Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Today, I turn 34 years young, and I have the most serious of serious questions to ask. Does this mean I’m now in my mid-30’s? If the answer is yes, don’t tell me. It dumbfounds me to think that at 34 years old, my mom already had a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old. I barely feel like a grown-up, save for the mortgage payments and general responsibilities that come with not being 18 anymore.
If time is going to keep on moving, we might as well welcome it with open arms and some phenomenal cake, right? I have had this cake on the brain for months, but decided to shelve it and save it for my birthday. I couldn’t think of anything more perfect for me than an overdose of chocolate and peanut butter to the highest degree.
I basically took my favorite chocolate cake, my favorite peanut butter frosting, tons of peanut butter cups, and smooshed it all together into one of the most fabulous cakes I have made to date.
For someone who could eat chocolate and peanut butter for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this cake is a dream come true.
The cake is the same one I used for my Snickers cake last year; do you remember how much I went on and on about how it’s the best chocolate cake ever?
Well, it’s still the best chocolate cake ever.
Case closed.
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The peanut butter frosting is a double batch from my chocolate-peanut butter cupcakes, and I love it because it’s silky smooth, super peanut butter-y and not at all too sugar-y. I would love to just eat it from a bowl with a spoon. However, I’ll settle for it on this cake along with tons of chopped peanut butter cups, because, of course, there needs to be peanut butter cups.
I plan to spend my birthday relaxing, going to a hockey game, and eating a ridiculous amount of dessert.
That’s what birthdays are for, right?
One year ago: Italian Easter Pie
Three years ago: Tiramisu Cupcakes
Four years ago: Easy Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Six years ago: Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy
Watch How to Make the Peanut Butter Cup Cake:
Peanut Butter Cup Overload Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2½ cups (312.5 g) + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (86 g) + 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) salt
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (360 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (355.5 ml) strong black coffee, hot
- ¾ cup (163.5 ml) vegetable oil
- 4½ teaspoons (4.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
For the Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 2 cups (516 g) creamy peanut butter
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- ⅔ cup (158.67 ml) heavy cream
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
- 30 miniature peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped, divided
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the insides of the pans, tapping out excess; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (or large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer), sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds (the batter will be very thin).
- Divide the batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
- Make the Peanut Butter Frosting: Place the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth (do not overbeat).
- Assemble the Cake: If your cakes baked up uneven or have domed on top, level off the tops. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Cover with 1 cup of the peanut butter frosting and sprinkle 10 of the chopped peanut butter cups over the frosting. Top with a second cake layer and cover with another 1 cup of the peanut butter frosting, and top with another 10 chopped peanut butter cups. Place the final cake layer on top face-down. Frost the cake with the remaining peanut butter frosting, finishing it as smoothly as possible. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour, until the frosting is set.
- Make the Chocolate Ganache: While the cake chills, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a 4-cup measuring cup; set aside. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Begin whisking the mixture in the center, gradually working your way outward until the ganache is completely smooth. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, yet still a pourable consistency.
- Garnish the Cake: If the ganache was mixed in a bowl, transfer it to a 2-cup measuring cup. Slowly pour the chocolate ganache into the center of the cake, letting it push itself outward and flow over the sides of the cake. Top with the remaining 10 chopped peanut butter cups. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes, giving the ganache a chance to set up. Keep the cake refrigerated, removing it from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I just made this cake today for my friends birthday. It turned our really well. Nice and moist and very peanut buttery. I served it with peanut butter ice cream.
I baked this beautiful cake for my daughter’s 18th birthday. She loves peanut butter cups and chocolate. The cake turned out perfectly and made quite an impression on our family. Pictures were taken. :) Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and your gift of baking with us. You are a talented lady.
I made this cake for the 4th of July. It was gone before the sun set that day! I caught my nephew licking the plate it arrived on! The cake was so moist and tender. The peanut buttercream frosting was an excellent foil to the semisweet ganache! Once cut, this cake is a beauty to behold…. It’s beautiful inside and out! Thanks for such a great desert!
I made this cake with a few slight variations for our Father’s Day get together because my Dad is a huge chocolate and peanut butter lover and this cake was a HUGE hit!! Everyone at the partying was raving over it and wanted the recipe. It put all other desserts at the party to shame and I have already been asked to make it for the next family gathering. It’s absolutely delicious and beautiful, definitely a keeper!!
Hi,
I’ve been searching for the perfect chocolate cake recipe (to make this and also for a choc mint cake!) and it really sounds like this is it! However, I only have one of each size of cake pan and so I usually make one taller cake and slice into 2, 3, or 4 layers after baking as required. Would that work with this cake (obviously I would adjust baking times)? I want to make it for this weekend and don’t think I have time to get another tin….
