Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake is the recipe that Teresa makes every birthday and every most anticipated gathering when she wants to create the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely magnificent three-layer celebration cake that is the most absolute and the most completely unrivaled dream come true for every chocolate and peanut butter lover — because the most brilliantly conceived three-component recipe assembles the most deeply moist and the most properly fudgy hot-water-bloomed cocoa chocolate cake layers with the most luxuriously smooth.
And the most intensely peanut-flavored individual buttercream frosting made with the most generous measure of real peanut butter, the most satisfyingly crunchy and the most vibrantly flavored chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups pressed through every frosted individual layer, and the most beautifully poured and the most glossy individual dark chocolate ganache draped over the most gorgeously finished cake exterior with the most dramatic and the most completely show-stopping individual dripping edge.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake is the most easy and deeply extraordinary three-layer moist celebration cake made with flour sugar cocoa baking soda and powder salt milk oil vanilla eggs and hot water baked at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes assembled with peanut butter buttercream chopped Reese’s between layers topped with chocolate ganache and Reese’s. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful cake recipes and easy celebration favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake recipe is the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely irresistible three-layer celebration cake that delivers the most beloved and the most deeply satisfying chocolate-and-peanut-butter combination in the most spectacularly layered and the most visually dramatic individual cake format — combining the most deeply fudgy hot-water-bloomed individual chocolate cake layer, the most intensely peanut-butter-flavored individual buttercream, the most satisfying chopped Reese’s between every layer, and the most gorgeously smooth individual dark chocolate ganache drip for the most completely show-stopping celebration centerpiece.
The most critical technique for the most beautifully smooth and the most properly stable individual peanut butter frosting is choosing the most specific type of peanut butter — a smooth, creamy, no-stir homogenized peanut butter like JIF or Skippy. Natural peanut butter that separates produces a most grainy and the most improperly mixed individual frosting that never achieves the most beautifully smooth texture. Our Homemade Chocolate Cake makes a beautifully equally chocolate and equally celebration-worthy companion for a complete and wonderful chocolate celebration cake collection.
Ingredients Needed for This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
For the Three Chocolate Cake Layers:
- 1¾ cups (228g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2 cups (414g) Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup (85g) Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup (240ml) Whole Milk
- ½ cup (120ml) Vegetable Oil
- 1½ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) Hot Water
For the Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 2 cups (448g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1¼ cups (350g) Smooth Peanut Butter (no-stir, not natural)
- 9 cups (1035g) Powdered Sugar
- 6 to 7 tbsp Water or Whole Milk
- 6 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
- Pinch of Salt
For the Chocolate Ganache and Topping:
- 6 oz (1 cup) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup (120ml) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 4 additional Reese’s, halved
- Crumbled Reese’s for garnish
How to Make This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper.
Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and combine. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and beat until well combined. Slowly add the hot water and mix on low speed until combined. The batter will be the most beautifully thin. Divide evenly between the three pans and bake for 22 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool 2 to 3 minutes in pans then transfer to wire racks, cara mia.
For the peanut butter frosting, combine butter and peanut butter and mix until well combined. Add half the powdered sugar and mix smooth. Add 3 tablespoons water or milk and mix smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar, remaining water or milk, and salt. Mix smooth, monitoring consistency.
Use a serrated knife to level the cake layers. Place the first layer on a serving plate, top with approximately 1 cup of frosting, smooth into an even layer, add half the chopped Reese’s pressing into the frosting, and spread a small amount of additional frosting over. Repeat with the second layer. Place the final layer on top. Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake exterior and top.
For the ganache, microwave the heavy cream until just beginning to boil, pour over the chocolate chips, allow to sit 2 to 3 minutes, and whisk until the most completely smooth. Drizzle around the edges and smooth over the top. Allow to firm 10 minutes, then add frosting swirls and Reese’s garnish.
How to Serve This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
Serve at room temperature after allowing 2 full hours out of the refrigerator for the most beautifully softened and the most properly creamy peanut butter buttercream and ganache texture in every individual slice.
For the most completely extraordinary and the most dramatically beautiful individual presentation, use an offset spatula to create horizontal striped patterns in the peanut butter frosting on the exterior before applying the ganache drip for the most professionally finished and the most completely show-stopping individual Reese’s peanut butter chocolate layer cake.
How to Store This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
Because of the chocolate ganache, refrigerate the assembled cake in an airtight container or double-wrapped in plastic with toothpicks propping the plastic away from the decorations for up to 4 to 5 days. Allow to come fully to room temperature before serving. Freeze up to 3 months wrapped tightly — allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before bringing to room temperature to serve.
Tips to Make This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
Do not over-mix the batter when combining wet and dry ingredients — over-mixing develops excessive gluten that produces a the most dense and the most tough individual cake layer rather than the most beautifully light and the most properly fluffy result. Stop mixing immediately once the wet and dry are the most completely combined.
Choose smooth, creamy, no-stir homogenized peanut butter for the most beautifully smooth individual peanut butter frosting. Natural peanut butter that separates never incorporates the most smoothly into the buttercream and produces a greasy and the most granular individual texture that cannot be corrected.
Helpful Notes for This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
The peanut butter frosting recipe produces a large individual quantity — 9 cups of powdered sugar is the most intentional full individual batch because of how generously this cake is frosted across three layers, the exterior, and the piped individual decorative swirls. If less frosting is preferred, reduce all frosting ingredients by the same proportional percentage.
