Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake + #Halloween #Giveaway News from @CleoCoyle

 

Welcome to our 

Halloween Party in a Pan!

From Cleo Coyle: Don't lose your head, but we are still celebrating with our readers on the release of our newest Haunted Bookshop adventure, The Ghost and the Stolen Tears, perfect for Halloween Week reading.

The reviews coming in are beautiful (here's a new one below), and we're happy to share some fun Giveaway News at the end of this post...

Click here or on the image above to learn more

or buy the latest release in our "UTTERLY CHARMING"
(thank you, Mystery Scene!) Haunted Bookshop series.

Now let's get our Halloween baking hat on! 

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery

 series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

🎃 A Recipe Note from Cleo

The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is one of the most popular candies in America, and it's easy to see why. The marriage of chocolate and peanut butter is a match made in culinary heaven, and you are cordially invited to their delicious reunion in this amazing cake. It's truly out of this world. (My husband, Marc, flipped for it.) 

The cake is easy to make, impressive to serve; and, despite the candy on top, it's not overly sweet. Sure, the candy scattered on top looks decadent, but in truth it's no more than 4 snack size peanut butter cups chopped finely (after freezing, which is one of my tips for keeping the candy intact during the chopping process).

For those of you who don't bake much, you'll be happy to know that I used a cake mix starter for this recipe, which means you can bake this crowd-pleasing cake without one worry that it will fall or come out uneven; and, I promise you, my added ingredients will do wonders for the flavor.

Speaking of flavor: I think it's the vanilla in the peanut butter icing that takes it over the top, evoking that delicious Reese's peanut butter filling. And away we go...

To download this Halloween recipe in a

free PDF document that you can print,

save, or share, click here. 

Click here for free
Recipe PDF.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake
by Cleo Coyle 

Makes one 9x13-inch sheet cake

Cake Ingredients: 

1 standard box of Devil’s Food cake mix (be sure to check freshness date, expired mixes will not rise properly)

2 tablespoons natural, unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup milk (whole milk or 1% or 2%, not skim)

1/3 cup brewed and cooled coffee (*see my note)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 large eggs, lightly beaten with fork 

Ingredients to finish:

Peanut butter Icing (recipe included)

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped into small pieces (In my photos, I used 4 "snack size" peanut butter cups; not regular size and not minis or miniatures)

*Cleo’s Coffee Note: You will not taste the coffee in your cake. Coffee is a way to boost the chocolate flavor in any recipe. If you’d rather not use coffee, no worries; simply increase the milk to 1-1/3 cups.

Directions: First preheat your oven to 350° F. and put your peanut butter cups in the freezer (this will allow you to slice them without smushing them).

Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Place the “Cake Ingredients” into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer blend on low until ingredients are combined and then beat on medium for 2 full minutes.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes in an oven well-preheated to 350° F. Do not over-bake. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (with no batter clinging to it). Allow to cool, and then frost with my Peanut Butter Icing (recipe included). Garnish with chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (see my tips below).

Cleo’s garnishing tips: Be sure to freeze the peanut butter cups before chopping them. Slice carefully, making sure to keep the pieces small but intact (do not smush them). Finally, when you place them on the cake, do it one piece at a time, turning the peanut butter side up and putting the ridge side down into the icing (as you see in my finished photos). This will give your cake a more pleasing appearance. 

Cleo Coyle'’s
Peanut Butter Icing 

Frosts the top of one 9x13-inch sheet cake - thinly Double the recipe for a thicker top!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), softened (room temperature)

4-1/2 teaspoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions: Using an electric mixer, cream the peanut butter and softened butter until fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla. Blend on low speed until smooth. Finally, add the powdered sugar and beat on high until you have a light and fluffy frosting. (If your climate is dry, and the frosting is still too stiff, add 1 to 2 more teaspoons of milk and beat again.)

Did you know the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup was invented by a former dairy farmer named H.P. Reese who worked for Milton Hershey as a shipping foreman? 

Inspired by Mr. Hershey, Reese started his own candy company in the basement of his home, using Hershey’s chocolate to make the peanut butter cup. After the death or Mr. Reese, his six sons merged their company with Hershey’s—not unlike their culinary product.

And speaking of culinary products:

I certainly hope this cake is one you will eat with joy!

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author

of The Coffeehouse Mysteries and

Haunted Bookshop Mysteries

Cleo (Alice) with her husband Marc

Visit Cleo's online coffeehouse here.

And follow her at these links...

Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

Pinterest - Bookbub - Goodreads

"A GEM OF A STORY"

~ Kirkus Reviews

    

 

TO BUY:

Amazon

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

+ Many More Pre-Order Links

"These books are a WONDERFUL blend

of cozy and noir, with great characters

and well-plotted mysteries full of

twists and turns."

~ Kings River Life Magazine

☕

And Our Latest

Coffeehouse Mystery

Now on Sale!

Learn More or Buy at:

Amazon

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

+ Many More Pre-Order Links

Cleo Coyle’s Honey Roasted

is not only a coffee lover's mystery. 

It's a culinary mystery with a tempting 

menu of delicious recipes!

Click here or on the image (above)

for Cleo Coyle's Free Recipe Guide

to HONEY ROASTED 

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works

of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark 

Greenwich Village coffeehouse.  

For a free Title Checklist of

Cleo Coyle's 19 Books in Order,

click here or on the image below.

👇

Giveaway News!

We have 2 Giveaway Drawings open right now
that you can enter for an autographed copy
of our new Haunted Bookshp Mystery
The Ghost and the Stolen Tears
+

A sturdy, canvas "Jack is Back" tote bag
a colleciton of signed recipe cards 

and a Mystery Prize!

HOW TO ENTER:

The links to enter both giveaways are in our
Halloween newsletter, which we sent out Sunday evening.

If you're a subscriber, check your email boxes
and Spam folder. Or...

Send a "Sign Me Up" email to

CoffeehouseMystery@gmail.com

Watch for a reply with a link
to "Cleo's Halloween Treats." 

The giveaway info is inside including some
fun news about Halloween Night when
our beloved PI ghost Jack will be haunting
his Facebook Page.