Thanks – and I love your blog
xx
Hi Cremino, You would need to have a very high cake pan in order to bake this entire cake in one pan. I would venture to guess you would need AT LEAST 5″ sides to ensure that the batter would not spill over.
Haha yep, my tins are high. Good to know you think it would work though, and that the height of your tins appears to be why you baked as three separate cakes rather than as one and then cut them, rather than some intrinsic reason relating to this cake only working in small flat quantities…Thanks for the speedy response!! I look forward to making this amazing cake tomorrow :)
I’m making this cake today for my daughter’s birthday. Is it okay to substitute three 9″ round cake pans for the 8″ pans?
Hi Aileen, Yes, you’ll just need to reduce the baking time a bit, as the layers won’t be as thick. Enjoy and happy birthday to your daughter! :)
I made this today for my husband’s birthday. The cake took a while to make, but it was so worth it! The cake was extremely moist, the frosting was amazing (and not too sweet), and the ganache made it even more beautiful than it already was. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
With everyone commenting oh how delicious this cake looks, I thought I’d chime in to say how delicious it tastes. I made this for a crowd and everyone went crazy for it. It was a real showstopper, and not much more work than an ordinary from-scratch cake with frosting. It tastes great!
I made this cake for father’s day. It was a huge hit. I loved how rich and dense the cake came out paired with the delicious peanut butter frosting. Only thing is next time I will listen and use the parchment paper as the cake was so dense it was sticking to the bottom of the pan. i was also wondering if you had any tips on how to prevent the crumbs being mixed into the frosting when trying to frost a cake- i always struggle with this. Thanks for the amazing recipe! Will definitely make again.
Hi Jen, I would recommend doing a crumb coat, where you spread an incredibly thin layer of frosting on the cake, where it does catch crumbs, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes until it’s set. Then, frost as normal. All of the crumbs will be caught in that first layer. There are a lot of YouTube tutorials on doing a crumb coat, if you’ve never done it before.
Beautiful cake. I made it for Father’s Day for my husband. Tasted delicious but I had trouble with the frosting. It was difficult to work with and not the consistency that I had expected. When I tried to spread it, it didn’t stick to the cake. The frosting peeled off the cake and stayed on the spreader. It was like the frosting was too slick and not sticky enough. Any suggestions? I am new at baking this kind of thing (I usually make squares) and this is the first time I baked a triple layer cake. The cake is fantastic though and this will be my go to chocolate cake recipe. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for my brother’s birthday today (we are big peanut butter cup fans!) and it is absolutely devine! He loved it. You are right- it is the best chocolate cake recipe ever. I made it gluten free and with some modifications as I’m in Scotland (couldn’t find Dutch process cocoa and with only 2 eggs as apparently our eggs are bigger- who knew?!) and it was still incredible. Going to try your snickers cake next!
I wanted to make this cake in the form of a sheet cake. Does anyone know if this will work?
Hi Eva, This makes a lot of batter, so you would need a very large sheet pan. I would recommend getting the volume for three 8×2-inch round cake pans and then using a sheet pan with the appropriate volume (or scaling as necessary). This is a good reference: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
This cake was fabulous!!!
Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe! I just googled “chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting”, and found your blog, so nice job! I made it this weekend for my son’s birthday for a family party of 20, and everyone RAVED about it! Every part of it was off the charts….the cake itself, the pb frosting, the chocolate ganache, the mini pb cups….outrageous if you’re Reeses obsessed like our family. Definitely worth the time and effort.
Also, I just wanted to share with those of you who don’t drink coffee for religious or other reasons (since I was searching the comments for tips on this), I made it with 1-1/2 C hot water in place of the coffee and it turned out PERFECT. I had another old fashion chocolate cake recipe that called for hot water, so I assumed it would turn out okay and it did. It’s possible the coffee brings out a richer chocolatey flavor in the cake, but without it I’ll say it was still exceptionally moist and chocolatey and there is so much goodness going on with the ganache, frosting and candy that it wasn’t missed. Also, I made it as a 2 layer cake (I only had 2 round pans available at the time) and it was fine, although your 3 layer photos are beautiful. :)
Can’t wait for the next special excuse I can find to make this cake again!
Looks sooo good! Im making it tonight!
However, can I sub regular natural cocoa powder for the dutch?
Hi Jordi, I would recommend using the Dutch cocoa in this particular recipe.
Thanks for the delicious cake recipe! When I saw it back in March I pinned it and planned to make it for my birthday (and Co-workers birthdays) in June. I made it this morning and brought it to work at lunch time. It was GONE within 35 minutes! Everyone loved it! I gave them your recipe and instructed them to your blog also! Have a great day!!
