Snickers Cake
Tomorrow would have been – should have been – my dad’s 60th birthday. You may remember that last year on his birthday, I shared with you his very favorite cake, the one he would always request for his birthday. It’s a fabulous cake – a moist, chocolate cake with a river of cheesecake running through the middle and topped with sugared walnuts. It’s a very worthy birthday cake. However, if he were still here, I would have insisted on making something different and more elaborate than the cake he requested every year since it would be the big 6-0. I have no doubt that he would have been completely smitten with this cake and found every excuse in the world to eat piece after piece.
When we were kids, my dad apparently got some routine blood work done that showed his cholesterol as borderline high. My mom banished sweets from the house (my dad was an ice cream fanatic) and started whipping up homemade banana-nut oat bran muffins. The only problem? He went to work for eight hours a day. My dad worked for a small company not far from where we lived, so sometimes if we were out, my mom would stop by for a visit. One day we walked into his office and my sister and I saw tons of candy bar wrappers in his garbage can. Apparently, my dad was a big Snickers fan. You know little kids love to tattle… especially if they get to tattle on their parents. It took all of two seconds for my sister and I to let my mom in on our discovery. We totally busted my dad for sneaking candy at work while my mom was making batch-after-batch of bran muffins. Sorry Dad!
I’ve had the idea for this cake bouncing around in my head since last summer, but remembering that moment of finding those candy bar wrappers, I knew I wanted to save the recipe to commemorate my dad’s birthday. I’m so glad that I did – it’s definitely a special occasion cake that he would have absolutely appreciated.
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I started with the chocolate cake that I used for the six-layer chocolate cake with toasted marshmallow filling and malted chocolate frosting, only left it at three layers instead of dividing it into six. For the filling, I used the peanut nougat from the homemade Snickers bar recipe, along with a smear of salted caramel sauce. I then frosted the whole cake with a thin layer of salted caramel buttercream and topped it with a milk chocolate ganache and chopped peanuts. That’s a mouthful!
Like I said, I totally delved into “special occasion” cake territory here, and it might be one of the best cakes that I’ve ever made. It truly tastes just like a Snickers bar. If I had to guess, it’s the nougat filling that totally makes it.
As is always the case, commemorating the birthday of someone who is no longer with us is bittersweet. I love to think about the time we shared, but of course wish that he were still here. It’s been a little over 14 years since he passed away and I was only a week past my 18th birthday when it happened. As I get closer to having spent just as much of my life without him as I did with him, it’s a strange feeling, but I continue to relish all of the wonderful memories of the time I did get to share with him. This cake is a celebration of that time, and of him.
Happy Birthday, Dad! I know you would love this cake… I’ll have a slice for you :) xoxo
One year ago: Orange Cookies with Sweet Orange Glaze
Two years ago: My Top 15 Favorite Indulgences
Three years ago: Honey-Vanilla Sour Cream Pound Cake
Snickers 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 Nougat Filling:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (64 ml) evaporated milk
- 1½ cups (190.5 g) marshmallow fluff
- ¼ cup (64.5 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (219 g) salted peanuts, roughly chopped
For the Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting:
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (56.5 g) salted caramel sauce
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
For the Milk Chocolate Ganache:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 ounces (113.4 ml) ½ cup heavy cream
For the Assembly / Garnish:
- Additional salted caramel sauce
- Chopped peanuts
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 Nougat Filling: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and evaporated milk, stirring until dissolved, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and add the marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, stirring until completely smooth. Fold in the peanuts. Let the nougat mixture cool to room temperature before using it in the cake. You can do this leaving it at room temperature or you can pop it into the refrigerator to speed up the process. Be sure to give a stir occasionally as it cools.
- Make the Frosting: Beat together the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 5 minutes (I like to use the whisk attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer, but it's not necessary). Pour in the salted caramel and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional two to three minutes, until light and fluffy.
- 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 half of the nougat filling and then spread a couple spoonfuls of the salted caramel sauce over top to evenly cover the nougat filling. Top with a second cake layer and cover with the remaining nougat filling and top with caramel sauce. Place the final cake layer on top face-down. Frost the cake with the salted caramel 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 medium bowl; 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: Transfer the ganache 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. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes, giving the ganache a chance to set up. To finish garnishing, drizzle some additional salted caramel sauce over the top and side of the cake, and top with chopped peanuts. 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!
THIS CAKE! Oh my gosh! I’m not a fancy baker, and lately with three small kids, I forget an ingredient and ruin my recipes! I saw this and had to make it for Father’s Day. This is such an amazing cake. Every part of it is delicious and so fun. This really made my husband’s day special. Thank you
Help please I’m in the middle of constructing the cake but the nougat is just coming out the sides how can I thicken it
Hi Cherie, I would try refrigerating it for awhile.
Since me and my family doesn’t drink coffee, could I substitute it for water without ruining the taste, texture, or consistency of the cake?
