This cake is a chocolate peanut butter lovers dream. If you need more convincing than that, feel free to keep on reading, but if you’re sold, just skip to the recipe and video!
Peanut butter is something that I cannot live without. I have it for breakfast, I have it for a snack with celery, I have it on my frozen yogurt. I love it. If I suddenly woke up one day with a peanut allergy. I would be crushed! My school is a peanut free facility, and thankfully for parents there are lots of peanut-free peanut butters. Um, what? Peanut butter sans peanuts. I’m glad I’m not five and having to eat that! I can’t imagine that it tastes very good . . . maybe I’ll just have to ask one of my kids if I can have a bite of their sandwich and try it. Hahahahahaha. I wouldn’t, don’t worry.
I can remember loving Reece’s Peanut Butter cups as a child but now, I don’t really care for them because I’ve had many peanut butter and chocolate themed desserts that are better. We’re talking buckeyes, mousse cups, fudge, cookies, brownies, pies! So many choices. When I set out to make this recipe, I wanted it to be completely over the top, encompassing all of my favourite aspects of each of these peanut butter chocolate recipes. I wanted the peanut butter flavour to be light, fluffy, inside and outside of the cake. I wanted it to be dripping chocolate! I wanted it to be pretty and I wanted it to be tasty. I definitely achieved my goals with this cake!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Ingredients:
Peanut Butter Mousse
8 oz cream cheese (230g)
3/4 cup icing sugar (75g)
1 cup peanut butter (240mL)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10mL)
1 cup whipping cream (240mL)
pinch of salt
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate (340g)
1 cup whipping cream (240mL)
2 tablespoons peanut butter (30mL)
Other
2 x 8″ Chocolate Cake
Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups halved and quartered
chopped peanuts
chocolate chips
peanut butter chips
Procedure:
Bake and cool two 8″ round chocolate cakes.
Begin by making the chocolate peanut butter ganache as it needs time to cool slightly. Bring whipping cream close to a boil either in the microwave or on the stove. Remove from heat and add chocolate and peanut butter. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes, and then stir until the mixture comes together smoothly.
For the peanut butter mousse, the first step is to cream the cream cheese and icing sugar together until smooth. Add the peanut butter, and vanilla and again, cream until smooth. Set aside. In a seperate bowl, whip whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipping cream into the peanut butter mixture until no white streaks remain. Use this to fill and cover the cake.
To assembly the cake, cover in peanut butter mousse. If desired, place quartered peanut butter cups in the filling between the two cake layers. Once mousse is smoothed onto the cake, pour a 1/4 cup of the ganache in the center of the cake, and using the back of a spoon, gently work the ganache to the edge of the cake. Continue to add ganache in the center of the cake until the chocolate reaches the edge and flows over the sides. Put as little or as much on as you’d like! Place halves and quarters of peanut butter cups along the bottom border of the cake. On the top of the cake, place halves of the cups in a circular shape and fill center with both chips, peanuts and quartered cups.
When I was practicing and developing this cake, I tried to make it as indulging as possible. I’m hoping I get more rude comments about how “disgusting the amount of calories must be” and it “must explain the obese epidemic in the USA“. People have serious written that as comments on our videos, but what I have to say to them is . . . Obviously some of my viewers are confused. I’m Canadian. How can I cause your American obesity epidemic? Word to the wise, do your research before you insult someone as it makes you look really stupid.
I really like your nail colour. What is it?
Cake looks great too!
Ummm…it’s cake, it’s supposed to be fattening. Can anyone say ‘moderation’?? My 12 year old daughter is making this cake for the 3rd time. it’s so good! And no, we are not overweight. God bless Jenn!
I’m making this today for my twins’ birthday and can’t wait to have some! It’s true, it’s heavy on the calories but life is also way too short not to have a slice of heaven like this once in a while. For those crabbing about the calorie content obviously don’t realize that you can still eat delicious cake like this, as long as it’s a once-in-a-while thing. Bring on all of the calories! 🙂
I’m kind of twisting this a bit, doubling it and making it 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 peanut butter cake (basically vanilla cake with PB2 to flavor it, colored orange) and stacking them.
