over the cake.

If desired, mix the 3 tbsp peanut butter with Cool Whip and spread over the fudgy-peanut butter layer (I left this step out due to time restraints...either way is fine, but I'm sure it's a great added touch.

Chill overnight until ready to serve.  Top with Reese's Pieces and chopped Reese's cups before serving.

Enjoy! :)