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 made this yesterday and it is perfection! Turned out beautifully. The perfect dense, moist and fudgy chocolate cake in my opinion. The peanut butter frosting was just right, great peanut butter flavor and not overly sweet. So glad this was the recipe I went with. I I finally have found the recipe that fits my idea of the perfect chocolate cake. Best cake I have ever eaten.
Hello :) I want to make this for my husbands birthday but i dont think i will be adding the hot coffee as we arent coffee drinkers and any coffe I purchase will just go to waste. Wondering if there is something I should substitute or can I just omit it entirely?
Thanks!
Hi Kelly, You absolutely cannot omit it entirely… the coffee adds both moisture and helps to enhance the chocolate flavor. You can’t taste the coffee in the cake, and it really does enhance the flavor. If you’re totally opposed to it, you can substitute hot water, but just know that the flavor may be diluted a bit.
I made this cake yesterday and overall was very pleased with how it turned out! The chocolate cake was very moist. To anyone thinking they won’t like it because of the coffee, trust me, you won’t taste coffee. It just brings out the chocolate flavor. I loved the peanut butter frosting too. It was not too sweet at all, but very peanut buttery! I know it sounds funny, but the heavy cream really lightened it up. The cake is very, very rich so make sure you have a glass of milk handy!
I made this over the weekend for a friends’ birthday and it was fabulous! I couldn’t believe how moist and flavorful the chocolate cake was. It definitely seems important to use the dutch process cocoa powder and good dark coffee (which I did). It’s definitely a rich cake and a million calories, but well worth it. I bake from scratch quite often but everyone at the party was saying this was one of THE BEST desserts I have ever made. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to wait for the ganache to set up more. I got impatient and just started pouring it on the cake and it was still too thin and went everywhere on my plate and cake board. Oops! Anyway, thank you for sharing such a great recipe, I will definitely be making this again!
Tossing aside the urge to buy a bakery cake for my daughter’s baby shower, I made this cake. It was an eye-catcher for sure. People couldn’t wait to cut it. In minutes there was nothing left on the serving plate. However I did omit the PB cups and it was still absolutely delicious. You and I received a lots of compliments. Thank you for such a wonderful cake.
First and foremost, thanks for sharing this outstanding recipe. You truly were not exaggerating when you said this was using the best chocolate cake ever. The cake was light and full of chocolate taste but not too sweet. The cake in combination with the frosting, ganache, and Reeses is simply beyond words. I made this for my son’s birthday two days ago. Everybody is still talking about it and I can’t believe how many requests I’ve gotten for the recipe. Michelle, again I thank you for offering up such an incredible recipe.
P.S. The cake is even more amazing the next day.
I made this cake for my birthday and it turned out amazing! I don’t drink coffee, so I just used hot water and the cake was still super chocolatey and delicious.
Also, it’s even better the next day!!! Such a decadent treat. I was going to save half of my cake for sharing with friends this coming weekend, but I think I’ll just have to bake a second cake on Saturday! My husband, daughter and I are enjoying this cake too much to save it!
I don’t drink coffee either, but definitely use it the next time you make this. It really adds to the flavor of the chocolate cake but you don’t taste the coffee at all once the cake is baked and everything is assembled.
I see your cake calls for buttermilk. I’ve been telling people for years, buttermilk makes the BEST baked goods!! I put it in everything. This cake looks like the PERFECT way to celebrate!
I have made this cake twice now, both for birthday parties. To say everyone loved it, would be a massive understatement! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Plan on enjoying some tonight, when we celebrate a happy 60th birthday of a good friend, yum yum!
I made this cake and it turned out amazing! I made the cake the night before and put in the fridge. The next day, I made the frosting and ganache and put it all together. It got so many compliments, worth the effort!
I made this cake yesterday and it was amazing!! I love making new cake recipes and I think this one may be the best I’ve ever made! I will definitely be making it again :) The only thing that was perplexing to me was that the batter almost overflowed out of my 9 inch pans…not sure what happened there! But it was delicious nonetheless. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
good job for this AMAZING cake, i seriously feel like licking my screen (jk) but it’s really awesome! I was just wondering if i could reduce the sugar amount in the buttercream because I don’t like the taste of sugar, I want that amazing taste of peanuts in my cream, not the sugar’s. can I for example put half a cup or not put any?
Hi Samar, I would not recommend eliminating the sugar. It’s actually a fairly small amount of sugar compared to the other ingredients.
If I wanted to use 9″ pans instead of 8″ do you see any issues?
Hi Johnnie, No, not at all, you just might need to reduce the baking time a bit since the layers will be a little thinner.
Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be making this for my husband’s birthday this weekend. He is a peanut butter love through and through!
What r u using for heavy cream in this recipe?
