Yield: 12 slices
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Recipe
This chocolate peanut butter cake recipe is an extra moist, rich, three layer chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter frosting and a sweet chocolate glaze on top! Perfect for birthdays or any special occasion, it's a must-try for chocolate and peanut butter lovers.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons evaporated milk, or regular milk
- Chocolate Sauce
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Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, until melted. Chill the butter mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Whisk in vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Quickly beat in eggs into the melted chocolate mixture until well combined. Whisk in dry ingredients, until smooth. Do not over stir, mix just until the batter comes together.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pans until cool to the touch – then frost.
Frosting
- Cream butter and peanut butter in a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and salt. Gradually add powdered sugar, one half cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk, one teaspoon at a time, and beat at medium speed until perfectly light and fluffy.
- Assemble the three cake layers with a thick layer of frosting in between the layers. Then apply a thin crumb coat on the top and sides. Pop cake in the freezer to harden the crumb coat for about 10 minutes.
- Apply one final thick and even layer around the outside of the cake and top with chocolate sauce and decorate, if desired!
Video
Notes
Store: Storing your cake as whole as possible, versus slices of cake, will help it to retain the most moisture. If storing slices, I recommend wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap. To store, place cake in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 4 days (if you used evaporated milk). If you used a different kind of milk requiring refrigeration, for safety, store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: Wrap cake in plastic wrap then place it into a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 1 to 2 hours, until fully thawed.
Measure Flour: Do not scoop from a packed bag of flour, it will create an overly dense cake! Instead, fluff the flour with a fork. Then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This is the correct method for measuring flour!
Crumb Coat: A crumb coat is a very thin layer of frosting used to “glue” crumbs down. This prevents any crumbs from coming loose and making your icing lumpy. Apply a thin crumb layer on the top and sides of your cake and then chill cake in the fridge until frosting is firm. Then frost with the final thick layer of frosting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 747kcal, Carbohydrates: 82g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 682mg, Potassium: 314mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 59g, Vitamin A: 724IU, Vitamin C: 0.05mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 3mg