Julie Clark
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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cake: Moist Chocolate, Two Frostings
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Reese’s peanut butter cake is a moist, from scratch chocolate cake layered with creamy peanut butter frosting and chocolate buttercream. It’s piled inside and out with chopped Reese’s cups.
The peanut butter frosting tastes like the center of a buckeye candy. It’s amazing! The chocolate cake uses buttermilk and a splash of hot coffee to stay tender and rich. I promise you won’t taste the coffee! It’s the base recipe I’ve made for birthdays and holidays for over 16 years.
❤️ Why you’ll love this chocolate peanut butter cake recipe:
- 100% homemade, just like our tres leches cake and Mexican chocolate cake.
- Fudgy dark chocolate cake, the same base as our chocolate tres leches cake
- Melt in your mouth chocolate and peanut butter buttercream frosting
- Like a Reese’s cup, but so much better. You’ll fall in love with the chopped Reese’s cups all over the top of the cake.
We have made this cake for countless birthdays and holidays. It’s featured beautifully in our homemade black forest cake. And although we don’t normally sell our baked goods, we’ve sold quite a few of these cakes to family and friends. It’s that good.
And if you love chocolate peanut butter, try our buckeye dessert recipes. We also have Reese’s peanut butter cookies, Reese’s peanut butter cup pie, Reese’s sweet rolls and Reese’s Pieces brownies.
What is the secret to a super moist cake?
This is my favorite homemade chocolate cake to make because it’s easy and it turns out perfectly moist every time.
In this recipe, buttermilk is the secret to making the cake super moist. Buttermilk adds fat and also tenderizes the cake, breaking down the strands of gluten.
What’s in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cake?
This overloaded chocolate peanut butter cake has 4 delicious parts.
- Chocolate Cake. If you’ve never made cake from scratch before, this is the one to start with. It’s foolproof and has texture most like a box cake mix.
- Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting. You know those little chocolate peanut butter buckeye candies? This frosting tastes like the center of a buckeye.
- Chocolate Buttercream. I have been making this chocolate buttercream for close to 20 years. It will melt in your mouth.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Of course you wouldn’t have to use these, but candy makes everything better, right? If you agree, you may also love our peanut butter Snickers cake.
Our Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipe
I’ll step you through making this from scratch chocolate cake. It’s the perfect base for just about any frosting, so keep this recipe on hand.
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans. You can also line the pans with parchment paper if you want to ensure the cakes come out cleanly.
- Mix dry ingredients. For the cake, put flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to whisk the ingredients well.
- Mix wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer), mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla together.
- Combine the two. Slowly add in the mix of dry ingredients while the mixer is on low.
- Add coffee. Trust me. Add the coffee and make sure everything is combined. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor. 😋 The cake batter will be very thin.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife, then turn the cakes out on parchment paper or a wire rack to cool completely before you frost them.
Make the Frostings
While the cakes are cooling whip up the peanut butter frosting and the chocolate frosting. The key with both is to beat the butter first until it is almost white in appearance. Then add the rest of the ingredients.
A stand mixer is the easiest way to beat homemade frostings and have them end up light and fluffy. If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a high powered hand mixer.
Assembling the Cake
- Place one cake layer on a cake plate.
- Use an offset spatula to spread on peanut butter frosting on one half.
- Then put the other cake layer on top.
- There’s no need to crumb coat the cake, simply spread that delicious Chocolate Buttercream Frosting all over the entire cake. If your cake is not even, just make the icing a little thicker in the places it needs to be to make an even-looking cake.
At this point, you could stop. After all, the cake will look and taste delicious as it is!
I like to decorate cakes, so I took this cake one step further. It’s really not as hard as it looks. You can totally do this.
How do you decorate a Reese’s Cake?
- Take a Wilton 2D tip (1M also works well) and put it in an icing bag. Fill the bag with icing and squeeze the frosting down to get out the air bubbles.
- You can decorate it any way you want and with any tip you want, but to get the look that I have on this cake, just squeeze until your star is the size you want it and pull away to make dollop on the cake. I put stars all around the top and bottom edges of the Reese’s cake.
Then cut up Reese’s into small pieces and sprinkle them over the top as desired.
Recipe Variations
Want even more chocolate goodness? Try making chocolate ganache, spreading it over the top of the cake and letting it drip down the sides. It’s what we did on this version and it looks beautiful.
Have chocolate chips to use up? Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips instead of Reese’s cups.
Love peanut butter more than chocolate? Make a peanut butter cake as the base.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you bake Reese’s cups into a cake?
Yes, but timing matters. Reese’s cups melt quickly, so fold chopped cups into the batter only if you want gooey pockets inside, and press extra cups on top in the last 5 minutes of baking so they keep their shape. For clean, photo-ready cups, I skip baking them in and press chopped Reese’s onto the frosting instead.
Can I make this Reese’s peanut butter cake using cake mix?
