Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake is an incredibly rich, decadent dessert. Layers of dark chocolate cake and nutty peanut butter cake are filled with a creamy peanut butter frosting and a semisweet chocolate ganache. It’s hard to go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate, and this cake takes the flavor combo to a whole new level. For chocolatey, peanut butter perfection, choose this cake – every bite is heavenly! Don’t let the length of the recipe scare you – while there are a lot of steps, it’s actually quite easy to make!

How to Make the Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

The Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake has alternating layers of peanut butter cake and chocolate cake, so requires two different cake batters. However, both batters use almost the same ingredients and are simple to make. Let’s start with the chocolate cake. Preheat your oven to 350° F and prep a 9-inch round cake pan by greasing it lightly and lining the bottom with parchment paper. In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. It might feel like a long time, but it really makes a difference in the finished cake! Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, and scraping down the bowl as needed. Next, mix in the vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder. Stir in the cocoa powder until it is evenly dispersed. Finally, alternate adding the flour and the milk, stirring after each addition. Start with ⅓ of the flour, then ½ of the milk. Repeat with flour, the rest of the milk, and finally the rest of the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350° F for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack and allowing to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Cake

While the chocolate cake is baking, get started on the peanut butter cake. Again, it’s a simple cake batter. Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan, and set aside. In large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the peanut butter and granulated sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder. Finally, alternate adding the flour and the milk, the same way you did for the chocolate cake. The process for each cake is the same, they just have slightly different ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350° F for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack and allowing to cool completely. Once both cakes are completely cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold- overnight, or for at least 2 hours. This will make the cake easier to slice and assemble.

Chocolate Ganache

The semisweet chocolate ganache is what really brings this cake together. It provides contrast to the sweetness of the peanut butter frosting and gives the cake a beautiful, glossy finish. To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 30 second intervals until hot but not boiling, about two minutes total. Alternatively, you can heat the cream on the stove until hot (not boiling), but I prefer the microwave for convenience. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate has melted into the cream and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside and let cool to room temperature before decorating. Chocolate ganache is one of my favorite ways to decorate a cake because it’s beautiful and easy to make, with only two ingredients.

Peanut Butter Frosting

This peanut butter frosting is a perfect complement to the cake. It’s very soft, fluffy, and is probably one of my favorite frostings I’ve ever made. It’s made like an American buttercream, but includes peanut butter for flavor. Start by beating the softened butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or large bowl with a hand mixer. Next, add 1 cup of powdered sugar followed by ¼ cup of heavy cream. Continue to alternate 1 cup of powdered sugar with ¼ of heavy cream until all of the sugar (5 cups) and cream (1 cup) has been incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the salt – this is a very necessary step that helps prevent the frosting from being too sweet! Finally, turn the mixer to medium high and beat the frosting for 5 minutes. This will ensure that your frosting is as smooth, creamy, and fluffy as possible. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the cake. If making ahead of time, store covered in the fridge and beat on medium high for a few minutes right before assembling to get it fluffy again.

Assembling and Decorating the Cake

Now it’s time to put it all together! First, set aside half of the peanut butter frosting and half of the chocolate ganache for decorating. Use the other half of each to fill the cake. To assemble the cake, start by slicing the chilled peanut butter cake and chocolate cake horizontally, forming 4 separate layers of cake. I used my 9 inch springform cake pan as a guide to assemble this cake because of the removable sides, but you can assemble directly onto a serving plate or cake stand, too. Just be careful to make sure that your layers don’t slip! Start with a base layer of chocolate cake, followed by a layer of peanut butter frosting and a drizzle of chocolate ganache. Follow that with a layer of peanut butter cake, more peanut butter frosting, and another drizzle of chocolate ganache. Repeat with the other chocolate cake, the rest of the peanut butter frosting, and the remainder of the ganache. Finally, top with the last peanut butter cake layer. Stick a wooden dowel or chopstick through the cake to help keep the layers steady. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set the frosting and ganache.

I’m just learning how to decorate cakes, so I kept it simple. Using some of the remaining peanut butter frosting, lightly frost the cake to form a crumb coat and chill for another 30 minutes. Once chilled, frost evenly with peanut butter frosting. Spread the remaining chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and chill to set. If desired, pipe designs on the top of the cake with any leftover peanut butter frosting or sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups.

Serving and Storage

The cake needs to be stored in the fridge. For best flavor, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice carefully and enjoy! Store any leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you need to store leftovers for longer than 3-4 days, wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. Frozen cake will last well for 2-3 months. To defrost, move to the fridge overnight or let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

This Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake truly is a showstopper. The dark chocolate cake and the semisweet chocolate ganache pair perfectly with the layers of peanut butter cake and the sweet, silky peanut butter frosting- it’s like an incredibly delicious, over the top peanut butter cup. If you made this cake, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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