Julie Clark
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Thick, rich, chocolate peanut butter cake with Reese’s stuffed inside. Chocolate cake gets layered with peanut butter frosting in this decadent dessert. You may also like our Nutter Butter Cake!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Recipe
Love Reese’s? This is the cake for you! This homemade chocolate peanut butter cake recipe makes a great birthday or special occasion cake for any and all chocolate peanut butter lovers. No special decorating skills needed…this cake is easy to assemble!
Small 3 Layer Cake
If you like your cakes small but tall, this is the cake for you! Bake the cake in 3 6″ round cake pans so that you end up with a small round cake that stands tall and proud. We still say this cake serves 12 because it is very rich. The three layers still make for quite a bit of cake even if you have just a small sliver.
Homemade Chocolate Cake
This homemade chocolate cake is thick, rich and decadent. It’s not as light and fluffy as our other favorite chocolate cake but is more of a cake-brownie like. Keep the best flavor in this cake by using a high quality dark chocolate for the cocoa powder and melting chocolate 60% or more cocoa content is what you’ll want.
You can use either sour cream or Greek yogurt in this recipe, which is one ingredient that keeps the cake rich. Two extra egg yolks add to that richness too!
Homemade Peanut Butter Frosting
This easy to make peanut butter frosting tastes just like the center of a Reese’s cup. It’s light, fluffy, and and filled with sweet peanut butter flavor. For the best results, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat the butter and peanut butter together until it is creamy and smooth.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
There are several different ways to make chocolate ganache, but our favorite way is to heat the heavy cream until it is lightly bubbling. You can do this in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips (in a bowl of course) and allow this to sit for 3 or 4 minutes while the chocolate melts. Add the vanilla then mix the mixture until it looks like creamy dark chocolate. Allow the ganache to cool and thicken for at least 10 minutes before you assemble the cake. If the ganache is too warm it will run off the cake.
Other Chocolate Cake Recipes
Tools to Make This Cake
- Stand Mixer: A hand mixer will work, but I always find it easier to make frostings with a stand mixer.
- Beater Blade with Scraper: The best invention ever!
- 6” Round Cake Pan: These are my favorite pans!
- Cake Spatula: To get that frosting nice and smooth.
- Wire Cooling Racks:This will help your cakes cool more quickly.
- Cake Plate: I have this cake plate and everyone loves it! It comes with the cute server too.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Thick, rich, chocolate peanut butter cake with Reese's stuffed inside. Chocolate cake gets layered with peanut butter frosting in this decadent dessert.
Servings 12
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa regular or Dutch process
- 2 ounces good-quality chocolate chopped 60% or more cocoa content
- 1/4 cup neutral flavor oil I used cocoa oil melted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 large egg yolks (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
For the Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
For the Ganache:
- 4 ounces chocolate (chopped)
- 4 fluid ounces heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To Assemble the Cake:
- 8 full-sized peanut butter cups unwrapped and each candy cut into 6 pieces
- mini-peanut butter cups for garnish optional
Instructions
- For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line 3, 6-inch circle cake pans with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa.
- Melt the chopped chocolate and set it aside to cool until it's warm to touch (not hot).
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and oil until combined.
- Add the melted and slightly cooled chocolate.
- Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, and whisk until just combined.
- Add the vanilla and sour cream (or Greek-style yogurand mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Mix the warm water and the espresso powder. Add the coffee mixture to the batter. Mix until just combined.
- Fill the prepared cake pans evenly with the batter.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the cake pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, turn the cakes out of the pans, and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- While the cakes cool, make the peanut butter frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter until well-combined and light and fluffy.
- Then add the vanilla and salt. Mix until combined.
- Next add the confectioners' sugar. Mix until combined.
- Add the milk and mix until light and fluffy.
- Before filling the cakes, using a serrated, level each of the cakes.
- Stack the cakes, spreading about ¼ cup of frosting between each layer and sprinkling each layer with chopped peanut butter cups.Using a large tip, pipe a border on the edge of the cake layer.
- Repeat this process with the next layer of cake. Once filled and stacked, use the tip of an off-set spatula to flatten the exposed frosting so that it is flush with the edges of the cake.
- Spread an additional ¼ cup of frosting on top of the cake, but do not add peanut butter cups to the top layer. You want a smooth peanut butter frosting for the ganache to sit on top of the cake.
- Chill the cake for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
- While the cake chills, make the ganache by warming the cream until simmering.
- Pour it over the chopped chocolate and add the vanilla.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Allow the ganache to cool and thicken for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, remove the cake from the refrigerator. Pour the chocolate over the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula, smooth the chocolate on top of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes.
- Once the ganache has chilled a bit, pipe dollops of peanut butter frosting on top of the cake. Top each dollop with a mini-peanut butter cup.
Notes
The calories shown are based on the recipe using sour cream and the cake being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 770IU | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2.3mg
This cake was originally made/created for Tastes of Lizzy T by The Crafting Foodie! Check out Aida’s blog for more delicious recipes.