Hi Hope, I don’t drink coffee either, but I do make exceptions for chocolate baked goods, including this cake. I really recommend using it – you can’t taste the coffee, but it really enhances the chocolate flavor. If you’re really against using it, you can use water, but the flavor will be slightly watered down (no pun intended!).
This was on my TO DO list from a long time. I could not find Marshmallow fluff and hence was not able to execute it. Finally for my wedding anniversary I made this cake with home made marshmallow fluff. Totally loved the way it turned out. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe. Wish I could add pictures here :)
I used my choc cake recipe but this cake was awesome. The nougat makes it!!!
I have made this multiple times and it is amazing! Always the request for birthdays.
Today I’m making the cake with a dark chocolate orange buttercream. Should be amazing as well.
Great go to chocolate cake!
I love this cake recipe. How can I convert it to a rectangular shape? I was thinking a jelly roll pan would work. What do you think?
Hi Sara, You would need to halve the recipe to put it in a jelly roll pan.
I made it today and it tasted really good but had one big problem ! The noughgat although it was stiff it ran out and made the layers of cake slide making a huge mess, after all the work I wanted to cry. Why did this happen ? I kept it in the fridge and the noughgat was cold and stiff when I spread it. Can I put some grenetin in the noughgat to make it stiffer and assamble the cake in the baking tray and then unmold it ??? Thanks in advance for your response
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this! That definitely shouldn’t have happened. Did you use any alternative ingredients in the nougat or have it placed somewhere quite warm (like near a warm register or vent)?
This Looks absolutely Divine! Just The Recipe I Was Looking For…One Question Though.. Can I Replace Marshmallow Fluff With Anything? Or Make It Homemade? Looking Forward To Your Response.. Thank You.. Lots Of Love xo
Hi Shira, Yes you can totally make your own! I have a recipe here: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/homemade-marshmallow-creme-recipe/
I made your Snickers Cake recently and it was the office birthday party HIT! One chocolate lover said it was the best cake they had EVER! Another requested the same cake for their birthday! Thanks for sharing what you do with others!
And making us both look good:)
Hi. Do u have any tips when making the drip style decorating?. I tried but as i poured the chocolate ganache over the frosting it went hard straight away without giving it a chance to drip. & the caramel didint stop dripping. thanks!
Hi Cat, The chocolate may have just thickened a tad too much. Usually if you pour right into the center the ganache will push out towards the edges and just naturally start to run down. Conversely, the caramel probably needed to be thickened up a bit more. Hope you still enjoyed the cake!
Hi Michelle,
This recipe sounds wonderful! I have a question, can I omit marshmallow fluff altogether? I live in India and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get my hands on it.
Thanks
Omitting the marshmallow fluff will definitely alter the texture of the filling. If you can do a homemade marshmallow fluff, I would go that route. I have a recipe here: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/homemade-marshmallow-creme-recipe/
This cake is delicious!!
If I wanted to make this for a lactose-intolerant person, what would I need to add to lactose-free milk to substitute for buttermilk? Sorry if you’ve addressed this in the 388 comments I admittedly didn’t search. :)
Hi Alan, I actually haven’t been asked that question yet! :) I am admittedly not familiar with lactose-free baking, so you MAY need to add some lemon juice, just as you would to regular milk to make a good substitute for the buttermilk.
That’s the answer I needed! I can’t detect any difference between lactose-free milk and regular–I just wasn’t sure if adding lemon juice to milk would be a workable substitution for this recipe since you can’t get lactose-free buttermilk..
This was sooo yummy! It takes a bit of time but is well worth it. My husband said, “This tastes like a Snickers bar, but better!” Everyone loved it!
I made the snickers cake for my coworkers for the September birthdays and it was a HUGE hit. My boss liked it so much that he payed me to make one for his daughter’s birthday and gave me the day off to make it. Since it was my second time to make the cake, his daughter’s cake turned out even better than the one I made for my coworkers.
It is a lot of work and does take quite a bit of time to make but it is so worth it. I’ve added it to my favorite cake recipes.
The first time I made the cake, I followed your directions exactly with no changes. The only change I made the second time was to use Baker’s Joy instead of Pam and flour to prep the pans. When I used Pam and flour, the cakes stuck to the pans and it made it very difficult to frost the cake. With Baker’s Joy, it turned out perfect.
Oh, and one other thing I recently learned: If you use a baking stone under your cake pans, they come out flatter and you don’t have domed tops to remove. If you don’t have an oven sized baking stone, Michael’s Craft store has pan wraps that help the cakes to bake evenly. I’ve never tried them personally but have been told that they work. You can probably get the wraps anywhere cake supplies are sold but I’ve actually seen them at Michael’s.
Seriously, the Best cake I’ve EVER MADE and EVER TASTED! THANK YOU for sharing such a beautiful tribute!