Make the individual chocolate cake layers up to 2 days ahead — wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature. Make the peanut butter frosting up to 1 week ahead — refrigerate in an airtight container and bring to room temperature before using.
Variation of This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
Maria made a version adding half a cup of peanut butter chips through the chocolate cake batter before baking for the most completely extraordinary and the most deeply concentrated peanut butter chocolate individual cake. Teresa tried using white chocolate ganache in place of dark chocolate ganache for the most completely extraordinary and the most beautifully contrasting white chocolate peanut butter chocolate individual celebration cake.
For a hazelnut variation, substitute smooth hazelnut spread in place of the peanut butter in the frosting for the most completely extraordinary and the most deeply Nutella-inspired individual chocolate hazelnut frosted cake. Our Homemade Chocolate Cake makes a beautifully equally moist chocolate and equally celebration-worthy companion for a complete and wonderful chocolate cake collection.
FAQs About This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe
Can I make this a two-layer cake instead of three?
Yes. Use two 9-inch round cake pans rather than three 8-inch pans and bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F. The two-layer version produces the most equally extraordinary and the most deeply flavored result with slightly fewer individual layers for a less tall but equally stunning individual presentation.
Why is my peanut butter frosting not sticking to the cake?
The most likely cause is frosting that is too thick. Add additional milk or water one tablespoon at a time, mixing the most thoroughly after each addition until the most properly spreadable individual consistency forms. When tapping a finger against the buttercream in the bowl, it should stick the most lightly to the finger — frosting that does not stick at all is the most too thick.
Can I skip the chocolate ganache?
Yes. A beautifully frosted exterior of peanut butter buttercream without the ganache is equally extraordinary — and allows the cake to be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days before refrigerating. The ganache adds the most stunning visual drama and an additional layer of the most rich individual chocolate flavor.
Conclusion
This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake is the most completely extraordinary and the most deeply indulgent three-layer Reese’s celebration cake that makes every birthday and every gathering feel genuinely and completely magnificent through the most fudgy moist chocolate layers and the most intensely smooth peanut butter buttercream and the most gloriously dripping chocolate ganache and the most generous Reese’s peanut butter cup garnish in every single dramatically layered and completely irresistible peanut butter chocolate cake slice.
We hope it brings the same deeply joyful peanut butter chocolate celebration delight and the same completely delighted table to your kitchen that it has always brought to ours. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake The Most Easy Moist Three Layer Reeses Peanut Butter Frosting Chocolate Ganache Celebration Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour including cooling
- Yield: 12 to 14 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most extraordinary Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake made by preheating oven to 350°F preparing three 8-inch pans combining 1 3/4 cups flour 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup cocoa 2 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt in large bowl mixing 1 cup milk 1/2 cup oil 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 2 eggs separately adding wet to dry beating well slowly adding 1 cup hot water mixing on low until combined batter will be thin dividing between pans baking 22 to 25 minutes until toothpick shows few moist crumbs cooling 2 to 3 minutes then on racks making peanut butter frosting by combining 2 cups room temperature butter and 1 1/4 cups no-stir smooth peanut butter adding half 9 cups powdered sugar then 3 tbsp water then remaining sugar and water and pinch salt leveling cake layers assembling with 1 cup frosting between each layer and half of 6 chopped Reese’s between each crumb coating refrigerating making ganache from heated cream poured over chocolate chips whisked smooth drizzling around edges and over top garnishing with Reese’s halves and crumbles. A completely extraordinary Reese’s peanut butter chocolate layer cake recipe.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups 228g All-Purpose Flour
2 cups 414g Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup 85g Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 cup 240ml Whole Milk
1/2 cup 120ml Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 large Eggs
1 cup 240ml Hot Water
2 cups 448g Unsalted Butter room temperature
1 1/4 cups 350g Smooth Peanut Butter no-stir not natural
9 cups 1035g Powdered Sugar
6 to 7 tbsp Water or Milk
6 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups chopped
Pinch of Salt
6 oz 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup 120ml Heavy Whipping Cream
4 additional Reese’s halved for garnish
Crumbled Reese’s for garnish
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F 176°C. Prepare three 8-inch pans with spray and parchment.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
3. Mix milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs in separate bowl. Add wet to dry. Beat until combined.
4. Slowly add hot water. Mix low until combined. Batter will be thin. Divide between pans.
5. Bake 22 to 25 minutes until toothpick shows few moist crumbs. Cool 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to racks.
6. Combine room temperature butter and peanut butter. Mix well.
7. Add half powdered sugar. Mix smooth. Add 3 tbsp water. Mix smooth.
8. Add remaining sugar and remaining water and salt. Mix smooth watching consistency.
9. Level cake layers with serrated knife.
10. Place first layer on serving plate. Top with 1 cup frosting. Add half chopped Reese’s pressing into frosting. Spread small amount frosting over. Repeat with second layer. Place final layer on top.
11. Apply thin crumb coat. Frost exterior with remaining peanut butter frosting.
12. Heat cream to just boiling. Pour over chocolate chips. Rest 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk smooth.
13. Drizzle ganache around edges and over top. Let firm 10 minutes. Garnish with frosting swirls and Reese’s.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake, Celebration
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 82g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 90g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
Keywords: peanut butter chocolate cake, easy moist peanut butter chocolate cake recipe Reese’s three layer ganache, best peanut butter chocolate layer cake Reese’s peanut butter cups, Reese’s chocolate peanut butter birthday cake
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