This easy chocolate peanut butter cake is my dream dessert. Made with a moist and decadent chocolate cake and a rich, smooth peanut butter frosting, every bite of this cake is so yum! For added texture, the cake is finished with an optional chopped peanuts border.
Why You Will Love This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Recipe?
- Incredibly moist and decadent chocolate cake
- Richly, smooth peanut butter frosting packed with peanut butter flavor
- Easy and approachable recipe that is great for serving at any special occasion
How to Make Chocolate Cake From Scratch
This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe for many reasons. Other than being seriously delicious, it is moist but still sturdy enough to serve as a single layer or multi-layer cake. Its moistness is due to the addition of the buttermilk which provides a lovely soft crumb texture. The rich chocolate flavor comes from the use of Dutch-process cocoa powder which is my preferred type of cocoa powder to use in cake and buttercream recipes. To make this recipe, you will need:
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Granulated Sugar
- Buttermilk
- Coffee/Espresso
- Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable, Avocado or Grapeseed Oil
- Vanilla Extract
Tips For Making The Best Chocolate Cake
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients – given the thinner consistency of chocolate cake batter, using room temperature ingredients will make it easier to mix ingredients into a smooth batter. Additionally, it reduces the risk of over mixing or ending up with clumps of unmixed ingredients in batter.
- Coffee is Essential – traditionally, most chocolate cake recipes call for using water, but I prefer to use coffee. Coffee helps to enhance the natural flavor of chocolate in desserts. You do not actually taste the coffee!
- Use Good Quality Cocoa Powder – since the only form of chocolate in this cake recipe is cocoa powder, it is important to use good quality cocoa powder for the best chocolate flavor in cake. I always use Dutch-process cocoa powder in my recipes because I find that it results in bakes with a more dark and rich-tasting chocolate flavor. My preferred cocoa powder options are Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder or Ghirardelli Dutch-process cocoa powder.
- Do not Overmix Batter – this may seem obvious but with chocolate cakes it is so easy to overmix the batter due to its thinner consistency. I recommend mixing ingredients just to the point where you have a smooth lump-free batter. Over mixing the cake batter will not only result in a less moist cake (due to the over development of gluten in the flour) but will create bubbles in batter resulting in air pockets in the final bake.
Easy Peanut Butter Frosting
This peanut butter frosting is so easy to make and is packed with delicious peanut butter flavor! Consisting of only 5 ingredients, this frosting recipe literally takes minutes to make. Its smooth and spreadable consistency makes it perfect for spreading and piping on cakes, cupcakes and even brownies! Here is what you will need to make recipe:
Key Ingredients
- Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar
- Creamy Peanut Butter (Not the Natural Kind)
- Unsalted Butter
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla Extract
To make this frosting recipe, simply cream the butter at medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy in appearance. Next, mix in the peanut butter to combine. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the powdered sugar to combine. Lastly, mix in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. The resulting buttercream should have a smooth and spreadable consistency.
How to Store
- Chocolate peanut butter cake is best eaten the day it is baked. Leftover cake stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen cake, thaw overnight in the fridge to restore soft texture.
- Chocolate cake may be baked in advance. Once cooled to room temperature, tightly wrap in plastic/cling wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 1-2 months.
- Peanut butter frosting may be prepared in advance. To store, transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature until soft enough to re-whip. This can take anywhere between 30-60 minutes depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind of Baking Pan Should I Use to Make Recipe?
I would recommend using an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square baking pan to make this cake recipe. For a single layer round cake, an 8 or 9 inch round baking pan may be used.
What is the difference between Dutch-process and Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder?
Dutch-process cocoa powder is natural cocoa powder that was treated with an alkalizing agent to reduce its acidity. This reduced acidity gives Dutch-process cocoa powder a darker color and a more smooth-tasting chocolate flavor. Compared to Dutch-process cocoa powder, natural cocoa powder is lighter in color and has a more bitter tasting chocolate flavor due to its retained acidity.
What is the Best Type of Peanut Butter to Use in Frosting Recipe?
For the best results, I recommend using creamy peanut butter as opposed to natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter tends to have a thin consistency at room temperature which may result in a buttercream frosting that looks broken-in appearance. My preferred peanut butter brands for making frosting are Skippy or Jif.
Looking For More Scrumptious Eats, Checkout the Links Below:
If you make this chocolate peanut butter cake, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram. I love looking at the photos of recipes you all have made, or you can leave a comment and rate the recipe in the comment section down below. Happy baking, friends!
PrintEasy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Made with a moist and decadent chocolate cake and a richly, smooth peanut butter frosting, every bite of this cake is so yum! For added texture, the cake is finished with an optional chopped peanuts border.
- Prep Time: 45 Minutes
- Cook Time: 35 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 Cake 1x
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 Cups (195g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Spooned and Leveled
- 6 Tablespoons (30g) Unsweetened Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup (200g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup (177ml) Buttermilk, Room Temperature
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) Coffee/Espresso, Room Temperature
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 3/4 Cup (170g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature, Slightly Firm to Touch
- 3/4 Cup (192g) Creamy Peanut Butter, like Skippy or Jif
- 1 1/2 Cups (180g) Confectioners (Powdered) Sugar, Sifted, Plus More As Needed
- 1–2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Assembly
- 1/4 Cup (28g) Roasted Peanuts, Optional
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F(175C). Grease and line an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Alternatively, you may add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Next, whisk the buttermilk into the wet batter to combine.
- Pour the wet batter into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a hand mixer at low speed or a wire whisk, mix the wet batter into the dry ingredients followed by the coffee/espresso just until you have a smooth cake batter, about 1-2 minutes. Take cake to not overmix the cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool chocolate cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter at medium high speed until it is smooth and fluffy in appearance, about 1-2 minutes. Next, mix in the peanut butter into the creamed butter to combine.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the confectioners’ sugar into the peanut butter mixture. Gradually increase the mixer speed back to medium.
- Once all the sugar has been incorporated into the butter, mix in 1 tablespoon of the heavy whipping cream and the vanilla extract into the frosting.
- If buttercream appears to be too soft, mix in additional confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup at a time until a thick but spreadable consistency is reached. If buttercream appears too thick, mix in additional cream 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency (thick but spreadable) is reached.
- Increase mixer speed to medium high and mix frosting for an additional 30-60 seconds. The resulting buttercream should be smooth and fluffy in appearance.
Assembly
- Finely chop the roasted peanuts, transfer to a small mixing bowl and set aside (optional).
- Place cooled chocolate cake on a serving plate/platter of choice.
- Spoon the buttercream onto the top of the cake.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the entire top surface of the cake.
- Using the tip of the back of an offset spatula, make a zigzag design on top of the frosting moving from left to right. May do a simple swoop design on top of the frosting instead, if preferred.
- Sprinkle as much or as little of the finely chopped peanuts around the outer border of the cake before serving (optional).
Notes
- Chocolate peanut butter cake is best eaten the day it is baked. Leftover cake stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen cake, thaw overnight in the fridge to restore soft texture.
- For the best frosting results, I recommend using creamy peanut butter as opposed to natural peanut butter. My preferred peanut butter brands for making frosting are Skippy or Jif.
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