Layers of chocolate and peanut butter make this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake a seriously tasty indulgent cake, perfect for any occasion!
So we like to do a lot of cakes around here. I mean A LOT! We have about 4 birthdays within a 2 month time frame with my kids. Now I like to do two different cakes usually for my older ones because they have a friends party and then a family party. So this mama usually has her work cut out for her, but you guy’s is it really work when you love what you do? I don’t think so, so let’s just call it fun.
Now if you remember this Stranger Things cake, that was my now 11 year olds friends party cake. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake was for the family party. This cake is so moist and rich and flavorful, it is literally the chocolate and peanut butter lovers dream. I could eat this cake all day long and not get sick of it, but in reality I probably could do that for any cake, but let’s just keep that little bit a secret between you and I, okay?
I used the same chocolate cake recipe for this as I did for my Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Cake that we loved so much. We love that chocolate cake and like to use it over and over with a lot of different variations. This time being this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake.
If you love peanut butter cups then this cake is absolutely for you. It is stuffed and frosted with a delicious peanut butter buttercream and topped with a smooth and silky ganache. Then studded with peanut butter cups. I tried to get the illusion of an actual peanut butter cup for this cake with the ganache topping the peanut butter. I think it turned out really well actually!
Usually I’m more of a vanilla cake girl, but when you pair chocolate with peanut butter I’m a sucker. I mean who isn’t. There are people in this world I found out that don’t really like the two paired together….um, really?!?! I mean I’m not the hugest peanut butter fan when it’s all by itself. Like you won’t ever see me just eating a peanut butter sandwich or anything. But put the stuff in a dessert as a filling or a frosting and I’m sold.
So if you want that perfect birthday cake, holiday cake or just because cake (we all need a just because cake) then this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake needs to be on our must make list this year. I promise you it will not disappoint!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup boiling water
Frosting:
- 2 cups butter
- 1 16 oz container creamy peanut butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 6-7 cups powdered sugar
- Heavy cream if desired
- Peanut butter cups
- Chocolate sprinkles
Ganache:
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300.
- In large bowl whisk together your dry ingredients until combined.
- Add in your eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and water and stir until combined well.
- Line 3 8" baking pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour cake batter evenly among the 3 pans.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until center us set and toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pans for about 5 minutes before turning out onto cooking racks to cool completely.
- To make your frosting in large bowl with stand or hand mixer mix together your butter and peanut butter until smooth.
- Add in your vanilla and mix until blended.
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Add in heavy cream if it gets to thick.
- To assemble place one of your cake layers on a cake stand or turn table and cover with about 3/4 cup of your frosting. Repeat layers.
- Spread a fine layer of frosting on the outside of the cake to create a crumb coat and refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes to set.
- Remove from refrigerator and finish frosting top and outside of cake, reserving about 1 cup of frosting for the top.
- Place back in refrigerator while making your ganache.
- To make ganache place your chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl.
- Heat your whipping cream on stove or in microwave until simmering.
- Pour over your chocolate chips and cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Remove cover and whisk together until smooth, let sit to come to room temp.
- Once room temp remove your cake from the refrigerator and start spooning or piping drops of ganache down the side, the cooled cake will help the ganache set up fast.
- Keep going all around the cake.
- Then spoon the ganache in center of the cake and spread to the sides with an offset spatula.
- Let set up for about 10 minutes.
- Pipe remains frosting in swirls around the top of your cake and place peanut butter cups on swirls and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles if desired.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Elizabeth
I baked this cake yesterday and was disappointed because the cake did not rise very much at all. I’m trying to determine if I should have stirred by hand rather than used an electric mixer. Recipe indicates stir. The next time I make I may add 1/2 tsp baking powder. Planning to frost on Sunday so I will comment again on flavor and texture
Rose Marie
Hello! Would you happen to remember what size frosting tip you used? Thank you!
Tornadough Alli
This would be a wilton 1M tip.
Carl House
When you say cups how big cups ???
Tornadough Alli
I’m sorry we use the mini sized and not full sized for the topping on this, but you could use full sized and just chop in half as well.
Brittany
What can you use if you can’t find a Dutch process cocoa powder?
Tornadough Alli
You can use regular cocoa powder 🙂
Sue
Amazing cake. Absolutely loved the texture look forward to making more of your cakes
Tornadough Alli
Thank you so much Sue! We adore this cake and I’m so happy you did as well! Happy baking 🙂
Maddie
This cake is absolutely amazing, my friend and I made it for a dinner party and it was a hit! I was hoping to make it again to bring to a friends house, how many days in advanced could this cake be made? Would it become dry if I made the cake layers 2 days before it would be served?
Tornadough Alli
I’m so happy you guys all liked it! I would say maybe 2 days max if you keep it refrigerated. If you make the cake layers they can easily be frozen a head of time or wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated to keep in moisture.
Hunter
This recipe is really good, and it came out perfect!! Thank you!!
Tornadough Alli
So happy you liked it! We adore this cake, cant go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter!
Amy
Have you tried halfing the bitter with shortening so it’s less sweet?
Tornadough Alli
I mix shortening with butter for a lot of my frostings so it shouldn’t be an issue at all doing half and half in this recipe 🙂
Kandi Williams
Hi, im wanting to make the peanut butter chocolate cake. What type of flour did you use?
Thanks in advance
Tornadough Alli
We used all purpose for this recipe.
Beckie
Does the cake need to be kept refrigerated since it has ganache on top?
Tornadough Alli
I would say to refrigerate any leftovers as the ganache can melt if its at room temp too long.
Susanne
I’m in love this this cake!! Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my all time favorite candy this cake made all my Reese’s dreams come true!