Have any more Reeses Peanut Butter Cups from your stocking? Even if you don’t, do like I did and go buy more! This cake is soooo yummy!
We had a fun lunch today at my mom’s with my sweet grandpa and I was asked to bring a dessert. This cake was the first thing that popped in my mind, I have been looking for an excuse to make it. I’m glad I did!
I first saw this cake when I was browsing through Bakespace, which is a fun little site to swap recipes. Culinary Concoctions by Peabody posted it and I knew I wanted to make it eventually. This recipe is from the cookbook, Death by Chocolate Cake by Marcel Desaulniers. I adapted this recipe by layering the cakes between a peanut butter cream cheese frosting and frosted it with a ganache.
I love that this cake was quick to make. It only took 15 minutes to bake.
To make sure the ganache does not dull, make sure your cakes are cooled before frosting. Enjoy, this is really good!
Layered Reeces Peanut Butter Cake
A moist peanut butter cake layered between peanut butter cream cheese and topped with a rich ganache
For the Cake:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
½ Cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For the Frosting:
8 oz softened cream cheese
½ Cup powdered sugar
¼ Cup creamy peanut butter
For the Chocolate Ganache:
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
¾ Cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
For Topping:
2 packages Recees Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
For the Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease two 9 x 1 1/2 inch pans. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter for two minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix for another minute.
3. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated about 20 seconds. Then add the sour cream, mixing again for 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture. Add the hot water in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the peanut butter chips and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4.Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes. If you have Use a toothpick to see if it is done. Let cool completely.
For the Frosting:
5. Place cream cheese, powdered sugar, and peanut butter into a medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Once cakes are cooled, spread cream cheese over bottom of one of the cakes. Top with 2nd cake.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
1.Place chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl.Place cream and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat.Heat cream/butter until just boiling.Remove and pour over chocolate chips.Let sit for 3-5 minutes then stir until smooth.
To Assemble: Place layered cake on a wire rack. Place rack on top of a cookie sheet so that the extra chocolate has a place to drip onto. Pour chocolate ganache over cake and using a narrow metal spatula, quickly pared it evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped peanut butter cups in center of cake.
Layered Reeces Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
For the Frosting:
- 8 oz softened cream cheese
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For Topping:
- 2 packages Resee's Peanut Butter Cups chopped
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease two 9 x 1 1/2 inch pans. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter, and butter for two minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix for another minute.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated for about 20 seconds. Then add the sour cream, mixing again for 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture. Add the hot water in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine for about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the peanut butter chips and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes. If you have Use a toothpick to see if it is done. Let cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Place cream cheese, powdered sugar, and peanut butter into a medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Once cakes are cooled, spread cream cheese over the bottom of one of the cakes. Top with 2nd cake.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- Place chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl. Place cream and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat cream/butter until just boiling. Remove and pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 3-5 minutes then stir until smooth.
To Assemble:
- Place layered cake on a wire rack. Place rack on top of a cookie sheet so that the extra chocolate has a place to drip onto. Pour chocolate ganache over the cake and using a narrow metal spatula, quickly pared it evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped peanut butter cups in the center of the cake.