Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

A rich, moist Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake layered with smooth peanut butter frosting that stays tender for days—thanks to a secret ingredient! This crowd-pleaser is easy to make, forgiving for beginners, and always gets rave reviews at parties.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 5-ingredient chocolate peanut butter cake, Best chocolate peanut butter cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, Chocolate peanut butter cake near me, Chocolate peanut butter cake recipes, Moist chocolate peanut butter cake, Old fashioned chocolate peanut butter cake, Southern Living Chocolate peanut butter cake

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 30

Cooling Time: 1

Total Time: 1 55

Servings:

Calories: 480kcal

Cost: $13

Equipment

2 9-inch round cake pans (Greased and lined with parchment)
1 Electric mixer (Hand or stand)
2–3 Mixing bowls (Large)
1 set Measuring cups & spoons
1–2 Wire cooling racks

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake:

1¾ cups All-purpose flour
¾ cup Cocoa powder - Unsweetened
1 cup Granulated sugar
½ cup Brown sugar - Light or dark
2 Eggs - Room temperature
½ cup Vegetable oil - Or melted butter
1 cup Buttermilk - Or milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup Hot coffee - Slightly cooled
2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1½ teaspoon Baking soda
1½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Mayonnaise - Optional for extra moisture

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

1 cup Creamy peanut butter - Or crunchy if preferred
½ cup Butter - Softened
2½ cups Powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoon Heavy cream - Adjust for consistency
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 pinch Salt - Optional

Optional Extras:

½ cup Mini chocolate chips - For garnish or mix-in
½ cup Chopped peanuts - For texture
¼ cup Chocolate ganache - For drizzling
½ cup Crushed peanut butter cups - For topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease two 9-inch pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
In separate bowls, mix the dry ingredients and whisk the wet ingredients, then combine and stir in hot coffee.
Pour the batter evenly into the pans and bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Beat butter until fluffy, add peanut butter, then gradually mix in powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla.
Place one cake layer on a plate, spread frosting, add the second layer, frost the top and sides, and decorate.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes

Nutrition