The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake! – This easy to make incredibly delicious treat will become your favorite cake everrrrr! The peanut butter layer is just that…plain peanut butter slathered onto of delicious chocolate cake!
I have been waiting for this cake my entire life…. period. Drop the mic. Walk away. Boom and Booyah! Chocolaty cake, smothered in peanut butter and topped with chocolate ganache frosting. I am speechless…(which could be from the peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth…I am a spoon licker).
I used my easy one bowl Best Chocolate Cake recipe, topped it with peanut butter straight from the jar…which is how peanut butter is best. Then covered it with a two ingredient ganache that you make in your microwave in 2 minutes!
Birds sang, the skies parted and there was cake! The Best Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake ever!
My favorite part of making this cake is spreading the peanut butter, right from the jar, onto the cooled cake! I make this for everyone I love….I just like to watch them eat it and smile through their chocolate and peanut butter coated teeth! Heaven!
Chill in the fridge for a bit. Then top with this 5 minute microwave Chocolate Ganache!
Slip this bad boy back in the fridge for about 30 minutes before slicing, and everybody is your friend!
The cake and frosting are not overly sweet, which makes the peanut butter the star of the show. If you have a peanut butter lover in your life, this Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake will be their forever favorite!
Have I mentioned how much I love this cake? I love this cake!
This recipe makes an 8 x 8 cake but you can go bigger! Find the recipe for a 9 x 13 chocolate cake here. And simply double the peanut butter to 2 cups (one entire jar of creamy goodness!).
If you want a grown up Chocolate Cake, try my Double Chocolate Whiskey Cake with Whiskey Ganache! Same easy cake and frosting recipe with a kick!
To the best cake in the world!
Clink!
Kathi
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream Do not use fat free. or greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled you can not taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare frosting to chill while cake is baking.
- For Ganache Frosting
- Pour chocolate chips in large microwave save bowl and microwave for one minute until just soft.
- In another microwave safe bowl heat cream until it just begins to boil. About 2 minutes.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Using a wire whisk, mix well.Chocolate will melt and will become a creamy consistency.
Add vanilla. Cool in fridge for while cake is baking to thicken the ganache.
- Cake
- Spray an 8 x 8 pan with non stick spray.
- In large mixing bowl combine egg, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil and vanilla until well blended.
- Add cocoa powder and coffee. Mix until no lumps are evident.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Mix until just combined.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Completely cool cake. Spread peanut butter on top with a spatula.
- Chill cake in refrigerator until peanut butter is firm to the touch.
Top with ganache. If your ganache is to firm, microwave for 10 seconds and stir.
You can eat immediately but I like it chilled in the fridge for about an hour. Makes it easier to cut as well!
I’m worried about the peanut butter hardening enough. I used normal Jif Creamy peanut butter and put it on about 10 min after the cake came out as the recipe suggests. How long does it usually take to harden?
Hi Ella – the peanut butter won’t ‘harden’. It will firm up in the fridge. The ganache will keep it in place. Chill good after the ganache is poured on before slicing!
Any tips on dyeing the chocolate ganache red and black? I’m trying to turn it into a ladybug design for my daughters birthday. I have little experience with food dye.
You can use dark chocolate for a blacker ganache. But red? Don’t think you can turn chocolate red :). Maybe use a piping tool with red frosting and do an outline of a lady bug?
My husband was raving about a chocolate peanut butter cake that his grandma makes and was wanting to make one for our soon to be 5 year old daughter. I was looking online and found this recipe which appeals to me more than his grandmothers. Yours sounds absolutely devine!! But since this is for children, how much caffeine do you think the coffee is adding per serving? Chocolate in itself has caffeine in it so I’m not expecting caffeine free but some parents are super picky about the caffeine intake for their children. If it was just my child I wouldn’t care!
Hi Jen – 1/2 cup of coffee divided by 8 servings, can’t be much. You can probably fine some info on exact mg’s on the google somewhere :). Substitute 1/2 cup off decaf or water for the coffee if it’s a big concern. The peanut butter is the star of the show for this cake!
I was looking on line for a receipe like this, to make a cake for a friend’s birthday. She just lost her husband of 18 years 2 weeks ago, her birthday is next Thursday. She needs a pick me up and I know she loves chocolate and peanut butter. This is the perfect cake for her. I lost my husband 4 years ago myself and know how hard the first year especially is. Plus she has two son’s who lost their dad. Thank you for this, I am sure she will love it.
You are a good friend Debbie! Hugs to you both…hoping cake lifts her spirits. xoxoxo!
This was one of the most delicious cakes I’ve made in a long while. Last night I had a hankerin’ for chocolate and peanut butter. Now I’m not a fan of being in the kitchen so I rarely bake or cook.
