Thumbnail

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cake Recipe

By: Andrea Alden

After another quiet Halloween, we ended up with a ton of chocolaty treats. What better way to use up leftover candy than to make a Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cake With Reese Peanut Butter Cups. This dense and rich cake is bracketed by light and fluffy layers of peanut butter icing, topped with chopped peanut butter cups and drizzled with silky ganache. This dessert was a little too much after a big turkey dinner, but you’ve got to go big when it comes to dessert!

Prep Time
35 min
Cook Time
35 min
Yield
16
Difficulty
Medium

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cake Recipe

Print

Ingredients

Method

Photos

Ingredients

1¾ cup 

flour

2 cups

sugar

¾ cups

cocoa powder

2 tsp. 

baking soda

1 tsp. 

baking powder

1 tsp.

salt

eggs

1 cup 

water

1 cup 

buttermilk, room temperature

½ cup 

melted coconut oil

1 tbsp.

vanilla

12 

peanut butter cups, chopped

1 cup 

Reeses pieces/chocolate chips (optional)


Peanut Butter Icing

1½ cups 

peanut butter

½ cup

room temperature butter

1 block (250g.)

cream cheese

½ cup

smoked cream

1 tsp.

vanilla

2¼ cups

powdered sugar


Chocolate Ganache

3 oz. 

dark chocolate, chopped

3 oz. 

milk chocolate, chopped

½ cup

smoked cream

1 tbsp.

butter

Method
  1. Preheat your grill to 350°F. this recipe will use the indirect method.
  2. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by brushing them with butter and then sprinkling in cocoa powder and coating the butter. Alternatively, use nonstick spray, and then place a piece of parchment on the bottom of each pan and hit them again with a little spray. Set aside.
  3. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, espresso powder, buttermilk, coconut oil, and vanilla.
  4. Using a stand or hand mixer, slowly pour the eggs mixture into the flour mixture and combine. Once combined, turn the mixer onto medium-high and mix for 2 minutes. At this point, fold in the optional chocolate chips or Reese's pieces.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and drop the pans from about 1-inch above the counter a couple of times. This will break any air bubbles in the cake to help prevent the cake from breaking when you take them out of the pan. Bake using indirect heat for 35 minutes, rotating the cakes halfway through the bake. When a toothpick comes out clean remove them from the grill and allow the cakes to cool to room temperature on a rack before turning them out. Then move the cakes to the fridge, or freezer to cool further while you make the icing and ganache.
  6. For the icing, Use a hand mixer to combine the peanut butter, butter, and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the smoked cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Continue to beat until fluffy. When the cakes are ice cold, if not frozen, divide the icing in half. Place the bottom layer of the cake onto a cake plate. Spread half of the icing on top of the first layer of cake. Repeat with the second layer of cake. Place in the fridge to set.
  7. For the ganache, place the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Pour the smoked cream and butter into a saucepan and heat until the cream begins to steam. Pour the steaming cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and glossy.
  8. Pour the ganache over the top of the iced cake, allowing it to drip however it wants. Top the cake with chopped peanut butter cups and Reese's pieces.
  9. Serve to the delight of your friends, family, the birthday person, peanut butter enthusiasts, and chocoholics.


Sharing Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cake With Reese Peanut Butter Cups is definitely easy to do after eating a big meal. This rich, dark, cake has the subtle smokiness from the grill and smoked cream, which is offset by the sweet chocolate and salty peanut butter-ness. It was a great way to use up all of the candy that we didn’t give away on Halloween, repurposing them for a post-Thanksgiving treat that looks as amazing as it tastes. What dessert do you turn your favorite Halloween candy into?

Thumbnail

Fill cake pan half full

Thumbnail

Bake using indirect heat

Thumbnail

Mix the icing

Thumbnail

Spread the icing thick

Thumbnail

That's a big cake

Thumbnail

Look at all that candy

Thumbnail

And the silky ganache

Thumbnail

A slice of life

Thumbnail

So much chocolate

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

Read More
Thumbnail

Fill cake pan half full

Thumbnail

Bake using indirect heat

Thumbnail

Mix the icing

Thumbnail

Spread the icing thick

Thumbnail

That's a big cake

Thumbnail

Look at all that candy

Thumbnail

And the silky ganache

Thumbnail

A slice of life

Thumbnail

So much chocolate

Accessories

Feel like a professional griller