Reese Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

This Reese peanut butter chocolate cake brings together two of the worlds greatest flavours. Moist chocolate cake layered with Reese peanut butter ganache and covered in a silky peanut butter Swiss meringue.

This post is sponsored by Hershey’s Canada and I have been compensated both monetarily and with product. However, opinions expressed in this review are still my own.

One of my best friends has been prepping like mad for his very first fitness body competition that actually just happened last week. For (gruelling) months and months and months, he cut out ALL junk food from his life and worked out practically every day. That meant, no chocolate, no chips, no cake, no cookies, no TASTEBUD HAPPINESS. I mean, as much as I wish I could look as great as him, I would never choose abs over chips. His insanity paid off though because HE WON!! He strut his tanned-and-vein-popping muscles on stage and got first place in Men’s Physique Short Class!

Components of this Reese peanut butter chocolate cake

A couple days before the competition, he rounded up an impressive stash of junk food that could give my stash a run for its money. (Did I just personify my pile of junk food?). And to top it all off, he asked me to make him a super decadent peanut butter and chocolate cake for post-competition consumption. He gave me the green light to go full fat mode, so I wasn’t about to let him down! I brainstormed all the ways to maximize fat, PB and chocolate factor. Hours of blissful cake designing later, I came up with this:

• 3 layers of dark chocolate cake
• Reese peanut butter chocolate ganache
• smooth peanut butter swiss meringue
• dark chocolate ganache glaze
• CANDY. AND LOTS OF IT.

Reese Peanut Butter Spread

The Reese peanut butter chocolate ganache MADE this cake. I’ve made a Nutella ganache before so when I received two jars of Reese spread in the mail, I just knew that it would be magic. The spread tastes like it’s essentially made from blended up Reese peanut butter cups, ie. HEAVENLY. Combined with a base of semisweet ganache, it was the most perfectly rich and velvety filling for dark chocolate cake layers.

Well, I didn’t stop there! It’s rare for my client/friends to grant me full permission for full-fat mode so I went ALL OUT. I then smothered the cake layers in peanut butter swiss meringue. I could eat that stuff out of a bowl… and I frequently do. Then I poured on more ganache and piled candy on it. You asked for indulgence? I naaaailed it!

More tall layered cakes:

Gold Hazelnut Praline Ganache Cake

Galaxy Cake (chocolate mocha)

Skyscraper Strawberry Shortcake

Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Cake

Recipe for Reese Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

Reese Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

This Reese peanut butter chocolate cake brings together two of the worlds greatest flavours. Moist chocolate cake layered with Reese peanut butter ganache and covered in a silky peanut butter Swiss meringue.

Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

Reese Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache

• 9 oz semisweet chocolate
• 2 oz white chocolate
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 3/4 jar of Reese Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread
• 1/4 cup of smooth peanut butter

Dark Chocolate Cake Layers

• 1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1½ cups 4½ oz. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp coffee powder
• 1½ cups boiling water
• ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
• 2½ cups plus 2 tbsp.
• 3 large eggs
• 1¼ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt

Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups unsalted butter room temp, cut into cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2-3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

Dark Chocolate Ganache Glaze

• 4 oz. dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

 

Reese Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache

• *Prep one day before assembling*
• Chop both types of chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl
• Heat cream until just simmering and pour it immediately over the chocolate
• Let sit for 1-2 mins, then stir gently with a fork until the chocolate and cream are smoothly blended together
• Stir in Reese spread and peanut butter until smooth, mixture will be thick
• Cover and refrigerate overnight

Dark Chocolate Cake Layers

• *Prep one day before assembling*
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F, spray 3 x 8-inch round cake pans with oil
• In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and boiling water
• Whisk until smooth; set aside to cool slightly
• Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla and set aside
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth
• Gradually blend in the sugar and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy
• Blend in the eggs one at a time
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk to blend
• Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the sour cream mixture, beating each addition just until incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (I like to use ice cream scoops)
• Bake the cake layers for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
• Allow cake to cool completely, then wrap each cake in two layers of saran wrap and keep on counter (NOT FRIDGE)

Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• Keep a pot of boiling water on the stovetop
• Whisk egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl that you can fit on top of the pot (not IN the pot)
• Place bowl on top of pot over the boiling water and whisk vigorously until sugar is melted
• Transfer egg white mixture into a CLEAN AND OIL FREE mixing bowl
• Whip on low speed until slighty cooled, then increase speed and whip until stiff peaks form
• Gradually add in chunks of butter and whip until butter is incorporated and mixture is creamy in appearance
• Mix in peanut butter and scrape down the bowl to make sure that all peanut butter is incorporated

Dark Chocolate Ganache Glaze

• Chop chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl
• Heat cream until just simmering then pour over chocolate
• Let sit for 1-2 mins, then stir gently with a fork until the chocolate and cream are smoothly blended together

Assembly

• Level off the tops of the cake layers to ensure a flat surface
• Place one cake layer down on a cake board/plate/pedestal
• Spread a VERY thin layer of pb swiss meringue on the surface of the cake
• Pipe a dam of pb swiss meringue on the edge of the cake
• Fill the enclosed area with Reese PB chocolate ganache
• Place the second cake layer on top
• Repeat previous steps until all cake layers are stacked
• Frost cake with pb swiss meringue
• Pour cooled glaze over the surface of the cake, allow to drip down the sides
• Decorate with chocolate and candy

Author: chocolate + connie

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, chocolate, peanut butter, reese, swiss meringue buttercream

Did you make this recipe?

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Credit

Dark chocolate cake recipe from Baking Illustrated

Swiss meringue recipe by Martha Stewart