Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake recipe is going to be your new peanut butter and chocolate obsession. 🙂 With a layer of my favorite chocolate cake, plus a layer of peanut butter truffle, this cake will definitely be your new favorite.

Looking for more chocolate cake recipes? Try my favorite moist chocolate cake!

Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake on a metal platter

Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake

So for the past month I’ve been reading a new book that I’ve got to share with you. It’s called “A Woman After God’s Own Heart” by Elizabeth George. It has really been an awesome read.

It focuses on pursuing God’s priorities for us and has totally changed the way I prioritize. It looks at areas like your husband, your children, your home, etc. and after the first few chapters, I wrote down a list of the way I wanted to prioritize things. It was clear that I wasn’t actually prioritizing things that way, so I’ve been working on it as I’ve been reading. So far, I’ve done pretty well. In fact, now the hubs is reading the men’s version. He said he needed to know what was in the book that has caused this change in me, because he wants it too. 🙂

I feel like I’ve been a better wife, been better about keeping our home and I’ve even lost almost 10 lbs as I try to focus more on my health. And yet I’m the busiest I’ve ever been at work and with the blog, but I’ve managed to not let it take over everything else – which it used to do. In general, I’ve been much happier (not that I wasn’t before, but it’s a different happy).

It’s seriously been an amazing change and I’ve learned a lot. So if you are looking for a new book, look no further. This is the one. 🙂

Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake slice on a yellow plate
Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake on a metal plate

What Makes this the Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake?

This Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake is also “the one” as far as cakes go.

The bottom layer is probably the moistest chocolate cake you’ll ever have. I love it. It’s a slow bake cake with a very thin batter, so don’t be alarmed – it’s supposed to be that way.

You’ll want to bake the cake in a 9 inch pan. If you have a springform pan that doesn’t leak (do those exist?), that would be best. Once the cake is baked and cooled, you’ll cut the dome off the cake and place it back into the springform pan. If you used a regular cake pan, you’ll still want to use a spring form pan. I also line the insides of the springform pan with parchment paper, to make removal from the pan easier.

The top layer is a peanut butter truffle made from peanut butter chips, heavy cream and mascarpone cheese. It is seriously so good. It gets fairly firm when cold, but if you want it a little softer just set it out for about 15 minutes or so and it’ll soften.

To make the truffle layer, you’ll start off by making peanut butter ganache. The ganache should cool until it’s still stirable, but thickened. I placed mine in the fridge for about an hour. Then the mascarpone cheese is stirred in. I love the mascarpone because it’s not over powering and I love the soft flavor. If you’d prefer though, you could try cream cheese.

The truffle mixture should be fairly thick. You’ll spread it on top of the chocolate cake and allow it to firm up in the fridge. Once ready, remove it from the spring form pan, top with chocolate icing and chocolate sauce and you’re done! It’s really not a hard cake to make, there’s just a few steps. The hardest part is the waiting!

The combination of moist chocolate cake with smooth, creamy peanut butter truffle is to die for!

Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake slice on a yellow plate
Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake slice on a yellow plate

You might also like:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Buckeye Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Macaroons
Loaded Peanut Butter Layer Cake
Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake
Reeses Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie Layer Cake

Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon
Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake slice on gold plate close up
Recipe

Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 5 hours
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 hours 35 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 Servings
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake recipe is going to be your new PB & chocolate obsession with layers chocolate cake + peanut butter truffle!


Ingredients

CHOCOLATE CAKE
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLE 
  • 20oz peanut butter chips
  • 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup (8 oz) mascarpone cheese
CHOCOLATE ICING 
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
  • 23 tsp water

