Well if you’ve been following me at all you’ll know about my obsession with the Snickers flavour profile. I did a vote on my Instagram and asked what flavour cake you wanted a recipe for, and this was the winner by far! I’m quite happy to oblige.
This cake is made up of a peanut butter cake, caramel sauce, peanut butter cream cheese buttercream and dark chocolate ganache. It is a bit of prep work but it is 100% worth it. You could skip the home made caramel sauce and buy a jar (try Barkers) and you could actually skip the whole buttercream and just use ganache but it’s definitely delicious, plus the cream cheese adds a nice balance to the cake.
For cakes, I always specifically use scales, as if you use measuring cups, the grams can vary significantly. For some recipes this is OK but for cakes it's a non-negotiable, in my opinion.
Watch my tiktok tutorial here.
Peanut Butter Cake
250g butter
250g caster sugar
100g peanut butter
4 eggs
250g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Caramel Sauce
100g caster sugar
1/4 cup water
120g cream
1/4 tsp salt
Ganache
250g dark chocolate (I used Whittakers 50%) 125g butter
125g cream
Peanut Butter Buttercream
150g butter
100g cream cheese
100g peanut butter
2 cups icing sugar
2-4 Tbsp milk
Chopped and whole peanuts for decoration
- PREP -
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line the base and sides of a cake tin with baking paper. For this cake, I used 2 x 6 inch (15cm) cake tins. You could make this in one bigger tin (20 or 22cm) but you will need to cook it longer and I haven't tested how long it will need. Just continue to check with a skewer after 40 minutes, every 5-7 minutes.
To make the cake, place butter, sugar and peanut butter in a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer. Use electric beaters to beat for 4 minutes, until pale. Add eggs and continue to beat until combined, about 1 minute.
Very gently, use a spatula to fold in the flour, baking powder and salt, until just combined. Separate into prepared tin(s) (if you're using two, either weigh out equally or use a cup measure and put the same amount of cups in each tin). Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
For the caramel, place the sugar and water in a small pot on medium heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and mixture turns a deep amber colour. Being VERY careful, pour in the cream (it will splutter) and stir through salt. Reduce heat and let simmer and thicken for 3 minutes. Set aside in a jar or container to cool.
For the ganache, place chocolate and butter in heat-safe bowl and melt in the microwave, or over a pot of simmering water on the stove. If using the microwave, stir every 30 seconds so the chocolate doesn't burn on the bottom (you'll get tough bits in your ganache). Once melted, stir through the cream and set aside with a lid or cover with cling-film, pressing the cling-film to the surface of the chocolate, so it doesn't form a skin. The ganache will be quite liquidy when you first make it, you want it to sit and thicken to a spreadable consistency (like soft butter) before using on the cake.
For the buttercream, place butter, cream cheese and peanut butter in a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer and use electric beaters to beat until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add icing sugar and start your beaters on low, then increase speed to high and continue to mix for a further 5 minutes (it seems like an age but this helps to make the icing light and lovely). Add the milk a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- ASSEMBLY -
Once cooked, remove the cakes from their tins and allow them to cool completely. I sometimes speed up this process by wrapping them in cling-film and putting them in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Once cool enough, you can cut each layer in half or you can leave them whole if you like. To cut in half, run a serrated knife around the mid-line of your cake layer. Once you have a mark where that line is, you can then cut all the way through.
Get your cake board, or stand or plate for presenting. Place a little buttercream on the board so that the first layer sticks. Place the first layer down, pressing so it sticks. Place some buttercream on top and smooth out, creating a slight lip at the edges, for your caramel to sit in. Fill the centre with caramel and some chopped nuts. Repeat with remaining layers, lay your last layer on the top upside down, so that the flattest edge is facing up. Place a very thin layer of buttercream on the whole cake, wiping off any excess and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes, to set. I use an offset spatula or palette knife and turntable/lazy susan for cake decorating.
Next, once the cake is cool, apply a thin layer of ganache, using your palette knife or butter knife. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes. Finally, finish with a thick layer of ganache, covering any white that is showing through. You can then use your palette knife, to make indentations in the ganache, to create a pattern. Swipe across the cake horizontally or vertically or diagonally to make your cake your own.
I used some leftover buttercream to put dollops on the top, along with some caramel sauce and peanuts, but make it your own!
If you have any burning questions, send me a DM on instagram and I can help you out! I'd love to see your pictures if you make this or any of my recipes!
