This super moist dark chocolate peanut butter cake marries the flavors of rich dark chocolate and sweet creamy peanut butter—a match made in heaven if ever there was one. Fill and coat the cake with peanut butter frosting, then cover the whole dessert with semi-sweet chocolate ganache, pipe more peanut butter frosting on top… and get ready to swoon, because this is love at first bite.
One reader, Julia, commented: “This recipe is incredible! The cake texture and crumb is moist and delicately fluffy. The peanut butter frosting is perfect—not too sweet or strong. It was a hit at our little after graduation party. And it was gorgeous! Thank you for such an amazing recipe with simple ingredients! ★★★★★“
Meet our newest most eligible bachelor: the dark chocolate peanut butter cake. This cake is rich. Like, ultra-rich. I think the term “filthy rich” might even apply here.
Here’s Why You’ll Swoon Over This Cake
- Cake crumb is fudge-like and moist, yet a little light and spongey.
- Enjoy extra texture from the chocolate chips. (I insist you don’t leave these out! Taste testers said the chocolate chips are a welcome contrast to the smooth frosting and cake… and I agree.)
- Peanut butter frosting packs BIG flavor.
- It’s sweet, but not overly so; the lightly sweetened peanut butter frosting and dark chocolate ganache is a nice break from cloyingly sweet buttercream.
- Very rich! If you’re going to indulge in dessert, put this layer cake on the menu.
This spectacularly rich chocolate ganache-enrobed cake is such a personal and reader favorite that I knew I had to include it in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101 (which has become a New York Times Best Seller!). The cakes chapter just would not have been complete without it!
It’s actually the first recipe in that chapter, and in the book it’s titled “Chocolate Ganache Cake: 2 Ways,” because I include a second filling option—chocolate mousse, just like this recipe for dark chocolate mousse cake. Both versions of ganache-topped chocolate layer cakes have received such glowing reviews on my website, I simply couldn’t choose between them… so I found a way to include them both!
3 Parts to Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Let’s break down each component of this unapologetically indulgent cake:
- Dark Chocolate Cake: We’re starting with the same cake batter from dark chocolate mousse cake and chocolate raspberry cake, both reader favorites. The cake batter is essentially the same as this chocolate cake, but we’re using the sour cream variation because it produces a sturdier cake—certainly beneficial for tall and towering layers.
- Peanut Butter Frosting: Slather on a layer of creamy peanut butter frosting between each cake layer, and use it to apply a crumb coat to the exterior of the cake. It’s a scaled-up version of my original peanut butter frosting recipe.
- Chocolate Ganache: Top the whole cake with 2-ingredient semi-sweet chocolate ganache. I originally frosted this cake with a chocolate buttercream, but all of my taste testers said it was simply too rich and too sweet. “Hard to finish a slice,” most said. With chocolate ganache, one taster distinctly said, “I cannot stop eating this.”
My team and I made at least 6 of these cakes during the testing phase and we had some VERY happy neighbors and friends.
A Cake With Serious Chocolate Flavor
You need a handful of basic baking ingredients for the cake batter. The acidity in both sour cream and buttermilk is a must to provide proper leavening. (If desired, see my Baking Powder vs Baking Soda and Baking with Buttermilk posts for more information.) A touch of espresso powder and hot coffee further enhances the chocolate flavor. The cake will not taste like coffee—rather, the two add depth to the cake’s dark chocolate flavor. Feel free to skip the espresso powder and replace hot coffee with hot water.
- Why hot liquid? The hot liquid encourages the cocoa powder to bloom and dissolve.
Chocolate chips take the chocolate flavor to the next level, and, as I mentioned above, they also supply phenomenal texture. Toss them in a little flour before folding into the batter.
Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
I played around with the ingredients in my usual creamy peanut butter frosting recipe, and made some adjustments in order to yield just the right amount for this cake. You need 5 ingredients:
- Butter
- Peanut Butter: Use the conventional kind, like Jif or Skippy, rather than natural.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: I know you’ll appreciate that there’s less than 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar, a far cry from the usual 6 or 7 cups required for buttercream on a tall layer cake.