Yes. Swap one box of chocolate or devil’s food cake mix for the from-scratch chocolate layers, then keep the homemade peanut butter frosting and chocolate buttercream. The scratch cake bakes up more moist, but a mix works when you’re short on time.
How long does Reese’s cake last?
Reese’s cake keeps 24 hours at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 5 days in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer. Bring refrigerated slices to room temperature before serving so the frosting softens.
How long does Reese’s Cake last?
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 24 hours.
- Refrigerator: Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
- Freezer: Freeze the cake whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to 2 months. I double wrap by wrapping in plastic wrap, then placing the wrapped pieces in another storage container. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
Moist Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake is a moist chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and buttercream frosting! Perfect for the Reese’s lover in your life!
Servings 15 servings
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients
Chocolate Layer Cake:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee
Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter**
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (start with 2, add more to reach a spreadable frosting)
Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to decorate, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans.
- For the cake, put flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Use a whisk to whisk the ingredients well. 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder*, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a stand mixer, mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla together. 1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly add in the mix of dry ingredients while the mixer is on low.
- Add the coffee and make sure everything is combined. The batter will be very thin. 1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. While the cakes are cooling, make your frostings.
Peanut Butter Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes. ½ cup salted butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter**
- Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix until blended. Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and beat until completely blended. 2 cups powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Add in the remaining cup of powdered sugar. Beat for 1 minute. Test the frosting and if you need another tablespoon or two of heavy cream to make the frosting spreadable, add it in.
Make the Chocolate Buttercream.
- In a stand mixer with the beater blade, beat the butter for 1-2 minutes until it is smooth, creamy and nearly white in appearance. Add in the salt and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. 1 cup salted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time, mixing slowly until it is the consistency that you'd like. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed until smooth and creamy. 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup cocoa powder, 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Assemble the Cake:
- Place one cake layer on a plate. Frost the top of the first cake with the Peanut Butter Frosting. Then layer the other half of the cake on top. Frost the outside of the cake with the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
- Pipe flowers on top with the leftover Peanut Butter Frosting and/or decorate as desired with chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video
Notes
*Dutch process cocoa powder is great for this cake.
**Skippy or Jif are our preferred brands of peanut butter.
Use room-temperature butter and eggs so the batter and frostings blend smooth and bake evenly.
The hot coffee deepens the chocolate flavor and does not make the cake taste like coffee. Decaf works fine.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Originally published on April 20, 2013.
Nutrition
Serving: 130g | Calories: 587kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 518mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2.2mg
Just made this for my sister’s birthday. It was amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
Everyone I mean everyone loves this cake! I have made those that turn up their nose at cake, pleas for me to make this for their birthday! This has landed me clients ( I work in sales) and landed me long lasting relationships! Thanks for making an incredible recipe that seals the deal everytime!
This is an amazing cake!! I have made this several times, and it comes out perfect. My family loves this cake, and get indignant every time they see me look at any other chocolate cake recipe (though none I have made yet have been better than this one). I use the cake recipe all the time, and the peanut butter icing is the perfect ratio of peanut butter to sweetness.
Hi! When you say 350 degrees is that Fahrenheit? And a conventional oven?
I want to try this but I have a fan oven! Loooks amazing by the way!
Hi! If I wanted to make cupcakes instead of 2 9” cakes, what baking time do you recommend??
Hi! Regarding a previous question about how many days prior to the event you can make this cake. You had said it could be made a day in advance. Does that include the frosting and decor as well? Should it be refrigerated overnight once frosted? This was requested by my husband for his birthday, so just want to make sure its done right! 🙂
I’m planning on making this for the hubby’s birthday, he’s a huge peanut butter fan, quick question though, could I make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them? Or alternatively, how many days ahead could you make the cake? Thankyou
Hi – my son has requested this for his birthday next week. I live in high altitude, and my scratch cakes are a disaster since moving to the mountains from sea level. ☹️
Plan B is to doctor a cake mix – would you suggest Devil’s Food or regular Chocolate? Then I’ll use your PB and buttercream frosting to finish it up.
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
This cake is AMAZING!!! I found this when my now seven year old son asked for a Reese’s cake since that is his favorite candy. I used half a cup of coffee and half a cup of water.
Thanks for sharing!????
My now seven year old son wanted a Reese’s peanut butter cake for his birthday yesterday. I am SO thankful that I found this recipe! It is AMAZING!!!! I read the past comments regarding the one cup of coffee. I used a half a cup of coffee and half a cup of water. I will definitely use this recipe again and will pass it on????. Thanks for sharing such a good recipe!
the cake looks good but can ya make this in a layer cake
i dont drink coffee so i would have use hot water instead.
Hi! I made this yesterday and it turned out fabulously! This is the first cake I’ve ever made and I was so proud of myself when it looked just as good as it tasted!! I even used your chocolate buttercream recipe to make a white chocolate version as I’m a huge fan of the white chocolate Reese’s!
About how many peanut butter cups did you use for this cake?
Does this peanut butter/chocolate cake need to be refrigerated?