Capture the salty-sweet appeal of chocolate peanut butter cups with a decadent three-layer chocolate peanut butter cake.
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What Is a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake?
Chocolate peanut butter cake is a composed cake that highlights a popular flavor combination: peanut butter and chocolate. You can enhance most buttercream frosting recipes with a few scoops of peanut butter, which turns fluffy and light when beaten with sugar and dairy like heavy cream or butter—perfect for separating layers of rich chocolate cake.
For an extra chocolatey flourish, finish with a drizzle of chocolate ganache on top of the creamy peanut butter frosting. (Try Chef Dominique Ansel’s chocolate ganache recipe if you want to go all out.)
3 Tips for Making a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
The combination of chocolate and peanut butter makes a perfect birthday cake (or cupcakes). Here’s what to know about creating the best chocolate cake and a stand-out, nutty frosting.
- 1. Use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder for the cake. The fluffiest chocolate cake recipes call for natural (rather than Dutch-process) cocoa powder. Dutch-process cocoa powder undergoes alkalization, which means it won’t react with the leavening agents in the cake batter. No reaction, no rise.
- 2. Bloom the cocoa powder. For a deep chocolate flavor, “bloom,” or rehydrate, the cocoa powder with a hot liquid. Hot water is the most common method, but hot coffee or canola oil will also work.
- 3. Use smooth peanut butter for the frosting. Creamy peanut butter results in a fluffy frosting that’s easy to pipe or spread with an offset spatula. If you’re planning on frosting the entire cake, trap any wayward crumbs with a thin layer of frosting known as a crumb coat and place the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. Finish the cake with a second layer of frosting.
How to Store Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Store chocolate peanut butter cake in an airtight container at room temperature. Place an inverted large bowl or cake keeper directly over the plate to keep the frosting layer from getting smudged with plastic wrap. The freshly baked cake will only keep for about a day or two, so eat it quickly.
Classic Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Recipe
makes
1 9-inch layer cakeprep time
25 mintotal time
1 hrcook time
35 minIngredients
For the cake:
For the frosting:
For assembly:
Note: The total time does not include 20 minutes of inactive time.
Make the chocolate cake:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla at medium speed until well combined.
- 3
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- 4
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time until they are fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- 5
Carefully whisk in the boiling water.
- 6
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
- 7
Invert the cake layers onto wire racks to cool.
Make the peanut butter frosting:
- 1
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar with the water and let it dissolve.
- 2
Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and continue to boil until it reaches the soft-ball stage (239 degrees Fahrenheit).
- 3
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and vanilla extract at low speed until just mixed. (Alternatively, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer.)
- 4
Slowly pour the sugar syrup into the eggs while whisking. Continue to whisk at medium speed until the mixture is cool and develops a mousse-like consistency.
- 5
Add the butter one tablespoon at a time while whisking continuously. Continue whisking until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.
- 6
Add the peanut butter and salt, and beat until evenly incorporated.
- 7
Adjust the consistency of the frosting as needed with a little water or milk.
- 8
If preferred, transfer to a piping bag with piping tips.
Assemble the cake:
- 1
Place the bottom cake layer right-side up on a cake stand, platter, or cake turntable, then spread or pipe a layer of frosting on top of the cake layer.
- 2
Top it with a second cake layer, upside-down, gently pressing to adhere.
- 3
Repeat with another layer of frosting.
- 4
Place the final layer according to whether you prefer the top of the cake to be flat or domed.
- 5
Frost the top and sides of the cake with a light coat frosting to trap any crumbs and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- 6
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and coat the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Serve with ice cream, if desired.
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