- Heavy Cream: You also need this for the chocolate ganache.
- Vanilla Extract
You’ll end up with 3.5–4 cups (about 850g), which is enough frosting for filling, crumb-coating, and some basic piping on the exterior. This frosting has incredible peanut butter flavor because it’s packed with nearly 2 cups of it! There’s no other way to make it. 😉
2-Ingredient Chocolate Ganache
I won’t go into a lot of detail about how to make the ganache because I have a complete chocolate ganache tutorial for you. You need just 2 ingredients: chopped semi-sweet baking chocolate (about 56–60% cacao) and warm heavy cream.
#1 Success Tip: Wait 20–30 minutes for the ganache to thicken before pouring or spooning onto the cake, which is convenient because you also have to wait for the crumb-coated cake to chill.
As you can watch in the video tutorial below, a chilled cake helps set or solidify the ganache as you’re applying it, which helps prevent major drips/big messes.
How to Assemble & Decorate This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
I’m NOT a professional cake decorator and with all of my layer cakes, I prefer simplicity. This detailed how to assemble and decorate a layer cake post is a great guide. Let me share how I stack and decorate this beauty:
Assemble: Place the bottom cooled cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Using a large icing spatula or small offset spatula, evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of peanut butter frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and another 1 cup of frosting. Top with the third cake and then spread a thin layer of the peanut butter frosting on top and around the sides as a crumb coat. Run a bench scraper around the cake to smooth it out. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to set the crumb coat.
Decorate: Pour slightly cooled chocolate ganache on top, then, once again, run a bench scraper around the sides to smooth it out. Finally, fill a piping bag (reusable or disposable) with the remaining peanut butter frosting and pipe around the edges of the cake. I use Wilton 1M for the piped detail. If desired, you can finish off this chocolate peanut butter bombshell with peanut butter cups.
If you’re just learning how to use piping tips, my piping tips guide is a helpful resource, and don’t miss these complete lists of cake success tips and cake decorating tools.
Now it’s your turn! Swoooon.
Recommended Tools
- Stand Mixer or Handheld Mixer
- 3 9-inch Cake Pans (8-inch also works, but I recommend 9-inch for this cake)
- Parchment Paper Rounds
- Large Icing Spatula and/or Small Offset Spatula
- Cake Turntable (optional, I don’t use one for this)
- Bench Scraper
- Piping Bag (disposable or reusable) & Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- Cake Carrier for storing and transporting
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12-14
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This super rich chocolate peanut butter cake combines moist chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter frosting and smooth chocolate ganache. Crumb-coated cake and ganache must chill before assembling and decorating the cake. See recipe Notes for further information about some ingredients. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (64g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder*
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional)*
- 1/2 cup (113g/120ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) hot water or black coffee*
- 1 cup (170g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, tossed in 1 Tablespoon flour
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (440g) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 3 Tablespoons (45g/ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
Chocolate Ganache
- 8 ounces (226g) quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped*
- 1 cup (240g/ml) heavy cream
- optional garnish: chopped or mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a whisk), mix the oil, eggs, and sour cream together on medium-high speed until combined. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and beat until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot water/coffee, and whisk or beat on low speed until the batter is completely combined. Fold in the flour-coated chocolate chips. Batter is thin and you may see some air bubbles on the surface—that’s normal. You should have about 6–6.5 cups of batter, or around 1400g. Divide batter evenly between 3 pans.
- Bake for 24–26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to help loosen the sides, remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment, and place on the rack to finish cooling. The cakes may slightly sink in the middle as they cool—that’s expected.
