My chocolate peanut butter cake recipe features moist, fluffy chocolate cake layers with sheets of creamy peanut butter frosting. It’s perfectly balanced and SO easy to make!
Need more chocolate cake recipes? You’ll adore my mint chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cake, and death by chocolate cake next.
As much as I love impressing you guys with fancy, elaborate cakes, simple cakes are my jam.
That’s why, for this recipe, I started with a version of my healthy chocolate cake, and then I took it one step further with a creamy peanut butter frosting. The results are an ultra-rich combination of flavors and textures. Essentially, it’s a big cake in a small, easy-to-make package.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- No surprise ingredients here. All you need are baking staples and a jar of everyday peanut butter.
- Diet-friendly. It’s egg-free and easy to make dairy-free with minimal substitutions.
- The cake is made in one bowl. You can even use that bowl to make the frosting while it bakes.
- Perfect for the chocolate and peanut butter obsessed. It’s basically a giant, well-decorated peanut butter cup.
Ingredients needed
- All-purpose flour. Nothing fancy is needed here, just regular plain flour. Use gluten-free flour (with xanthan gum in it) if needed.
- Cocoa powder. I used Dutch-processed and unsweetened cocoa powder for its rich and smooth flavor. Sift it first to remove any clumps.
- Sugar. I used white sugar so it wouldn’t be overpowering, but brown sugar or a combination could easily be used.
- Baking soda. Combines with the vinegar to give the cake some rise.
- Salt. Just a pinch of salt amplifies the natural sweetness.
- Apple cider vinegar. Works with the baking soda to help the cake rise (without needing eggs!).
- Vanilla extract. A must for any cake recipe!
- Oil. I used vegetable oil, but any neutral oil works, like avocado or canola oil.
- Water or milk. I tested both and didn’t notice much of a difference. For a little extra chocolate flavor, you could use chocolate milk.
For the peanut butter buttercream:
- Powdered sugar. For sweetness and to thicken the frosting.
- Peanut butter. Don’t splurge on anything fancy–just use your everyday smooth peanut butter. I used salted peanut butter for a salty-sweet flavor, but unsalted also works.
- Unsalted butter. Use dairy-free butter if desired.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk.
- Vanilla extract. For essential vanilla flavor.
How to make chocolate peanut butter cake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Mix the dry. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Step 2- Make the cake batter. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the cake batter into the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Step 4- Cool and frost. Let the cakes cool on wire racks. Then, layer them with sheets of frosting between each, saving some frosting for the top.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Make a slab cake. Rather than go through the process of layering the cake, pour the batter into a 9×13-inch rectangular baking pan, then cover the whole thing in frosting.
- Use generic peanut butter. I mentioned this earlier, but you don’t want to use natural or homemade peanut butter since they’re more difficult to mix into the frosting. I prefer Jif or Skippy to be quite honest.
- Use a springform pan for easier removal. If you don’t have one, line the cake pans with parchment paper and leave some sticking out of the sides.
- Add a thin layer of frosting before covering the entire cake. This is called the ‘crumb coat’ and keeps the crumbs from showing through the finished cake.
Variations
- Swap the nut butter. While I didn’t try this myself, you could certainly use almond butter or cashew butter instead. In fact, I imagine it would be quite delicious!
- Add some texture. Stir in dark chocolate chips or crushed Reese’s peanut butter cups into the frosting so you have a mix of moist cake, creamy frosting, and a little crunch.
- Decorate the cake. Drizzle it in melted chocolate, peanut butter, and crushed Reese’s cups for an extra finishing touch.
Storage instructions
To store: Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week or in the fridge for 2 weeks.
To freeze: Wrap leftover cake slices in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-friendly container for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! To make cupcakes, pour the batter into 12 greased cupcake tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.
Yes, you can use a different type of frosting if you prefer. As the cake is chocolate-based, pretty much any frosting works.
If you want the cake to have a stronger chocolate taste, add a shot of warm espresso to the cake batter, fold in some chocolate chips, or cover the cake in a chocolate ganache drip.
More birthday cake recipes
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans and set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Stir well to combine.
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Add in the oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract and water. Using a large whisk or hand mixer, whip until smooth, silky, and combined.
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Pour the batter into the 3 cake pans. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until a skewer comes out just clean and the cake springs back lightly when touched.
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Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost and layer the cake.
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In a large mixing bowl, beat your butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until combined and fluffy.
TO FREEZE: Wrap leftover cake slices in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-friendly container for up to 6 months.
Serving: 1servingCalories: 254kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSodium: 548mgPotassium: 230mgFiber: 4gSugar: 19gCalcium: 22mgIron: 2mgNET CARBS: 46g
Originally updated April 2023, updated and republished November 2024
