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Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake

 Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake
Peanut butter cups may be the name of a specific candy, but when I hear “peanut butter cup”, I think of all kinds of chocolate and peanut butter combinations, not just the candy cups. I was definately thinking of peanut butter cups when I put together this cake. It’s a buttermilk chocolate cake with a creamy peanut butter filling.

The cake is a great everyday sort of cake. It is tender, moist and has a nice chocolate flavor. It also couldn’t be easier to make, since it mixes up in one bowl! You could bake this cake as two layers, in two separate pans, but in the spirit of the simple cake – and the spirit of having fewer dishes to wash – I bake this as a single layer and cut it in half before filling.

The peanut butter filling is silky and has a great sweet-salty flavor to it. It is creamier than most candy fillings are, but the peanut butter flavor really is similar to that of a peanut butter cup! I used a national brand of crunchy peanut butter. If your brand happens to be a little less thick, your filling might need a little extra confectioners’ sugar. A drizzle of chocolate onn top is entirely optional, but a nice finishing touch.

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Pour in the rest of the ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove parchment circle from cake, then reinvert cake on rack to cool completely before filling.

Peanut Butter Filling
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add a little extra confectioners’ sugar if necessary (Some peanut butters are less thick than others).

Cut cooled cake in half with a serrated knife, and spread peanut butter filling between the layers. Drizzle with melted chocolate (3-oz dark or milk), if desired.

Serves 8-10

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41 Comments
  • Cindy
    May 7, 2010

    Oooh! My birthday is next week – if it’s cool enough to bake I’d love to have this as my birthday cake.

  • Barbara
    May 7, 2010

    It looks yummy! I am going to try and make this.

  • Lauren
    May 7, 2010

    I could absolutely lose myself in this cake. Awesome!

  • Posti4
    May 7, 2010

    Looks great! Do you have a picture of it before you cut into it? I want to see what you mean about the “one pan and cut in half” thanks!

  • Sarah
    May 7, 2010

    That looks heavenly!! Can’t wait to try it.

  • Fallon
    May 7, 2010

    That looks excellent!

  • Belinda @zomppa
    May 7, 2010

    Goodness, this is decadent…and perfection.

  • Jenny
    May 7, 2010

    ridiculous, haha. amazing.

  • Kate
    May 7, 2010

    This cake looks like it tastes amazing Nicole! Who can resist the chocolate peanut butter combo?

  • Patty
    May 7, 2010

    The next time I make a cake…this is the one I’m making!! OMG! Does this ever look fantastic!!

  • LisAway
    May 7, 2010

    I’m making this. Very soon. Mmmmmm. Yummy but simple to make. Right up my alley

  • dani
    May 8, 2010

    PB & Choc is the world’s best falvour combo… what a mouth-watering cake 🙂

  • Jennifer
    May 8, 2010

    Oh my goodness, the chocolate cake looks so deep, dark, and delicious! Definitely something I need to make 🙂

  • Anna
    May 9, 2010

    OMG!! this looks yummy! ill probably bake this tomorrow. thanks for sharing the recipe.

  • CaSaundra
    May 9, 2010

    Looks like a cake that would hit the spot every time! (=

  • Stacy
    May 9, 2010

    I love the peanut butter and chocolate combo. It’s not my favorite cake outcome, but the convenience of one bowl and one pan is tough to beat! Next time I might try chocolate cupcakes and just frost them with the peanut butter mixture.

  • Aim
    May 10, 2010

    Great cake idea! You can’t beat chocolate and peanut butter together! I made this yesterday for Mother’s day. The cake wasn’t as chocolatey as my usual choc cake recipe, but it was dense and tasty. The peanut butter icing was delicious and added a wonderful sweetness to this cake. I would make this one again, but use my own chocolate cake recipe.

  • Karin
    May 10, 2010

    Oh My Gosh! This looks soo awesome!!! Even the pictures makes me scream: “more”

    I will totally try it

  • Ashley
    May 10, 2010

    Ooo this looks so good!

  • Nayoung
    May 10, 2010

    I made this cake Saturday for my husband who can’t get enough of peanut butter and it is as AWESOME as your picture looks. And it was quick and simple! I didn’t top it with chocolate and it was the perfect amount of richness. Thank you for an amazing recipe!

  • Dawn
    May 10, 2010

    I made this for my daughter’s birthday…delicious! My standard pan must not be deep enough though, overflowed in my oven. Next time I will put it in a 11×8 rectangle pan.

  • The funny thing is I’m not ALWAYS a fan of chocolate + PB desserts, love them both separately, but not always together. This recipe, though, looks like a perfect pairing! xxSAS

  • Jeanne
    May 10, 2010

    I love pb & chocolate, and your cake looks sooo moist! I need to get a chocolate pb snack now!

  • Payao Audy
    May 11, 2010

    What a creamy nutty cake,I will try to bake it.
    It so yummy to look at.Hmmmmmmmmmm………..

  • Francesca
    June 29, 2010

    This cake looks AMAZING! 🙂 Makes me smile just thinking about it. I’ll have to give it a go! Love peanut butter cups!!!!!

  • Cassy A.
    January 26, 2012

    With chocolate and peanut butter being my favorite cake, I thought this one would be decadent! I made this yesterday but found that it was not very chocolatey at all. I used standard baking cocoa and even added a spoonful of nutella and chocolate chips in an attempt to make it taste more chocolatey and it still came out much lighter than the cake in the picture. Since I find that devil’s cake mix tastes best with peanut butter frosting, maybe Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa would be better in this batter? Although I made a peanut butter frosting, I instead used German chocolate frosting and this cake was much better suited for it.

  • Iz
    March 15, 2013

    Hey! I’m wondering – no eggs?:)

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