Remember that Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial from the '70's or '80's where two people, one eating chocolate and one eating peanut butter, run into
each other? One yells, "Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!" and the other yells back, "You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!" Then they try the mixture and decide it tastes delicious and the commercial ends with "two great tastes that
taste great together." Remember? OK, for those who don't remember or are too young to remember, here it is:
I couldn't get that silly commercial out of my head as I made this Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cake for
my son's birthday. He is past the age of theme parties and character
cakes, so I decided to make him a cake based on his favorite
candy. This cake is very good, especially the peanut butter frosting. It really is "two great tastes that taste great together." But I will warn you--make sure you pour yourself a big glass of milk when you have a slice because you will need it.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1 cake

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting decorated with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 - 4 tablespoons milk
- 6 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
- 1 package Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.2. Grease and flour (or spray with cooking spray) two 8 or 9 inch round pans.3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.4. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla; mix at a low speed for one minute then scrape the sides of the bowl.5. Add eggs and chocolate and mix at medium speed for two minutes. 6. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350°F for 30 - 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. 7. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans; cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.8. To make the frosting, cream together the peanut butter and the butter.9. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat well.10. Add salt and vanilla and continue to beat.11. Add milk and beat until frosting is at the desired consistency for spreading.12. Sprinkle chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on top of cake and decorate as desired. (If you wish to cut the Reese's in half, I found they cut best when refrigerated, but not frozen.)
Details
That is one awesome cake! And I loved those commercials, they did a whole set of them with different characters. I distinctly remember a Noah's Ark one!
ReplyDeleteWhere's the cross section photo? I collect PB recipes... although, I hardly make them because we have nut allergies here. It's wishful hoping I suppose. :)
ReplyDeleteThe peanut is not a nut. Biologically it's a bean.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHello Apron Appeal, I'm sure by now you've either made the cake youself or seen a cross section of it. I just thought I'd share my pic with you.
Deletehttp://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa197/Kimmythorn/reesepeanutbuttercupcake.jpg
@Carolyn--I don't remember a Noah's Ark one, but there is one with a robot (it's also on youtube) that I remember!
ReplyDelete@Apron Appeal--I had hoped to get a cross section, but because it was a birthday cake I had to wait to cut it. Then the lighting was never quite right so I never got a chance.
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDD! :D And I TOTALLY remember this commercial by the way! :)
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOODNESSSSS....I love this!!! I am totally speechless and my mouth is watering..thanks for that LOL!You nailed it girl on this one!
ReplyDeleteYUM. This looks AMAZING, especially that frosting!!! Reese's is pretty much my favorite candy...but it's not my birthday...I think I'll have to make it anyways.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!!!That is just perfect!!!I would love to take him home tonight....
ReplyDeleteKisses,
rita
Oh my word... That looks spectacular!! So nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I just so happen to have a large glass of milk......
ReplyDeleteYou picked my favorite candy bar... What a perfect cake! Fantastic job!! : )
ReplyDeleteI guess I know what my son-n-law gets for his next birthday! He loves peanut butter anything and especially peanut butter cups! What a beautiful decorating job!
ReplyDeleteOh lordy, this looks sinful!!! I need to give this a try! Your cake looks awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so many kinds of perfect! It looks amazing and I can't imagine how it tastes, PB is one of my favorite things!
ReplyDeleteWow! Fabulous job on this cake. All those Reese's cups for garnish....man that looks good. My peanut butter lovvin heart went all pitter patter.
ReplyDeleteMy son loves peanut butter and choclate, and Reeseie's, so i will make this for his next birthday cake. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and am now following. Your recipes are divine!
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh! that looks dangerously good!
ReplyDeleteI think my blood sugar spiked just by looking at this cake! My son would love this,but I fear he'd turn into an energizer bunny after a slice of this cake.It looks absolutely wonderful,thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteLove the recipe but the 80's ad priceless.. When I realize 1980 was over 30 yeas ago I get very afraid,
ReplyDeleteThis cake is absolutely decadent! Yum! What's better than chocolate? Chocolate with peanut butter! Another one for my "try it" list=)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cake and I can only imagine how delish!
