Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a lightly colored, metal 9×13 inch pan.
2. Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the cake mix, one egg, and 1/2 C melted butter alternative. Once combined, it will be crumbly. Stir in the chocolate chips then press this mixture into the bottom of the pan.
3. Warm the sunbutter or peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until runny enough to easily spread. Stir to reincorporate the oils then pour this over the cake layer and use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
4. Using a mixer again, beat the cream cheese alternative until it is as smooth as possible (it may stay a little lumpy but you will be able to completely smooth it in the next step).
5. Add the two remaining eggs, the other 1/2 C butter alternative, and vanilla extract and beat until completely smooth.
6. Gradually mix in all of the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. The end result should be like a smooth batter. Pour this over the sunbutter layer and gently tap the pan on the counter to get it to spread out evenly.
7. Bake for 35-50 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. The center should still be a little jiggly and finish setting once it’s removed from the oven (like a baked cheesecake). Additionally, some oil may pool on the top of the cake – don’t confuse this oil with undercooked batter or you could end up over cooking it.
8. Once the cake has been removed from the oven and cooled, you can either leave it as-is or dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.