- As the cakes cool, make the peanut butter frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and beat until completely combined, about 1–2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to help combine. Mixture will be thin. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and then pour in the heavy cream with the mixer running on low speed. After all of the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for 1–2 minutes, or until fully combined and creamy. Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting seems quite thin. You should end up with about 3.5–4 cups (850g) of peanut butter frosting. This amount makes enough for the filling, crumb coat, and for a little piping on top.
- Assemble cake + apply crumb coat: (For extra help with this step, see this video & post on how to assemble a layer cake.) Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Using a large icing spatula or small offset spatula, evenly cover the top with about 1 cup (240g) peanut butter frosting. Repeat with 2nd and 3rd cake layers, spreading about 1 cup of peanut butter frosting in between each layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top and around the sides as a crumb coat. Run a bench scraper around the cake to smooth out the sides. Chill uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to set the crumb coat.
- As your crumb coat sets, make the chocolate ganache: Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil—that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2–3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Ganache is thin. The finer you chopped the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. If it’s not melting, do not microwave it. If needed, see Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache. Once the ganache is smooth, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour to thicken before spreading on the crumb-coated cake.
- Pour/spoon thickened ganache on chilled cake. Smooth the top with an icing spatula and the sides with a bench scraper. If desired, pipe remaining peanut butter frosting around the edge of the cake. I used Wilton 1M piping tip on the pictured cake. Garnish with peanut butter cups, if desired. Serve cake immediately or chill, uncovered, for up to 4–6 hours before serving. Cake can be served at room temperature or chilled.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I always use a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 3. Wrap the individual baked and cooled cake layers tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, then continue with step 4. You can prepare the peanut butter frosting in advance. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using and beat in a little more room-temperature heavy cream to thin out if necessary. You can also prepare the chocolate ganache ahead of time. Refrigerate prepared ganache for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before spreading onto cake. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or serve cold. See this post on how to freeze cakes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Large Icing Spatula and/or Small Offset Spatula | Cake Turntable, Cake Stand, or Serving Platter | Bench Scraper | Piping Bag (Disposable or Reusable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cake Carrier (for storing)
- Cocoa Powder: This recipe requires natural cocoa powder for its acidity, so do not use Dutch-process. Learn about the difference in this post on Dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder.
- Espresso Powder/Coffee: Espresso powder and coffee will not make the cake taste like coffee. Rather, they deepen the chocolate flavor. I highly recommend them both. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can leave out the espresso powder and use extra hot water instead of the hot coffee.
- Sour Cream: Instead of sour cream, you can use plain Greek yogurt. The cake won’t taste as rich, but it’s a fine substitute.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower-fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Peanut Butter: To prevent the frosting from separating or coming out too thin or oily, use processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy.
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter and frosting mix together easily and evenly. Read more about why room-temperature ingredients are important.
- Chocolate Ganache: You can use high-quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips if needed, but when melting chocolate, I recommend using pure chocolate baking bars (chocolate chips have stabilizers). You can find them right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. I like Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands, the ones labeled semi-sweet (56% cacao), which come in 4-ounce (113g) bars.
- Cupcakes: Here’s a very similar recipe for dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. Feel free to fill them with the peanut butter frosting (instead of frosting them with it) and top each with chocolate ganache. Or use this recipe for ganache-topped cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, and replace the cream filling with peanut butter frosting.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This recipe has been loved by everyone who has had the pleasure of trying it at our home. I make it every year for my husband’s birthday as he is a huge peanut butter with chocolate fan. Perfection!!
I selected this chocolate peanut butter cake to make for my 41st birthday. WOW, it is delicious! Sally’s chocolate cakes never disappoint. Perfectly velvety chocolate cake with rich peanut butter buttercream and chocolate ganache… SWOON! This recipe definitely works with three 8-inch round cake pans… I like thick cake layers. Thank you, Sally!!
What chocolate would you recommend for the semi sweet in the uk?
Hi Sharon! We’re based in the US so are unsure of what brands are available in the UK. We like to use Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands, the ones labeled semi-sweet (56% cacao), which come in 4-ounce (113g) bars.