I did a search for chocolate and peanut butter cake and your link read the best, I had all the ingredients except for the cream which I ran out to get in the midst of a snowstorm. I get all the ingredients measured out and ready, subbing white granulated sugar for raw sugar, vegetable oil for coconut oil, and organic peanut butter for regular processed peanut butter. Followed the instructions. After 25 minutes of being in the oven I test the cake in the center with a toothpick and it came out very wet. So I add another 10 minutes. It should have been 5 as the cake came out a tad dry. so next time I will be a bit more cautious with baking time.
I cooled off the ganache in the freezer while my I hoped my loose organic peanut butter would Harden somewhat in the fridge but it didn’t. There’s a bit too much oil in that type of peanut butter but the following day most of the oils had seeped into the cake so that was a plus in disguise. This cake actually tasted better the following day. Anyho, I will definitely make it again, and next time I will add some espresso powder to the ganache to give it a little more pop. Not that it needed it in the least, I just LOVE coffee!
Oh, and one more thing, this cake of yours reminded me of the Funny Bone Cakes I used to eat as a kid, only this is much better, and more of it! Thanks for a great easy to make dessert! Desi
Holy compliment! Thanks so much, Desi! I love the modifications you made and I’m so happy you enjoyed! Cheers!
Hi there– in the ganache recipe you list vanilla twice– how many teaspoons does this frosting call for? Thanks!
H Andrea! My apologies! I moved to a new recipe card system and some of them got mixed up. I have fixed it…please take a look and let me know if you have any other questions! Thanks so much for the note, we are working our way all 350 recipes to make sure there are no more errors.
Thank you so much, Kathi! I figured it out by reading the directions. I made this todaybfor my husband’s birthday— and it was delicious! I used canola oil as it’s what I had, chunky peanut butter (because it’s his favorite) and ended up not using all of the ganache. Thanks again!
I made this 2 ways- as written, and the other I made a pb buttercream in place of straight pb. These cakes are amaaaaaaazing!!! I was skeptical of the coffee/sour cream in the cake, especially with no butter but this is delicious. Using the buttercream instead of straight pb was my favorite.
Thank you Cassandra! totally thrilled you loved it as much as I do and the buttercream sounds delicious!
Made this tonight- used a dark pan and found it was done at 30 minutes. I also used crunchy natural peanut butter and not all of the ganache frosting. Was amazing! My husband said it was the best cake I’ve ever made and I bake a lot! Served it with chocolate peanut butter ice cream- really good!
I am so glad you loved it! I can’t keep it in the house because we can’t stop eating it…but every special occasion and I whip this up! Thank you for taking the time to send such a nice note!
I really want to make this but my husband wouldn’t like thw coffee. What could I substitute? My first thought is milk or just water? Thanks!
Hi Kelly! You truly can not taste the coffee. It simply enhances the flavor of the chocolate. But if you really need to pass on it, just sub 1/2 cup water. Shouldn’t affect the taste too much. The peanut butter is the star of the show! :).
Hi just wondering how long this will keep in the fridge? Made this yesterday and it was perfect! Thank you 🙂
Well in my house it lasts about a day! LOL! But would probably go 4 days and I’d probably still eat it on day 5 in a pinch!
This looks de-licious! Is it okay to make it as a round cake rather than in a brownie style?
Thanks!
Hello George, yes a round pan is fine. An 8 x 8 pan holds about 7 cups of batter (it’s an 8 cup pan but you don’t want it to go to the top). You would want your round pan to be about the same. Not sure how much some of the smaller round cake pans hold. Hope that helps!
Hello again, I made it and it is really good. Thanks.
It’s my favorite cake of all time! I am so glad you loved it!
Wow wow wow, looks yummy, I was searching for a chocolate and peanut butter cake. Glad I found you. I’m gonna try it to night and let you know how it turned out. So excited. Brava.
I made this cake and it was delicious and easy – I NEVER bake and I had no troubles. I used crunchy peanut butter instead and it added a lovely crunch. Highly recommend.
This sounds really nice. gonna make this for tea tonight. Thanks. Simon
I absolutely adore peanut butter and chocolate anything, so this incredible cake is right up my street!
Thank you Nicola! I shared it with many and never got a single complaint! :).
I’m literally drooling all over my keyboard over this chocolate PB cake and that is NOT a bad way to start the day! Now to get into the kitchen and whip these babies up…that’ll make this Monday even better!
Ha ha Megan! I love when I can create keyboard drool! Thanks for the note!
A fellow self-confessed spoon licker, love it! And… chocolate cake, peanut butter AND chocolate ganache? Who wouldn’t! I can practically taste it all the way from here just from the photos and your descriptions :O
Thanks Luci! This cake is a keeper for sure!
Oh my! I am drooling.. I love chocolate and peanut butter. This looks soooo good. I am trying to stay away from sugar at the moment, but this is an example of temptation at it’s finest! :O
Love your blog! You’re awesome!
Thank you Taylor..what a sweet note! Even sweeter given that you can’t eat it! Hopefully you can save it for later!