Chocolate and peanut butter make for a sinfully delicious duo, so why not make a chocolate peanut butter cake? This super-rich chocolate cake, with swirls of peanut butter batter, covered in peanut butter frosting then finished off with Italian buttercream is like a dream!
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!
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Chocolate and Peanut butter make for a sinfully delicious duo!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 10 Slices
Calories 483 kcal
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.
Recipe Video
Recipe 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 Facts
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Amount Per Serving (126 g)
Calories 483 Calories from Fat 225
% Daily Value*
Fat 25g38%
Saturated Fat 9.4g47%
Cholesterol 54mg18%
Sodium 409mg17%
Potassium 243mg7%
Carbohydrates 57g19%
Fiber 2.2g9%
Sugar 27g30%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 400IU8%
Calcium 100mg10%
Iron 3.1mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hi, did you put the peanut butter frosting in between the cake layers and then the italian buttercream outside? Also what and how many Colours did you add to the buttercream in order to achieve this look? did you also add chocolate on the outer look? Thanks
Hi Anum — Yes, peanut butter for the cream and the crumb coat. Buttercream for the outside. I personally did two different intensities of chocolate, buttercream and final slash of ganache before smoothing. Hope that helps. Thanks, John
This is gorgeous! And it sounds so good! I definitely have to try this out
I love this! Who wouldn’t love chocolate and peanut butter!?!
Question.. how do you serve cakes with 4 big layers like that? I wanted one like that at our wedding and then was wondering if it would need to be cut once vertically and once again horizontally.. (the weddings over, but I’m still curious!)
Good question! I have slightly larger dessert plates, which can accommodate the taller cake pieces. ?
This is almost too good looking to eat, But I would certainly try
The cake is stunning! I loved the video as I always wondered how that style of frosting/decorating the sides is achieved
OMG This is an amaazing cake! Seriously, can’t stop looking!
Wow, gorgeous cake! Chocolate and peanut butter = heaven!
This looks amazing! Did you use butter in the chocolate cake batter, or only
For the peanut butter swirls?
Thank you! Only the peanut butter swirls. Vegetable oil was used for the chocolate cake.
OMG I can’t stop looking at this beautiful cake! This is my dream for Christmas Day!
What ingredient’s did you use for the decorations on top of the cake?
Hi Cindy — I used a chocolate ganache drip with dollops of buttercream. Hope that helps. Thanks, John.
this is so amazing, i tried this for my dads birthday and everyone loved the cake! thank you!
This looks amazing…question, you have 1/2 cup sugar at 200 grams and 1/4 cup butter at 170 grams..which one is correct?
Hi Stephany — The post should have the correct measurements now. Thanks, John.
I’d like to make this cake but not so tall. Any suggestions for size of rounds for making a 2 layer cake?
Michelle,
Use two 8-inch pans instead!
John
Hi,
I have been following your Youtube channel and wanted to make this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. However, I notice the ingredients list for the cake is different from the one on your Youtube channel and the one on the website. Which one should I use?
Thank you
Phoebii,
Use the recipe from the blog post! Hope you love the cake!
John
Hi John, thanks for your recipies, it would be very helpful if you could upload the full video for this cake, It helps me to bake better! 🙈 👍🏻
This cake is absolute perfection…so delicious and beautiful! I can’t wait to make it for my next party!