I’m making this for a crowd and think it would be easier to serve in 9 by 13 form. Do you think this is too much batter for that size pan? Any tips on converting it? (bake time, doubling ganache, etc.)
I think it would be too much batter for a 9×13, unfortunately.
First time making it so it took a while but absolutely the most amazing cake yet. I’ve done the peanut butter cup one and everyone thought that was the best until this one. I did mess up the caramel sauce on the first try but the second came out perfect. What a great cake.
PS – I’ll tag you on the cupcakes. They did come out.
I LOVED this recipe!!! unfortunately for me in my country we don’t have all the ingredients, but I got some close enough substitudes
I made this cake, will taste it tomorrow. I was taught to never open the oven while a cake is baking, but the recipe has you rotate the racks. I wish I hadn’t . The beautifully rising cakes fell, and I had kind of a mess to frost. I had to make another half recipe of the frosting just so my messy cake was covered😬. I am looking forward to eating it, as the components tasted great!
Absolutely delicious! The chocolate cake is perfect and the nougat filling made this a different cake but in the most delicious way possible. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi thank you for this wonderful recipe! Everything went perfectly. Unfortunately 1/2 cup of heavy cream isn’t nearly enough for 226g chocolate. I used double that and it still wasn’t enough for a thin enough Ganache. So it went on quite thick and I used some heat to thin it out.
Other than that everything was easy and instructions were perfect.
Thanks again. Also incredibly delicious!
Is there anything I can use instead of marshmellow fluff? I’m in Australia and don’t know where I could get it here…
Thanks!
Hi Ayala, You can make your own homemade marshmallow cream!
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/homemade-marshmallow-creme-recipe/
I made this recipe today for my dads 55th birthday. He absolutely loved it. This cake is very delicious! This was my first time making a fancy/legit cake and I felt very proud of the final product. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi Rebecca, Happy birthday to your dad!! So thrilled to hear the cake was a big hit!
I really want to try making your snickers cake for a gathering in a few weeks, but I’m a little concerned about being exact with the measurements. I’ve never made a cake without using a scale. If I convert the cups to grams will it be accurate and work well for this cake? Or is there a certain method you used when measuring out the cups that I could replicate? Maybe I’m being way too anal about it, but I want so much for it to come out perfectly! I would very much appreciate your input, especially with moistness or density of the cake itself.
This looks absolutely fabulous! I can’t wait to try it! I would like to make mini cakes. I have 4″ cake pans…do you think I could make six 4″ cakes with this recipe? Would you be able to suggest how long I should bake them? Thanks for you help. (By the way, I loved your post….my dad would also love this cake. I look forward to making it as I remember his love of snickers and all things sweet. :))
Hi Kara, I think you could do 4-inch cakes. I might start checking them around 10 minutes or so just to be safe (although that’s just a guess). As for how many cakes, I *THINK* you should be able to get 6 out of this recipe. Enjoy!
Do you think the cake mixture would hold up in a bunt pan? I really love the cake and tried one layer with a coffee syrup glaze, it was amazing. However, the bunt shaped cake allows more glaze coverage.. Thanks for all your amazing recipes! I send people to you blog all the time!
Hi Sara, I’ve never tried making this as a Bundt, so I’m not sure. I have tried cupcakes multiple times, but they never turned out right.
I made this cake 2 years ago and it was a hit with my nephew. He has repeatedly asked for it, so this year, I’m making it for his birthday. I was able to prepare in one day the first time but this time I have to prep in stages, so wondering if the nougat be made a day or two ahead of time and stored for later prep? If so, best storage idea, please?
Hi Stephanie, Aw, so awesome! Yes, you could make the nougat a day or two in advance and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Hi there! I have made the nougat filling and it tastes delicious but find it to be very sticky. I’m worried it won’t speard nicely on the chocolate cake. Perhaps I cooked the butter/milk/sugar to long – or is it just sticky? I’m wondering about ways to make it fluffier. Any thoughts? Could I whip some heavy cream in it? So many questions so little time ? Any help you can provide would be great!
Hi Keir, It shouldn’t be too sticky… you could fold a little whipped cream in there to help lighten it up a bit!
How much do you think it would cost to make this cake?
I have no idea, it would depend on where you live, which brands of ingredients you buy, etc.
This recipe was amazing. Instead of a cake, I used this recipe to make cupcakes for a house warming party I was attending. I made a few minor changes, like opting out of chocolate ganche and the salted peanuts in the nougat and just used the peanut butter. The nougat still tasted amazing. I also topped the cupcakes with chopped snickers instead of the peanuts. . This dessert was the highlight of the party. They tasted exactly like a Snickers candy bar. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hello! This cake looks so amazing I am hoping to recreate for my son’s birthday this weekend. However I was just wondering, I’ve never seen in a recipe before as much baking soda being used as a tablespoon, and wondered if it was a typo and you actually meant a teaspoon?
Thanks xxxx
Hi Amy, It’s not a typo – that’s correct!