Peanut Butter Cup Sheet Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting:

• 1 3/4 sticks butter
• 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, the sugar, and the salt.
3. In a saucepan, melt 2 sticks of the butter
4. Add the peanut butter to the melted butter and stir them together.
5. Add the boiling water to the peanut butter mixture and allow it to boil for 30 seconds.
6. Transfer the peanut butter mixture from the heat, pour it over the flour mixture, and stir to slightly cool it.
7. In a measuring cup, add the buttermilk, the eggs, the baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
8. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the batter and stir to combine.
9. Evenly spread the batter into an 18×13-inch sheet pan and bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
10. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan.
11. Add the cocoa to the butter and stir to combine.
12. Turn off the stove-top heat and stir the milk, the vanilla extract, and the powdered sugar into the cocoa mixture.
13. Add the pecans to the icing mixture and stir until they are evenly distributed.
14. Pour the icing over the cake.
15. Slice and serve