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks absolutely delicious! You have wonderful food pictures. Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI had to pin this to Pinterest because it just looks delightful!
ReplyDeleteOh my heavens! That looks so crazy good! And I don't know if I should admit this out loud, but I remember that commercial...
ReplyDeleteLooks good, tastes not so great. Did you forget to add cocoa powder to the recipe? This was definitely not chocolate cake, chocolate chip maybe, but not chocolate cake. I would add at least twice the amount of chocolate if you want a chocolate cake. The frosting was good though. I just thought that someone who had actually made the cake should review it instead of those who just looked at it. If you're thinking of making this cake, use this frosting, but perhaps a different cake recipe
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback. Sorry that you didn't like the cake. I went back and checked the original that I adapted the recipe from, and it is correct as posted. The original does not contain cocoa powder. Here's the original: http://www.kitchenaid.com/assets/pdfs/literature/Instructions%20and%20Recipes%20-%209704323.pdf (Scroll down to the recipe "Chocolate Cake")
DeleteNo, this is not a very "chocolatey" cake. That is actually one of the reasons I chose this particular chocolate cake recipe to use with the very rich frosting and all the candy. The cake was not my absolute favorite chocolate cake I have ever had, however my kids loved it. My son (whose birthday cake this was) still talks about this being his favorite chocolate cake.
I just pulled my cakes out of the oven and they really aren't chocolate. I thought I had done something horribly wrong when I mixed it because it isn't truly a chocolate cake. It smells like cake and maybe my boyfriend will like it because it isn't really chocolate. The other recipes I found use boxed cake mix and I knew he wouldn't like that so I tried this. It smells delicious! I cannot wait until it cools so I can frost it and eat it. I didn't add any milk to the frosting and I have no idea how much powdered sugar I put in but my frosting tastes delicious!
ReplyDeleteI made a variation of this tonight for my husband's birthday and it was a HUGE hit! I used devils food cake instead and added chocolate pudding in between the layers. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI just made a variation of this tonight for my husband's birthday and it was a HUGE hit! I used devils food cake instead and added chocolate pudding in between the layers. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
ReplyDeleteYum! Love the idea of adding pudding between the layers!
DeleteI also made devil's food cake, but I LOVE your chocolate pudding idea--I also considered a chocolate mousse in between the layers. Haven't bitten into mine yet, but I can't wait to try it!
DeleteI also used Devil's Food cake, but I love your chocolate pudding idea! I also considered chocolate mousse for next time. I haven't bitten into mine yet, but I can't wait to try it!
DeleteI made the frosting for this cake and something went wrong! The peanut butter got really oily. I followed the directions don't know what went wrong?
ReplyDeleteSorry that it didn't turn out! Maybe different kinds of peanut butter has different amounts of oil? Unfortunately I don't recall what kind of peanut butter I used.
DeleteSame here. Frosting is way too oily and oozing grease. I'd start with a much smaller amount of butter (1/4 cup, then add from there if you need it.)
DeleteI was using margarine sticks and had the same problem...it came out oily and gross! I tried again and used real butter and the frosting was perfect! I used Jif peanut butter and Land O' Lakes real butter sticks. Hope this helps!
DeleteI had the same problem...I was using margarine sticks and the frosting was oily and gross! I tried again and used real butter and the frosting was perfect! I used Jif peanut butter and Land O' Lakes real butter sticks. Hope this helps!
DeleteTry reducing the peanut butter to 1 cup OR uping the sugar to 4 cups. Mine did the dame thing and was a dump cake!! It tasted great but what a goopy mess.