Instructions

1. Prepare 9 inch cake pan with a parchment paper circle in the bottom and grease the sides. If you have a leakproof 9 inch springform pan, that would be best.
2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
3. Add egg, buttermilk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Add vanilla to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix well.
5. Pour into cake pan and bake at 300 degrees for about 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
6. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
7. To make the truffle layer, put peanut butter chips into a mixing bowl.
8. Microwave heavy cream until boiling, then pour over peanut butter chips.
9. Cover bowl with clear wrap and allow to sit for 5-7 minutes.
10. Whisk mixture until smooth, then cover and place in refrigerator for about 45 minutes to an hour. It should thicken, but still be stirable.
11. Stir in mascarpone cheese until smooth.
12. Once cake has cooled, use a serrated knife to cut off the cake dome.
13. Place cake into 9 inch springform pan, lining sides of pan with parchment paper so that it sticks up above the edge of the pan.
14. Pour peanut butter mixture over cake and spread evenly. It may come above the edge of the cake pan, but your parchment paper should be high enough. Refrigerate until firm, 3-4 hours.
15. Once truffle layer is firm, remove cake from pan.
16. To make the icing, beat butter and shortening until smooth.
17. Add powdered sugar, cocoa and 1 tsp of water and mix until smooth.
18. Add more water as needed until the icing is a smooth consistency.
19. Pipe icing around the edges of the cake, then drizzle with chocolate sauce.
20. Refrigerate until ready to serve. You can let it sit out for about 15-20 minutes for the truffle layer to soften, if you prefer.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 771
  • Sugar: 38.4 g
  • Sodium: 413 mg
  • Fat: 49.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 75.7 g
  • Protein: 12.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 82.7 mg

Filed Under:

 

 

Enjoy!

Side view of a Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Cake on a metal plate

Share a Comment

Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you and seeing what you made!

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

51 Comments
    1. Lindsay

      In theory, yes. It just may be hard to get the cake out of another type of cake pan. Some kind of cake collar would work.

  1. Sandra

    Lindsay..
    You say in #19: “Pipe icing around the edges of the cake, then drizzle with chocolate sauce”.
    My question is, what sauce? You have ingredients and directions for the icing but not the chocolate sauce.
    Please help!






  2. Lauren

    Hi – This cake looks amazing and I’m very excited about making it for Mother’s Day! I noticed that you didn’t give the instructions for piping the rosettes on top of the cake, only the instructions for the chocolate icing,. Did you use the same icing or did you use something different for the rosettes?

    1. Lindsay

      Hmm, there are some swirls around the edge of the cake, but I don’t see any rosettes? The chocolate frosting is what I used.

  3. Dee

    This cake smells great, but @ 300 for 35 minutes the center is nowhere near set. ???? I made sure I used a 9 inch pan as called for (BTW, I have a Kitchen Aid springform that has only leaked with very thin batters). Continuing the cooking process… Timer just went off, looks like 50 minutes is what it needed for me. Can’t wait to finish it and serve for my son’s 21st birthday tomorrow! Thanks for sharing this great looking recipe!

  4. felix

    Hi.Lindsay I have a question about the 1/4 cup shortening what does it means shortening I can’t find the meaning thank you! I really want to make this cake .

    1. Lindsay

      Shortening is a butter replacement that tends to have a bit more stability. But you could replace it with additional butter instead.

  5. Flóra

    Hi Lindsay! First of all your cake looks amazing!!! I want to make it for my boyfriends birthday but i have a little problem. I’m from Hungary, Europe and we don’t have peanut butter chips in the stores . So my question is how can i replace it? Thank you for your answer!

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Hmm, I’m not sure. I’ve gotten this question a few times and I’d like to try and see if regular peanut butter would work, but haven’t had the chance yet.

  6. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie

    You continue to amaze me wit the cakes you make. Need this one just like every other one you make with peanut butter or funfetti.

  7. Ada

    This cake looks ahhhhhhmazing!!! Just a question question, what chocolate sauce did you use to drizzle over the cake? Was it store bought or homemade? How about if I use ganache?

  8. Sydney Johnston

    Hi Lindsay. I’m looking on your website today for a cupcake idea for my family tonight and ran across this post – your comments about Elizabeth George’s book caught my eye. I read this book a couple of years ago and it certainly changed my life! I’ve really focused more on God’s word and filling myself and my family up with bible gems in addition to everything else I Iearned from the book. It was nice hearing another women’s positive experience from reading the book. Love your site and I’m a FB follower too. Thanks for the wonderful ideas you share. I’m going to try the Banoffee cupcakes to use up my too ripe bananas and some dulce de leche I made. Blessings.

