Description
A rich, moist chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter swirls and a chocolate ganache topping. This easy homemade dessert tastes like the inside of a Reese’s cup and requires only basic pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup (128g) creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup (30g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter or non-stick spray and dust with cocoa powder.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- In a small bowl, mix creamy peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and thick.
- Pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan. Drop large spoonfuls of peanut butter mixture over the batter. Pour remaining batter on top. Use a knife to gently swirl the peanut butter into the batter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes.
- While the cake cools, heat heavy cream in a saucepan until it just starts to simmer. Pour over chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth and glossy. Stir in vanilla.
- Pour warm ganache over the completely cooled cake. Let set for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Do not overmix the batter to ensure a tender cake. Use creamy peanut butter, not natural, for proper swirls. Let the cake cool completely before adding ganache to prevent melting. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. For dairy-free, swap buttermilk for almond milk with lemon juice and use dairy-free chocolate and coconut cream.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 38
- Sodium: 320
- Fat: 28
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 8
Keywords: Reese's cake, peanut butter cake, chocolate cake, homemade dessert, easy baking, sheet cake, ganache, salty sweet dessert