ReplyDeleteHow did u get the mini reese in the bottom is the cake just sitting on top of or what I'm reall confused
ReplyDeleteAnd do u think vanilla cake will still taste good cause I don't like choc cake
ReplyDeleteHow did u get the mini reese under the cake is the cake just sitting on top of them cause I'm really confused
ReplyDeleteHow did u get the mini Reese under the cake
ReplyDeleteHow did u get the mini Reese under the cake and do u think vanilla cake will work
ReplyDeleteThe mini Reese's are not under the cake. They are cut in half and placed around the bottom of the cake. I think if you prefer vanilla cake, that would work fine--I used chocolate because Reese's are chocolate and peanut butter.
DeleteI used a boxed cake mix but the icing recipe was superb! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMine fell apart when removing it from the pan!!!! to much sugar!!!
ReplyDeleteWorst Cake recipe ever!!! Dry and crumbly and it tastes HORRIBLE!! would not recommend this at all!!
ReplyDeleteI made this for my partners birthday last night- and it was the star of the evening. I found the recipe for the cake delicious and a great match for the super tasty and creamy frosting! Thanks for the best cake of my life!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI made this cake yesterday for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the biggest hit! The cake was moist and a perfect match for the superb peanut butter icing! I refrigerated mine o help it set and it was the best most delicious cake ever! Rave reviews from every single guest! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you it everyone enjoyed it Lora!
DeleteThe recipe only makes 4 1/2 cups of batter... enough for one 8" or 9" round cake pans not two... I was a little disappointed about that but overall flavor is good.
ReplyDeleteI was searching for a recipe that I used in the past and this looked close... The flavor was fine but I was a little disappointed that the cake mix only made 4 1/2 cups of batter... enough for one (not two) 8" or 9" round cake pans...
ReplyDeleteI made two 9" layers with the recipe.
DeleteThis cake is awesome!! I made it and it was delicious!! My aunt has made a cake like this for years, except for the icing you use just vanilla icing and mix peanutbutter with it, you have to add a little at a time though because it gets too thick and kindof gritty like.. but I think they both taste the same.. It's awesome though!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm going into Peanut Butter coma! I'm in love!
ReplyDeleteHi I tried this recipe last night and found it to not have much flavor cake or icing I followed the recipe to the letter the only substitutions I made were butter flavored crisco shortning and margarine instead of butter im wondering if I missed something ?? It lookes so tasty but did not turn out that way
ReplyDeleteI dont know what went wrong the cake dose not have much flavor nor dose the icing the only sustitutions I made are 1 butter flavor shortning instead of regular for the cake and margarine instead of butter for the icing has anyone else had this problem ?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure Jeff--I've only made the cake as it is posted. Others have said they didn't find the cake very chocolaty, but that can depend on the chocolate you use too. I wouldn't think the butter flavored shortening would make a difference. As far as the frosting, using margarine instead of butter could affect the taste.
Deleteit was hershey's unsweetened bakers bar anyway thanks for the reply I might try a box mix next time I also found you cant over mix the frosting it will cake up (dry out} quickly if you do lesson learned
Deleteok... I made the cake... which came out fine. The frosting... as yummy as it was .... was not very easy to spread. Although I did use Margarine instead of butter...I was soo surprised that it was really sooo greasy. I soaked up most of the moisture with quite a few papertowels ...but still ... very difficult to work with. The reeses peanut butter cups on the bottom and on the top were very easy to put in place... my only complaint ... like I said was the frosting. Other than that ... very yummy looking cake.
ReplyDeleteI made this cake last night as a surprise for my hubby who loves Reese's cups. I don't mean to sound rude but it was my first ever dump cake. The cake was beautiful but had very little flavor and the icing, although tasty, was extremely oily and thick. I followed the directions exactly except I used a 9 x 13 pan.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of disappointed when I tried to make this cake... The cake it self turned out fine but the frosting is where everything went wrong... I was oily and would not spread easy so I just gave up. Any pointers on how to make the frosting better, I really want to see the finished product?
ReplyDeleteI was very disappointed when trying to make this cake. The cake itself turned out fine and tasted okay but the frosting is where everything went wrong.... It was very oily and hard to spread to I quit and threw it out. If you could give any pointers on how to make it that would be great!
