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. :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe

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. 

RICH Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe

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:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Peanut butter frosting:

How to make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Make the cake:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing for 2-3 minutes.
  4. 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.
  5. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes; carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to completely cool.

How to make the peanut butter frosting:

  1. 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.
a layered cake with chocolate ganache

Make the chocolate ganache:

  1. 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.
  2. Pour the nearly boiled cream over the chocoalte and allow to sit for a couple of minutes; stir until melted and smooth.
  3. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, but not firm (you want it pourable over the cake).
peanut butter cups on a cake

Assembling the cake:

  1. 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.
  2. Place on top the second cake layer and cover with another 1 cup of the peanut butter frosting, with 10 chopped peanut butter cups.
  3. 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.
  4. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour, until the frosting is set.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe

Sandy Coughlin
This chocolate peanut butter cup cake is a chocolate cake with a creamy peanut butter frosting, peanut butter cups and a chocolate ganache.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
cooling & chilling: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
Yield: 16
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Ingredients
 

Chocolate Cake:

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Chocolate ganache:

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

This recipe is adapted from Browneyed Baker, made for one of our dinner parties.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Calories: 870kcal, Carbohydrates: 99g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 56g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Monounsaturated Fat: 19g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 767mg, Potassium: 531mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 57g, Vitamin A: 629IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!
cake with peanut butter frosting and ganache