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Thank you Sydney! Great to hear from someone else who loved the book too! 🙂 Thanks for following – I hope you enjoy the cupcakes!

  9. Annette

    Hi Lindsay. I made this cake last night. It’s delicious but my cake layer always seems to fall while cooling so it’s never as thick as the ones in your photos. Your directions say to cut off the dome and I didn’t have one! This also happened when I made your Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream (which was super delicious by the way). Any clue what I may be doing wrong? I want to make the Nutella Buttercream cake again for a b-day tomorrow but I’d like the cake layers a little thicker. Thanks for any help you may be able to give me.

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Hi Annette! It’s hard for me to say from afar. Does the cake rise, and then fall? Or just never rise all the way? I haven’t had that happen before, but normally issues like that have to do with the leavener (baking soda in this case) or eggs (which I’d think yours are fine). Sometimes it can happen if you open the oven too soon as well. With this being a slow bake cake, try to make sure you keep the oven closed as long as you can before opening it to check the cake. That will definitely affect the rise.

      1. Annette

        It rises, then falls as its cooling. I made it again for my son and daughter-in-law’s birthdays this past weekend. The cake layers rose more than the first time but then deflated while cooling. The cake was delicious and they certainly didn’t care. I’ll try again as it’s become my husband’s favorite cake. Thanks for the reply.

  10. Beth @ bethcakes

    Wow, look at this cake! That chocolate layer looks so rich. And the peanut butter truffle layer! What a fabulous idea. I wish I had a slice of this right now! 🙂

  11. Joan Hayes

    This seriously looks too good to be true, and I really do have a chocolate/pb obsession. That top layer looks and sounds FANTASTIC! I love that you put mascarpone in it! I can’t wait to make this awesome dessert!

  12. Aansa

    Hello Lindsay!
    I just ate a cake yesterday that looked just like this one. I loved it so much but was unsure how to make the very moist cake layer. I was surprised to see that you posted the recipie for the exact same cake today.
    Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try it!
    Just a quick question, can I use regular milk instead of butter milk? If not, is there a substitute?

  13. Jessica @ Sweetest Menu

    Oh my! I don’t know how you do it Lindsay – every treat you make is more magical than the one before! I am in LOVE!

  14. Jocelyn @BruCrew Life

    Good grief! I want a huge slice of this cake! I read that book a long time ago and remember what a help and encouragement it was. Thanks for the reminder…I’m going to get it out and read it again as I know I have areas that need work!

  15. Stephanie | Worth Whisking

    Wow, Lindsay! This cake is absolutely beyond words! So wonderfully decadent and utterly mouthwatering! I’d say you’ve outdone yourself, but you always have such amazing desserts! Thanks for the recipe!

  16. Daphne

    Your newest creation looks just as delicious and decadent as any. Can’t wait to try it.
    I have read several of Elizabeth George’s books. I am so glad “A Woman After God’s Own Heart” has inspired you to make you and your families life better. You made the changes though. Matthew 19:26
    “…with God all things are possible.”

  17. Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats

    Ohh I have to check that book out! Your cakes always amaze me at the perfection. What wonderful flavors!

  18. Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking

    This cake is definitely how I want to cure my chocolate pb cravings from now on! Amazing! Plus you chocolate cake alone is to die for – then you add pb and I know I’ll swoon after just one bite! I’m going to download that book on my way to the subway today. It sounds like exactly what I need right now. Thanks for sharing, girl! xxox

  19. Mir

    I hear you about prioritizing. It’s important to have those front and center, because then they guide everything else you do!
    If this were at my house, I’d GAIN those ten pounds back that you lost, easy! This is amazing.

  20. June @ How to Philosophize with Cake

    Oh my gosh…another amazing dessert! I love all the layers in here, so much chocolate and peanut butter richness…. 🙂

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29