ReplyDeleteA couple of things you can try--
DeleteFirst, make sure you are using real butter, not margarine. Also, make sure you are not using natural peanut butter. It seems that different brands of peanut butter vary in their oil content, so you could try using a different brand. Another thing to try is when mixing, start with adding 1/2 cup of butter, then gradually add more if needed. You can also gradually increase the confectioners' sugar if you need to thicken the frosting.
looks GREAT, Would it make a big difference if I use vegetable oil instead of of Shortening?
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks great, WillI be able to use vegetable oil instead of shortening?
ReplyDeleteI would think you could, but I haven't tried it--I have only made the cake as it is posted.
DeleteSo I made this tonight. Bought everything to make the cake before reading the comments - chickened out and used boxed devil's food cake as others have done. I modified the frosting recipe based on the comments, hoping to get it to work. I used 1/2 the amount of butter (and JIF peanut butter), and everything was going fine until I added the milk. 1 cup of milk was apparently way too much - the frosting became way too runny. I added a ton of sugar hoping to thicken it up, but it was no use. I also tried refrigerating the frosting, hoping it would make it more spreadable, but I was running out of time - this might work if you left it in the fridge long enough, and also kept the frosted cake refrigerated, but I think maybe less milk would have been the best option. The frosting tended to slump down the sides of the cake, and during transport, the top layer actually slid over to one side by about 1/4th! However, the frosting tasted pretty good - not having to add so much sugar might have made it a little better. The cake itself was a hit with the recipient (luckily I had a "before" picture to show her!) and it tasted quite good overall.
ReplyDeleteSo I made this cake tonight. Bought all the ingredients before reading the comments, then chickened out and used boxed devil's food cake mix instead (as others have done). Based on the comments, I used 1/2 the amount of butter for the frosting (and JIF creamy peanut butter), and everything was going fine until I added the milk. With 1 cup of milk, the frosting was way too runny. I tried adding more sugar to thicken it up, but that didn't work. I think less milk would have avoided the problem. I also could have tried refrigerating the frosting for awhile (and keeping the frosted cake in the fridge until serving), but I was running out of time. A lot of the frosting slumped down the sides of the cake, and during transport the top layer slid about 1/4th of the way off. The cake was a hit with the recipient (luckily I had taken a before picture and she didn't mind the mess it had become!), and the frosting tasted pretty good (although not having to add so much additional sugar probably would have made it even better).
ReplyDeleteThe frosting only calls for 3-4 tablespoons of milk, and should be added and mixed in gradually until the desired consistency is achieved. Maybe you mixed up the amount of milk that is called for in the frosting with the amount called for in the cake--that is 1 cup, but for the frosting it is only 3-4 tablespoons of milk?
DeleteMade this last night for partners b'day. Huge hit - perfect and easy to do! Sponge was not too choclately and it helped balance out the amount of chocolate in the Reese's cups! Frosting wonderful - follow the recipe exactly and use real butter if you are having issues and be sure to stir your peanut butter in the jar before measuring it out.
ReplyDeleteI made this for my husband's birthday today and found the frosting to be awesome. I added more than 2 c of powdered sugar (not sure how much) and whipped the frosting until it reached a nice and smooth consistency. It was delicious. The cake, on the other hand, was dry and crumbly. It fell apart at the edges when I took it out of the pan. I've never used shortening to make a cake, maybe next time I'll try substituting apple sauce. I like the mild chocolate flavor of the cake, just not the dryness.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't impressed with the cake from this recipe, but the frosting was great! I suggest using your own chocolate cake recipe
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for posting this recipe! I agree with the above comment about the cake, but it wasn't terrible. I like that the cake isn't super sweet because the frosting is truly what makes this cake amazing! We used some Reese's Hard Shell stuff on the top and topped with some Reese's crumbles. Yum!
ReplyDelete