Hello!
I am wanting to make sheet cakes with this recipe. Any suggestions on baking time?
If I want two layers, do you think 1x or make it 2x the recipe?
Hi Kili! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
I love this chocolate cake!!
I need to make a 60th anniversary cake (small gathering, 15 people).
They like chocolate and peanut butter but I would want the outside frosting to be white as I plan to decorate it with white roses and white Pearl Dragee “sprinkles”.
Not sure if white buttercream on the outside would work
White ganache on the whole cake might be too much
Any suggestions???
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!!
(I wanted to make your Snickerdooodle cake because that is my absolute favorite….but it’s not my party 🙂
Hi Carolyn! You could definitely cover the whole cake with vanilla buttercream. It will be sweeter. We really love the flavor of the ganache here, maybe you could still add a thin layer around the outside or between the layers. Let us know what you try!
Can you refrigerate over night and serve it the next day?
Absolutely!
Would I be able to use two 8-inch cake tins rather than three 9-inch? I assume baking time would be longer, but I’m not sure if it would change anything else or if I should scale the recipe down. Thanks!
Hi Genevieve, this is too much batter for two 8 inch pans. You can use three 8 inch pans for thicker layers, the bake time will be longer. Or, for a smaller cake, you could make 2/3 the amount of batter, but that math may be a little tricky. Or you can make the batter as is, fill your 2 cake pans half way, then use the leftover batter for a few cupcakes on the side. Happy baking!
Loved the taste of this cake! The frosting was amazing and the ganache was a lovely extra. I had a really hard time with the cakes though. The first batch ended up falling apart entirely as I removed the parchment. The second attempt only one layer cracked in two places because I was super careful. Would you recommend making them a bit thicker or just a two layer cake to make them stronger? I knew I wanted to make a bit of extra decoration so I make 1.5 of the frosting and was able to also add rosettes to the entire top of the cake and edging to the bottom and have tons for the sampling as each family member walked by!
Hi Antionette, how was the texture of the baked cake? Chocolate cake is delicate, but if it was especially crumbly then it could be that it was over baked. For next time, you can try reducing the bake time by a minute or two to see if that helps. Be sure to also spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure your flour to ensure that the flour isn’t over measured, which can also dry out the cake. We hope this helps for next time and we’re so glad the cake was otherwise a big hit!
Hi sally. Got your cookbook and love it.
I want to make this but my daughter does not want ganache on top just the peanut butter frosting.
Should I just double the frosting recipe or follow a different version of your peanut butter frosting recipe for the outside of the cake?
Thank you!
Hi Whitney! We’re so glad you’re enjoying Sally’s new cookbook. Depending on how thick you want your coat of frosting and how much decorating you’ll do, we would do 1.5 or 2x the frosting recipe.
Fabulous cake – chocolate sponge was so very moist, rich but not too sweet.
Only thing to note is I found the sponges were so moist even when completely cool that the crumb coat was very hard to spread without breaking down the cake, and I needed another 1/3rd amount of the peanut butter icing to be able to pipe decoration on top of the ganache as I’d run out.
I’m an inexperienced cake maker, and after following this recipe very closely, I made what I think is the best cake I’ve ever eaten. It is so moist and fudgy and delicious, and the peanut butter frosting is perfection. I even aced the ganache first try! I added the espresso powder and I really think it made the chocolate flavor pop, so don’t overlook that ingredient. I highly recommend this cake recipe!!!
If I wanted to make a smaller cake, would everything turn out okay if I just halved everything? I know sometimes things don’t turn out right in baking if you half a recipe. Any knowledge on this would be so helpful! I’m so so excited to try fro my bday!
Hi Emilie, You can cut it in half, or you can use our small chocolate cake recipe (for 1, 6-inch chocolate cake) and use the frosting and ganache from this recipe. Hope this helps!
