Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake is a chocolate Bundt cake overloaded with chocolate ganache, homemade peanut sauce, and topped with mini peanut butter cups.
Our Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake is perfect when you want to indulge in something sweet, chocolate-y, and a little over-the-top. We love these types of guilty pleasure desserts! A few of our other favorites are Carmelitas, Mini Skillet Cookie, Chocolate Lasagna, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and Turtle Cheesecake Dip.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake Recipe:
This chocolate peanut butter bundt cake is a family favorite. I started making it years ago just around the time I started this blog. My son was in braces and couldn’t enjoy some of the caramel desserts we were making, so this was what I came up instead.
He loved chocolate cake and anything peanut butter, so a chocolate bundt cake topped with loads of ganache and peanut butter sauce was perfect. Recently, I decided to add some fresh photos and swap out the homemade cake recipe with a doctored up cake mix version. This time I added peanut butter cups, too, and it was a huge hit.
I know you and your family are going to love this cake! It’s soft, moist, and perfectly chocolate-y. There is enough for a crowd or for several days of leftovers. Our chocolate peanut butter bundt cake stores well, and is great when served with chocolate or vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake Tips and Variations:
- Cake: I used a super moist variety boxed cake mix, but in the past I’ve made chocolate cake from scratch. Use whatever variety of cake you like as long as it’s enough to fill a Bundt pan. It doesn’t have to be chocolate flavored. Any type of cake will work as long as it’s dense enough to hold the toppings.
- Ganache: The ganache can be quite thick. Adjust the consistency by adding more warm heavy cream a teaspoon at a time. Homemade or jarred hot fudge can be used in place of ganache.
- Peanut Butter Sauce: The peanut butter sauce doesn’t thicken quite as quickly or as much as the ganache, but if you leave it out in the bowl too long or in a cold area too long it will thicken up. It’s best to make the peanut butter sauce and the ganache just prior to placing it on the cake.
- Peanut Butter Cups: I’ve linked to my favorite peanut butter cups in the recipe card, but any size or variety peanut butter cups will work. Pop them in the fridge or freezer first, so they get cold. They’re a lot easier to work with when they’re cold. In place of peanut butter cups, use some chocolate or peanut butter chips.
- Pudding: The pudding adds a lovely texture to the cake. It makes it soft and extra moist. I love it so much, that I use it in most of my cupcake recipes, too. If you don’t have a box of pudding handy, no worries. It won’t “break” the recipe, but the texture will be slightly different than intended. I recently noticed that some brands sell the pudding in 3.4 ounce boxes and others sell it in 3.9 ounce boxes. Either will work. Make sure you grab the instant pudding, not the stove top kind that needs to be cooked.
Storage Recommendations:
Room Temperature: Chocolate peanut butter bundt cake is good when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: The chocolate Bundt cake will stay good in the refrigerator for about 5 days, but it tends to dry out slightly. It’s best reheated just slightly for about 10 seconds in the microwave.
Freezer: We do not recommend freezing this chocolate peanut butter bundt cake with the toppings and sauce. It can be frozen if it’s just the cake. Wrap it well in a couple layers of plastic wrap, then wrap it again in aluminum foil. The cake will stay cook for about 2 months. To dethaw, place it in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
Other cake recipes you may love:
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 15.25 ounces chocolate cake mix, 1 box
- 3 large eggs
- 3.9 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix, 1 box
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Ganache
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream, adjust to reach desired consistency
Peanut Butter Sauce
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional Candy Topping
- 1 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped, optional (We used mini Reese's cups.)
Instructions
Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan.
- Place all cake ingredients (cake mix through vanilla extract listed under the "Cake Batter" heading) in a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan.15.25 ounces chocolate cake mix3 large eggs3.9 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix¾ cup sour cream¾ cup vegetable oil¼ cup water¼ cup freshly brewed coffee1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting and transfer the cake to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Ganache
- Place the chocolate chips in a small, heat-safe bowl.1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave or a small saucepan until it begins to steep, but don’t let it boil. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate chips, and allow it to set for 30 seconds to 1 minute.¼ cup heavy cream
- Stir the chocolate chips until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Peanut Butter Sauce
- Place the peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, water, and vanilla in a small bowl.½ cup creamy peanut butter½ cup sweetened condensed milk3 tablespoons water½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds, until the mixture is well combined and creamy. Drizzle over the chocolate ganache.
Candy Topping
- Sprinkle the chopped peanut butter cups over the chocolate ganache and peanut butter sauce.1 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Slice the cake, and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a sealed container.