This cake. I can’t. It’s not going to be left on the stand looking pretty for long… Also, why have I not made peanut butter frosting before?! I’m already planning some PBJ cupcakes…
I loved the combination of super-rich chocolate cake, with swirls of peanut butter batter covered in peanut butter frosting then finished off with Italian buttercream, which is less sweet than the regular kind and didn’t overpower/ compete with the other flavors in the cake.
The chocolate ganache was just right; in all honesty I’d put chocolate ganache on literally anything and be happy. Did I mention I made two versions of the cake? If you’re short on time you can add peanut butter chips to the cake batter instead doing the marbleization. Both versions taste great!
PRO tips to Make this chocolate peanut butter cake
- If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
- If you don’t want to make Italian buttercream you can use the American variety. I just prefer the smoothness and taste of the Italian variety. I know it’s a pain to make two different types of frosting though!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you add peanut butter to chocolate cake mix?
Try adding 1/2 cup of peanut butter with the egg and oil/butter. Bake as normal and you should have a delicious peanut butter chocolate cake!
How do you make chocolate peanut butter frosting?
- Sift together 4 cups confectioners sugar 440g, 1/3 cup cocoa powder 35g, 1/2 tsp salt 1.5g,
- Cream 1/2 cup unsalted butter 115g, room temperature until smooth.
- Beat the sugar mixture into the butter and mix until incorporated.
- Add 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 125g
- Add 2-4 tbsp heavy cream 30-60mL
How do you get a smooth side and a perfect drip?
- Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of the peanut butter frosting then chill before adding the Italian meringue buttercream.
- If you find cake decorating to be a bit intimidating then check out my How to Decorate a Cake post, it has lots of helpful tips and a full how to video.
Steps To Assemble This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
How Do You Assemble A Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake?
- To assemble this cake; pipe the peanut butter buttercream in between each layer and repeat this step until the cake is fully stacked.
- Pipe a crumb coat with the peanut butter buttercream and smooth it out with an offset spatula and bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
- Now you’re going to pipe the Italian meringue buttercream on and around the whole cake and smooth it out as well with an offset spatula and bench scraper. (Save some Italian meringue and add various amounts of chocolate to what remains).
- With an offset spatula, add some of the chocolate Italian meringue to the sides of the cake. It doesn’t need to be neat, you will be smoothing it out.
- Now add some of the white Italian meringue to the sides as well.
- Use your bench scraper to smooth out the buttercream around the sides of the cake.
- Repeat this step using some of the ganache. Spread a bit of it around the sides of the cake and smooth it out to create a nice blend of colors.
- Put the ganache into a piping bag, snip the tip off and create the drip around the top of your cake. Fill in the top of the cake with the ganache as well and smooth it out with an offset spatula.
- Using an 869 tip, pipe the dollops of Italian meringue to the edge of the cake and there you have your chocolate peanut butter cake. Enjoy!
IF YOU LOVE Chocolate TRY THESE recipes OUT!
If you’ve tried this chocolate peanut butter cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Chocolate and Peanut butter make for a sinfully delicious duo!
Servings 10 Slices
Calories 483kcal
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Chocolate Cake:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 216g
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 350g
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170g
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder 75g, not dutch processed
- 1 tsp baking powder 4g
- 2 tsp baking soda 12g
- 1 tsp kosher salt 6g
- 1 cup sour cream 240g
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil 118mL
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
- 1 cup coffee 236mL, freshly brewed, strong
For the Peanut Butter Swirls:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 96g
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
- 1/4 tsp baking soda 1g, heaping
- 1/2 tsp baking powder 2g
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter 58g, room temperature
- 1/3 cup peanut butter 85g
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract 10mL
- 1/4 cup sour cream 60g, room temperature
- 1/4 cup whole milk 60mL, room temperature
- OR about 1 cup peanut butter chips added to batter just after pouring onto pans so they can be distributed evenly.
For Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 4 cups confectioners sugar 440g
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 115g, room temperature
- 1/2 cup peanut butter 125g
- 2-4 tbsp heavy cream 30-60mL
For the Italian Buttercream:
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300g
- 1/3 cup water 79mL
- pinch salt
- 16 ounces unsalted butter 454g, room temperature cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 cup dark chocolate 175g
- 1 cup heavy cream 236mL, or less if you want a firmer ganache and shorter drips
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour four 6-inch cake pans. Add damp cake strips.
- In a medium, sift the dry ingredients together and give them a good whisk.
- Cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined.
- Same steps for the peanut butter mixture. (mix dry, mix wet, combine)
- Pour chocolate batter into the pans, add dollops of the peanut butter batter and give a swirl. You will have enough left over PB batter to make a few cupcakes for later. ?
- Bake for about 30 min or until centers springs back when pressed.
To Make the Peanut Butter Frosting:
- Cream the butter and peanut butter together
- Add sifted powdered sugar and mix
- Add in cream as needed to reach desired consistency (this also depends on the brand/ type of peanut butter used)
For the Italian Buttercream:
- Beat the egg whites and 1/3 cup of sugar until soft peaks form.
- In a medium saucepan add the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water then place on low heat. Stir constantly until sugar melts and becomes clear. Maintain at medium high heat until temperature reads 235-240F. Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately. Run mixer until merengue is body temperature. Add room temperature butter into running mixer one piece at a time. Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency.
- I used an 869 tip to pipe the dollops on top by the way.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- Melt chocolate and cream in a microwave at half power in 2-3 30 second bursts. Allow to sit for a few minutes then whisk until consistency is smooth.
For the Assembly:
- Pipe the peanut butter buttercream in between each layer. Pipe a crumb coat. Smooth with an offset spatula and bench scraper. Chill for about 10 min.
- Pipe on italian meringue buttercream. Smooth with an offset spatula and bench scraper.
- Save some plain italian meringue. Add various amounts of chocolate to the remaining italian meringue.
- Add chocolate italian meringues, white italian meringue and ganache to the sides of the cake. Smooth with a bench scraper.
- Add ganache drip and smooth.
- Pipe dollops of italian meringue to the edge of the cake.
Video
Notes
- If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
- If you don't want to make Italian buttercream you can use the American variety. I just prefer the smoothness and taste of the Italian variety. I know it's a pain to make two different types of frosting though!
Nutrition
Serving: 126g | Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9.4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 409mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 3.1mg
*Nutrition Disclaimer
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This recipe is truly scrumtastic! I doubled it and used 8in pans as suggested and it was perfect. I even had enough leftover peanut butter batter and ganache to whip up 6 cupcakes (I folded chocolate chips into the batter for that)! The chocolate cake is moist and doesn’t get much better. I will be using it in the future as a go to chocolate cake recipe. The Italian meringue buttercream instructions are simple (not over complicated with too many steps or over explaining) and easy to follow and it turned out great! I truly enjoy watching your channel and trying your recipes. Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us! Happy Baking!
Hi john! I love this recipe and have made it multiple times. I have a question though… every time I make this cake, it crumbles when I take it out of the pan. Is there a suggestion for a preferred cooling recommendation? The fridge? Taking it out of the pans? Etc. thanks so much for your recipes!!(:
This cake is absolute perfection…so delicious and beautiful! I can’t wait to make it for my next party!
Hi John,
Huge fan of you and your recipes. Just wanted to share that I’m making the wedding cake for my nephew and his bride (super excited!). I gave them a sample of the marbled cake and then just the peanut butter cake. They chose the peanut butter but w/chocolate ganache between the layers. I’m debating on whether I should crumb coat with a layer of ganache or just buttercream. They want the outside to be white, so I might play it safe and just use the buttercream for a crumb coat. Anyway, I’ll let you know how it all turns out. (I’d post a pic to instagram but I don’t have an acct.)
Best of luck in Connecticut 🙂