Is there a way to recover the frosting if you overbeat it? Mine seems oily and stringy :(
Hi Liz, I’m not sure how that could have happened! Did you use natural peanut butter, by any chance? If so, it could be causing too much oil. I always recommend using a “processed” peanut butter for baking recipes, as the excess oil in natural peanut butters can cause issues.
Must haves been the peanut butter- first batch I used whole foods 365 natural brand, second batch which was perfect, I used skippy.
Hi Michelle, my name is Jiohanny, I’m from Dominican Republic, I find your site around a month ago looking for a chocolate cake that I really seem moist and delicious for make a cake really popular here named “Milky Way Cake”. Yesterday was Mother’s day here in DR and my sister’s birthday too. I made this cake receipt, but I filled with “Dulce de Leche” or “Arequipe” (I not sure if you there know it, but is a delicious Milk Sweetmeat like caramel) and covered it with the topping you used for your “Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes” For the chocolate in this topping I used melted Milky Way chocolates. It was just amazing from now this is my favorite chocolate cake batter. The proportions of the recipes were perfect and very well detailed. Thanks a lot for sharing your culinary experiences for free. I think that I have reviewed more than half of your recipes and they all look fabulous. Excuse me for so long story but certainly these on my list of favorite sites.
This cake is AMAZING!!!!! Seriously the best cake I have ever tasted/made!!
My mom made this cake for my birthday and it was an instant favorite! Now I am planning a surprise party for a friend and would really love to make it into cupcakes.. Do you have any suggestions for baking time?
Really appreciate your diligence in replying to comments!
Hi Erica, I haven’t tried adapting this cake to cupcakes, so unfortunately I am not sure how long they would need to bake. Less than the cake, I would imagine, but I don’t know about an exact time. Enjoy!
THANK YOU! I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday and everyone was freaking out about it! You are right, that chocolate cake is excellent and everything else is just incredible as well. I posted a few pics of it but I wish mine could have looked as perfect as yours! I got into a bit of a rush at the end but it’s hard to mess this recipe up! :) LOVE!!
I made this for my own 40th birthday party…and it was a huge hit! I had to hunt down the dutch process cocoa powder, but it was totally worth it. I’m definitely keeping this recipe and making this again. Thank you!
I saw this cake when you originally posted it in March and I knew it would be the perfect birthday cake for my husband. I made it for him and my family today. This is the most amazing cake I have ever made. Not only was it spectacular looking, it was melt in your mouth decadence. I will definitely make this again! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this cake for a special family event today and it was incredible!! I would even call it epic. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Amazing! I made this cake for our annual Mother’s Day brunch and it was a huge hit. For all those wondering about eliminating the coffee, don’t! It adds depth to the flavor and you don’t taste coffee in the end product. The cake itself is one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I have tasted. A fair amount of work, but well worth it.
Did you use unsweetened peanut butter, or sweetened? Is nutella ok for it? I hope you answer :) thanks anyway!
Your fan from Finland
Hi Siirizep, I used store-bought processed peanut butter. It does have sugar in it. You can use Nutella, but you will get a completely different flavored cake. I’m not sure how the peanut butter cups would pair with it.
If I want to make this cake in a 13×9 pan instead of a round pan and with two layers instead of three, can I use the same amounts or do you think I would need to increase them?
Hi Kari, You would actually need to decrease. A 9×13-inch pan will typically hold the same amount of batter for two 8-inch or 9-inch layers. Since this is three layers, you will have too much batter. I would recommend reducing the recipe by a third.
Thanks! I actually made the recipe with the same amounts with two 9×13 pans and it turned out great! Everyone loved it and people have requested it from me over and over. I have now made it twice, the only thing I would say is I have had extra frosting left over at the end, but I think the flavor is still amazing that way.
Although if one 9×13 pan is equal to two 8-inch layers, wouldn’t I need to increase the amounts since I did two 9×13 pans?
Either way, it turned out great!
This cake is awesome!!! It turned out so moist & delicious. Someone even asked me where I bought it; I was so proud to say I made it. Recipe is easy to follow, as all her recipes are. Thank u for this recipe!!! :)
Happy Belated Birthday! I celebrated my 35th birthday on March 21st. :)
I was wondering how much coffee powder do you mix into the 1-1/2 cups of hot water? Thanks!!
Hi Khalidah, Happy Belated Birthday to you! I’m not sure what you mean? You need 1.5 cups of hot coffee. If you are making instant coffee, I would follow the directions on the package.
When you say use a 8″ cake pan do you have a preference for depth whether going with 1.5″ or 2″. By the way i have made the cake and it is definitely a keeper.
Hi Johnnie, All of my cake pans are a 2-inch depth. I hope that helps!