Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe
This rich and moist chocolate peanut butter cup cake features a dense chocolate cake base, a creamy peanut butter frosting, and is topped with chopped peanut butter cups and a chocolate ganache. This from-scratch cake is the perfect cake to serve a crowd for a dinner party! It’s rich, so you can cut skinny pieces … or not. :)

I’ve been thinking a lot about chocolate lately, how much I love it, how much I crave it. I’m really a chocolate lover in many ways. I like mostly all flavors, and I can eat it any time of the day (like this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake recipe)! Even bitter chocolate seems to serve my palate well.
To serve a chocolate peanut butter cup cake, chill the cake first for easier slicing, then let it come to room temp to soften the frosting a tiny bit. You can serve it on its own or with a simple topping like vanilla ice cream or a glass of milk.

Chocolate and peanut butter? LOVE this combo, like this ice cream, cookies, and rice krispy treats.
Ingredients to make a chocolate peanut butter cup cake:
Make the cake:
- All-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- Dutch-process cocoa powder
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- eggs
- buttermilk
- strong black coffee, hot
- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract

Peanut butter frosting:
- powdered sugar
- creamy peanut butter
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- kosher salt
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- finely chopped chocolate
- heavy whipping cream
- miniature peanut butter cups

How to make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and sides; set aside.
- In a large bowl, 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, mixing for 2-3 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans. Bake for 20 minutes. 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 for 15 minutes; carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to completely cool.
How to make the peanut butter frosting:
- In a large bowl add the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt; mix on medium-low speed until creamy. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed, until the mixture is light and smooth.

Make the chocolate ganache:
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces so it will melt easily and evenly, and place in a small bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil.
- Pour the nearly boiled cream over the chocoalte and allow to sit for a couple of minutes; stir until melted and smooth.
- Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, but not firm (you want it pourable over the cake).

Assembling the cake:
- If the cakes baked have a domed top, level off the tops with a knife. 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.
- Place on top the second cake layer and cover with another 1 cup of the peanut butter frosting, with 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
- Place the final cake layer on top face-down (flat edge facing up), and frost 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.
- Pour the chocolate ganache into the center of the cake, letting it run over the sides of the cake. Top with the remaining 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
- Refrigerate the cake before serving, allowing the ganache a chance to set up. Slice and serve!
Serving
Now for a slice of this RICH Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake recipe! A sinfully rich three-layer chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, chopped peanut butter cups and a chocolate ganache!
Enjoy a skinny piece or a hearty piece!

More chocolate cake recipes to try while you are here:

Get the Recipe:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1½ cups strong black coffee, hot
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 4½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
Chocolate ganache:
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 30 miniature peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped, divided
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and sides; set aside.
- In a large bowl, 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, mixing for 2-3 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans. Bake for 20 minutes. 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 for 15 minutes; carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to completely cool.
Make the peanut butter frosting:
- In a large bowl add the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt; mix on medium-low speed until creamy. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed, until the mixture is light and smooth.
Make the chocolate ganache:
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces so it will melt easily and evenly, and place in a small bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil.
- Pour the nearly boiled cream over the chocoalte and allow to sit for a couple of minutes; stir until melted and smooth.
- Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, but not firm (you want it pourable over the cake).
Assemble the cake:
- If the cakes baked have a domed top, level off the tops with a knife. 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.
- Place on top the second cake layer and cover with another 1 cup of the peanut butter frosting, with 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
- Place the final cake layer on top face-down (flat edge facing up), and frost with the remaining peanut butter frosting, finishing it as smoothly as possible.
- Pour the chocolate ganache into the center of the cake, letting it run over the sides of the cake. Top with the remaining 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour, until the frosting is set.
Serving the cake:
- Refrigerate the cake before serving, allowing the ganache a chance to set up. Slice and serve!
Notes

Oh goodness….I love me some chocolate and peanut butter! I also love that quote. It’s so good. I need to get a few of her books.