Looks amazing!!!! Trying to make this SEMI vegan as I have a dairy allergy. Cocoa power and such is fine… what could I use to sub the heavy cream for the frosting and ganache? I can use enjoy life choco chippys and can probably find some dark chocolate peanut butter cups :)
Thanks!!!
Hi Ashlee, I’m honestly not that familiar with vegan substitutions and am not sure what you could use in place of the heavy cream that would give you the same consistency. I’m sorry I’m not more help!
Yay! I usually use that exact chocolate cake recipe when doing your cakes — I’ve found it to be my favorite for all chocolate cakes :) Glad to see it here so I don’t have to pull up multiple recipes. BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER! :D
Can’t wait to make this for my brother’s birthday
Little tip: put the egg yolks in the wet mixture, but separate out the egg whites into a separate, clean dish. At the very end right before pouring the batter into the pans, whip the whites into soft peaks, and fold it into the batter. :) Fluffy, moist cakes every time
Made it for my brother’s birthday :) here’s the final product:
https://flic.kr/p/pVd5zq
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes instead of the cake? If so, would you get 24 out of this or more since the cake is 3 layers? Thanks for any insight!
Hi there, I haven’t tried to convert this to cupcakes, so I couldn’t say for sure how they would turn out. You would get more than 24.
This cake looks amazing!!! Happy belated! I was planning to make a cake just like this for a work baby shower. Glad I have some direction now. I’m a little nervous about the ganache…but eager to try it. Had a quick question: Can I sub in greek yogurt for the buttermilk? If so, what would be the appropriate amount? I have 0% on hand, but 2% may be better taste wise. What are your thoughts?
I would not recommend substituting Greek yogurt for the buttermilk.
First off, happy belated birthday! Second, I just wanted to leave a comment to let you know that this cake was absolutely fantastic. The cake really is the best chocolate cake ever, super moist without being too dense, and really really chocolatey. The frosting is sooo soo good, like the inside of a reese’s cup, and the ganache on top was just perfect. I brought this to my boyfriends birthday, attended by about 20 of his relatives and catered by a food company, and the look on his face when I brought him this cake was priceless! I got tons of compliments from both him, his family, and even the caterers for not only presentation, but for taste too! One of the relatives even begged me to show her how I made it! We got to take the leftovers home and they lasted for several sinful, delicious days. If you are a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, for all that is holy MAKE THIS CAKE. So thank you so so much for not only a delicious cake, but for helping me to boost my confidence in my baking skills and to impress my boyfriend’s family! You rock! :)
Could someone be ever so kind as to convert these measurements into British lbs or grams, or share a conversion chart! Thankyou xxx
google ;)
Hi, I am planning on making this cake for my boyfriends birthday and I was wondering about the taste of the iceing. Is it super sweet? If so what do you recommend doing to reduce the sweetness? thanks!
Hi Alicia, Unfortunately, I really feel like labeling things too sweet or too spicy or totally subjective since everyone has different palates. I don’t find this icing to be too sweet at all.
Made this cake for my best friend for her birthday! Everyone loved it! It was as delicious as the pictures make it. Love this blog!!
Hi Michelle, I made this cake for my hubby’s birthday this past Saturday and he absolutely loved it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Wow. What else can I say? I made this for a friend’s birthday, and also a housewarming. It was amazingly decadent – peanut butter and chocolate (combining two of our favourite things). I never thought of using them together, but it worked really well. Thanks so much for sharing this with us, I can see it’s going to become a favourite!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday today and OH MY GOODNESS!!! So moist, flavourful and not too sweet. Didn’t change a thing and wouldn’t. I love pb and chocolate and this is a perfect cake for that. I have thought about making this cake in a chocolate mint version with the only change being the icing and use Andes instead of pb cups. Thank you for the great recipe.
Hi, I converted all the ingridients into metrics, and I got 600 grams sugar. Does really that much sugar go in there!?
Hi Dominik, Yes, that’s a correct conversion. It’s a very large three-layer cake.
Help! I need to make this as a 10 inch cake… what should I do to adjust the recipe??
Hi Bianca, If you want to use the same amount of batter in three 10-inch pans, you will need to reduce the baking time. If you want similar sized 10-inch layers, you will need to calculate the volume in the 8-inch pans vs 10-inch pans and then increase the ingredient quantities by that much.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten! Do you think it would be heavy enough to use in a 3 tiered cake with 2 layers in each tier?
Hi Amy, Yes, I think that would work (I always made sure to use dowels when I stacked cakes, I would recommend that).
Hi, this cake looks so amazing….do you think it would be ok to cover the cake in fondant rather than the ganache? i want to make a pug cake for my friends birthday!!
Hi Helen, I think that would work out just fine.