Hi, I’d like to make this a two layer cake and I can see where you’ve directed people to the Triple Chocolate Cake recipe for the correct ratios. But I noticed that cake doesn’t have chocolate chips. Can I add them anyways?
Hi Heather, Yes you can add chocolate chips to that recipe. You can add 1 cup (180g) of chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips. Use the sour cream version detailed in the notes, which creates a slightly thicker batter to hold them up. We typically prefer mini chocolate chips in cake batters, but feel free to use either. Enjoy!
I will be making this cake tomorrow. I got “Hershey’s Cocoa, 100% CACAO” not noticing that it says Cacao instead of Cocoa. It DOES say “Natural Unsweetened” on it and does NOT say Dutch Processed. Is this going to work? I saw in the recipe that it says to get the natural and unsweetened kind rather than Dutch processed so I really thought I’d found it but now am unsure since it is Cacao. Thanks!
Hi Erin, that will work! Hope you enjoy the cake.
I made this for my son’s birthday (37!) as Reeses are his favorite. The frosting was perfection! The ganache over the top was so good! My only issue was making the triple layers of the cake. The cake seemed good, but the ;ayers were so thin i didn’t get enough ‘taste’ of cake. Next time i will make it a double layer cake. The adults raved about it though. I can always count on SB for a great recipe!!
Made this as a special birthday request for a young man. Took me 3 days as I find it easier to do this at 84. It looks beautiful. Frosting is delicious and the ganache reheated perfectly. However, even after carefully weighing all ingredients, I didn’t think the frosting would stretch if I used a cup between all three layers. And it barely covered the crumb coat so there was none to pipe on the top. Disappointing as the photo was gorgeous. Candles will have to be enough decoration.
Loved the cake first of all! I noticed in the comments multiple people struggled with how thick the peanut butter frosting is, and so was i. I think it might be because of the butter, it says to use 3/4 cup (170g) butter, but 3/4 cup is only about 70g. Could this be the issue? I thinned it out with more heavy cream and it worked out in the end.
Hi Sally. I have made this cake so many times – it is a family favorite! My grandson wants this cake for his birthday and wants to have more of a sheet cake. Could I make this as a 1 layer sheet cake?
Hi Georgia! You can bake this cake in a 9×13 inch baking pan. Same oven temperature, about 35-40 minutes bake time. You could halve the ganache and frosting. Hope it’s a hit!
THANK YOU!
It was amazing. At over 6000′ the recipe for both cake & icing needed no adjustments. The flavors are incredible. The cake so tender & moist. It IS very rich as stated so a small slice is all that’s necessary or possible. Advice Do get & adhere tightly to instructions on ganache it breaks easily if this happens start over the more you try to fix it the worse it gets.
DUMB QUESTION: When the recipe calls for 1/2 cup hot water or black coffee-the black coffee is brewed black coffee, correct?
Yes!
Wow!!! This cake was fabulous!!! I made it for a friend’s birthday party and everyone raved about it. Will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing.
This cake is deliciously decadent! My family and friends beg me to make it, so today was my fifth time. Using the espresso coffee gives it another layer of decadence , so don’t leave it out. Also, if you’ve never made ganache, make sure you use good chocolate. Thanks for the recipes!!
This recipe looks amazing!! I plan on making it this weekend for a party. Can I substitute coconut oil for canola or vegetable oil?
Hi Heidi, Absolutely! And be sure the other ingredients are all room temperature, so the coconut oil doesn’t solidify.
Hi Roxanne! We’re unsure the exact quantity, but this recipe would yield A LOT of mini cupcakes. We recommend using this chocolate cupcakes recipe instead for a more reasonable amount – Fill mini liners only halfway and bake for 10–12 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Yields about 3 dozen.