Sounds wonderful!!
This cake looks delish!! I am going to make it for my husband’s birthday. And for those who spit out rude comments to you….nobody is responsible for making anyone obese but themselves. Just cuz there’s a recipe or a dessert in front of them doesn’t mean they have to eat it. Thanks for sharing!
Love your attitude girl! This cake sounds amazing and I plan on making it soon.
Hi! I’m making this for my sisters birthday! Would you recommend something, or even anything for me to do. Thanks.
Do you think it would be as good with dark chocolat instead of semi sweet chocolat?
I don’t see why it wouldn’t be just as delicious! Let me know how it works out!
So you think it would be good with dark chocolat instead of semi sweet chocolat?
Hi,
I’m wanting to make a chocolate sheet cake for my son’s birthday. Similar to your construction cake. Did you use the chocolate cake recipe from your video tutorial? Or is there another chocolate cake recipe you would recommend.
Thanks (all the way from South Africa)
I used the one that’s already up on the channel. I have a chocolate cake recipe coming in a cookbook, but until then, that’s the only one I have.
Hey! I need an answer to this question asap please, if possible! In the peanut butter mousse can I replace the peanut butter with nutella and make a nutella mousse? Thank you!
I would guess so but since I haven’t done that exact substitution you’ll have to try and see. Good luck!
I tried it on the same day and it turned out brilliant for a ferrero rocher cake! Everyone loved it. Thank you :))
How many servings can you get out of this cake?
Serving sizes always depend on how you slice it. You can get many servings if you slice it narrowly.
This look delicious! Can you please tell me how many days in advance it is ok to assemble this cake and when assembled, how should it be stored? Thanks!
The day before would be fine, and it can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge or wrapped up with plastic wrap.
I’m making this for Thanksgiving desert! I’m so excited!!
Have fun, and enjoy!
We are making this cake for thanksgiving too. My daughter is dying to make it!
I hope you liked it!
Hi! I want to make this for my sister in laws birthday but I cannot get whipping cream here. Anything I can do? 🙂
Whipping cream is around 35% milk fat, so try a heavy cream similar in fat if you can.
Making this cake for my best friends 22nd birthday!! she’s gonna love it!!!
Enjoy!
Do you know how many peanut butter cups I will need to make this? My daughter found this cake on YouTube, and wants to make it for hubby’s birthday on Friday. I bought a 6 pack(so 12 total cups), but now I’m doubting that I will have enough
No, sorry, I don’t know an exact number.
Hi! I am making this cake for my friends birthday this Saturday, if I assemble the cake a couple days ahead of time, can it be frozen? I know cake can, just wondering about the icing etc and if it will affect the quality of the icing once it’s been brought out of the freezer?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried freezing the mousse, so honestly, I can’t tell you 100% that you can freeze it. My guess would be that you can, and I’ve frozen mousse before without issue, but again, I’m not sure. If you try it let me know if it works!
This recipe came out great! The video was a big help. I substituded Reese’s Pieces for the choc. chips, it added a pop of color.
Glad to hear it! The Reece’s Pieces ideas sounds great!
Hi can u please tell me the recipe for these chocolate cakes you used they look delicious and dark and moist would love the recipe 🙂
You can find a similar recipe in the Oreo cake that we just posted.
Could u make sea creature cake
I’ll add it to my list of viewer requests. Thanks for watching!
Can’t wait till I can get out of the house to get ingredients.It snowed like another 7 inches of snow in Kentucky .Then it iced over . They snowed pliers the roads but that didn’t work they put salt down didn’t work so finally they grated it.that kinda helped but it is still slick can’t wait till this is all over
Oh no! I hope you’ve found your way out! Good luck with getting the ingredients.
Hi could you make rainbow cookies
It’s already on our list of requests, so we’ll definitely be making them! Thanks for asking.
i love reeses cups can you make a reeses cookies
Great idea! I’ll add them to my list of requests!
HI Jenn.
This was such a great cake. You were right, this was rich and indulgent!
Thanks,
Caleb
I’m glad you liked it!