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Peanut Butter Fudge Cake with Peanut Butter Cups

A chocolate cake with peanut butter cups folded into the batter and a creamy peanut butter frosting.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Peanut and chocolate are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,279 recipes. Both carry 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake with Peanut Butter Cups

Oven350°F
Time34 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the pans

  1. Heat oven to 350°F.

  2. Coat 2 round cake pans with cooking spray and line pans with wax paper, then coat the paper.

Make and bake the cakes

  1. In a bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and oil 30 seconds, then increase speed and beat 2 minutes.

  2. Fold in 2 cups peanut butter cups.

  3. Divide batter between pans and bake 34 minutes or until done.

  4. Let cool 15 minutes, then turn out cakes.

Make the fudge frosting

  1. Place dark chocolate in a bowl.

  2. Bring cream to a boil and pour over chocolate.

  3. Whisk until chocolate melts, add peanut butter and whisk until smooth.

Assemble and finish

  1. Put one cake layer on a cooling rack set on a baking sheet.

  2. Pour 1 cup frosting on top and spread.

  3. Top with remaining cake layer.

  4. Pour remaining frosting over the top, allow it to spill over the sides, and smooth top and sides.

  5. Refrigerate 1 hour to set.

  6. Transfer cake to serving plate and garnish with chopped peanut butter cups.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

807Calories
27 gProtein
63 gFat
38 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Peanut Butter1 tbsp (16g)94
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Cakenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Peanut + chocolatetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,279 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).

  2. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Buttermilk + creamtop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together674 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,466 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Peanut + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,754 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Bind the batter and add structure as they set during baking.
Buttermilk
Adds moisture and tenderness and reacts with leavening for a soft crumb.
Vegetable oil
Provides moisture and a tender texture in the baked cake.
Dark chocolate
Melts with hot cream to form a rich, glossy fudge frosting.
Heavy cream
Melts into the chocolate to make a smooth, spreadable frosting.
Creamy peanut butter
Adds fat and nutty flavor and helps the frosting stay smooth.

The step that matters

Whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth. Pouring hot cream over chocolate and whisking gently lets the chocolate melt evenly; overheating or skipping the whisking can cause grainy or seized frosting.

Swap the peanut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, buttermilk, butter, chocolate, cream):

  1. Pecansfits better
  2. Almondfits better
  3. Hazelnutfits about as well
  4. Peanutthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, buttermilk, butter, chocolate, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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