124! 124 delicious mini cupcakes with this recipe.. 1/2 tbsp in each liner and 8 minutes to cook! Very satisfied if anyone else attempts just remember to scoop from the bottom keeping in mind the chocolate bits so you spread them out through all of the mini’s
Hi! I am wary that this buttercream will probably be too sweet for my taste. Do you recommend reducing the sugar? Thanks
Hi Sarah, we don’t recommend reducing the confectioners’ sugar in the buttercream because it’s also needed to thicken the frosting. If you’d like a less sweet chocolate frosting, you can try this Swiss meringue buttercream—there is an option in that post for making a chocolate version. Hope this helps!
I made this Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cake for my husband’s 30th Birthday. I am not an expert baker by any means, but I do have some experience and have made some beautiful cakes. Just some tips I learned through making this cake… dont skip the Parchment paper, I did skip it and just did the oldfashioned butter and flour method like I do for most cakes and the chocolate chips made the cake stick like glue to the pans. This cake turned out SUPER delicate. My god the flavor is amazing but the cakes basically fell apart. If I had Parchment paper it would have been a game changer. Also I would at least 1.5 times the peanut butter frosting recipe, it probably is enough as it says in the recipe but I am not a good enough froster to make that small amount stretch as far as I need it to go for the crumb coat. (Plus my cake was falling apart so I did need a little more for gluing the cake back together). And then I used ghiradelli melting chocolate wafers with heavy whipping cream and just dumped them both into a saucepan and melted everything together on low heat. Took 10 minutes and it made a gorgeous genache that worked great. I thought it would be a disaster when my cakes split but the finished product turned out really nice. You couldn’t really tell that the cakes broke at all. Luckily my husband won’t mind as long as it tastes good, and it definitely will! I like that you can easily adjust the sweetness level of the peanut butter frosting, that was super easy to make.
Hi I’m looking forward to baking this cake! For assembling, I was thinking of adding crushed peanuts on top of the buttercream in between the layers. Do you think this will be too much?
Hi Lily, we haven’t tried it, but it sounds delicious! If you try it, please report back!
I am interested in making this with adding crushed salted peanuts to counter some of the sweetness. Could you let me know if you tried making it with the crushed peanuts and if so, did it work out well?
I made this cake for Fathers Day and it was a score! Everybody enjoyed it. Your recipe was easy to follow and I liked that it could be made in a timely and convenient way.
Hi Sally, I’ve tried this recipe a few times and just can’t get the cake to rise. Any tips?
Hi Trinda, Are you using unsweetened natural cocoa powder and not Dutch processed? You need the natural unsweetened cocoa powder to react properly with the baking soda. This is key for helping the cake to rise. And are your baking powder and baking soda fresh? We find they start to lose their effectiveness after about 3 months, even if not technically expired. Overmixing can also prevent cakes from rising properly. Hope these tips help for next time!
Can I make this with just two cake pans?
Hi Tim, you could make this as a 2 layer cake and follow the baking time for this chocolate cake. Enjoy!
Made the cake and frosting. Before I frost the cake, I don’t think it is peanuty enough. Would you add more peanut butter? I used a lot less of the confectioners sugar, because I prefer it less sweet. Looking forward to hearing your input! 🙂
Hi Monica, you can certainly try adding more peanut butter, but you may need to tinker with the other ingredients as well to get the proper texture. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Have made this cake three times now, every time the cake is fantastic but what am I doing wrong with the peanut butter frosting? It says it can be thin and to add extra icing sugar but mine always comes out very thick even after adding extra cream, I could actually use it to build a house! It tastes nice but does not look good. Other than my frosting failure the cake is an absolute winner.
Hi Suzanne, so glad you love this cake recipe! What kind of peanut butter are you using for the frosting? We recommend using the conventional kind, like Jif or Skippy, rather than natural. Natural peanut butter could make your frosting thicker/dryer with a different texture than regular peanut butter. Adding extra cream should help thin it out, as you’ve tried!
Hi Sally, I would like to make this as a 3-tier 5 inch cake. What adjustments would I need to make? Thanks!
Hi Fatema, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.