Candy bars are so yesterdays news! Instead unwrap a giant Chocolate Peanut Butter Twix Cake loaded with peanut butter mousse, peanut butter caramel and chocolate ganache! It’s a chocolate peanut butter lovers dream come true!
Ready to bring some excitement to the middle of the week?
I am, it’s been a long week already – let’s call it Friday and be done with it all.
Except of course if we skip today, we skip the best day of the entire year.
You guys, Chocolate Peanut Butter Day is back for the second year in a row and it’s bigger and better than ever! Since we had so much fun last year, Carla from Chocolate Moosey and Miriam of Overtime Cook just had to throw the party again. I mean we are talking about the best food combination ever created, it deserves its own day.
Of course coming up with an epic chocolate peanut butter dessert to top last years Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cups was no easy feat. How do you top a better version of peanut butter cups after all?
Easy, by taking another candy bar, adding that luscious peanut butter mousse and calling it a day.
See I know most of us think caramel when someone asks if they’d like a twix but my association goes back to the peanut butter version.
We have a long relationship dating back to high school when I was able to eat whatever I wanted for lunch and didn’t gain an ounce. I kid you not, my “lunch” for a good part of high school involved a buttered roll, maybe a piece of fruit and peanut butter twix all purchased from the school cafeteria. This kids is what happens when you try to squeeze an extra music class in instead of taking a lunch hour. Also what high school sells candy bars to students? Apparently mine, but I clearly needed the {ahem} protein from the peanut butter to keep me going all day long.
So why go through all the trouble of making a peanut butter twix cake when you can get the flavor by just going to the store and buying one?
I’m going to tell you why.
For starters, it’s cake. Enough said.
Secondly, we have peanut butter mousse on top of a layer of lovely yellow cake.
After that, we take it up one more notch that you don’t get in your measly candy bar. A layer of peanut butter caramel.
Finally the whole shebang is covered with chocolate ganache. And that folks is why you need this cake in your life.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup pure cane sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup natural-style (no added sugar) peanut butter
- 1 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
- 1/2 cup pure cane sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
- 4 ounces heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9x5inch loaf pan.
- In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time until well combined and then vanilla extract.
- Mix in half the flour mixture, half the milk and then the remaining flour and milk. Careful not to over mix the batter. If some lumps remain that's fine.
- Pour into your prepared loaf pan, tap on your counter to get out any air bubbles and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.
- Using a serrated knife, level the top so you have a flat surface to work with. Save the scraps to snack on.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the fillings and topping.
- To make the peanut butter mousse: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whip, whisk 3/4 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Mix in about 1/4 of the whipped cream to get a creamy consistency.
- Place ? o the remaining whipped cream in the bowl and with a rubber spatula carefully fold in the whipped cream, careful not to deflate. Rotate the bowl as you fold in the whipped cream. Add the next ? and fold and then finish with the rest. Set aside.
- To make the peanut butter caramel: Place the sugar in a medium heavy duty stainless steel pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved and starts to caramelize. Do not walk away from the stove during this process.
- Once the sugar is a light to medium golden brown color stir in the butter until it is completely melted and then off the heat stir in the peanut butter until combined. Lastly add the heavy cream.
- Return the caramel to medium heat, if it seizes up just continue to cook until the sugar is melted again and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract. Let cool until the caramel thickens up, about 20 minutes.
- To make the chocolate ganache, bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat and pour it over the chopped up chocolate set in a small metal mixing bowl. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to let the chocolate melt and stir until smooth. Place in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes to thicken up but don't let it get too firm, you want the ganache to remain spreadable.
- To build the cake, place the yellow cake on your cake stand or serving platter and spread the peanut butter mousse over the top. Next pour the caramel over the top until it's covered (you probably won't use all the caramel sauce, save some for serving) and then with an offset spatula spread the chocolate ganache over the top and sides of the cake.
- You can serve immediately after adding the layers or refrigerator before serving. Any leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
And now, what’s a party without friends? Make sure to check out all the chocolate peanut butter recipes below and you can follow us on social media with the hashtag #ChocPBday!
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites by Carla from Chocolate Moosey
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies by Miriam from Overtime Cook
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Twix Cake by Susan from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- {Healthy} Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Bars by Kayle from The Cooking Actress
- Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Tiger Paws by Renee from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Dip by Becca from It’s Yummi
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake by Erin from The Spiffy Cookie
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie by Lisa from Snappy Gourmet
- Espresso Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and a Rum Drizzle by Barb from Creative Culinary
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Tandy Cake by Cindy from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Chocolate-Glazed Peanut Butter-Stuffed Doughnuts by Coleen from The Redhead Baker
- 4 Ingredient Chocolate & Peanut Butter Candy by Colleen from Souffle Bombay
- Ganache-Stuffed Peanut Butter Bars by Karen from The Food Charlatan
- Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes by Taylor from Food Faith Fitness
- Flourless Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing by Shashi from Runnin Srilankan
- Chocolate Filled Peanut Butter Cookie Cups by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
- Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Lava Cakes by Anita from Hungry Couple
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Renee from Magnolia Days
- Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites by Lauren from Healthy Delicious
- Tagalong Dip by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Nancy from gotta get baked
- Small Batch Chocolate Peanut Butter Doughnuts by Sarah from What Smells So Good?
- Funky Monkey Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls by Brianne from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies by Diane from Created by Diane
- Chocolate, Peanut Butter, & Roasted Banana Shake by Jennie from The Messy Baker
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Magic Bars by Jen from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
- Chocolate Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Glaze by Lauren from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
MMm what a delicious-looking cake! Love that peanut butter caramel…sounds like a very rich and tasty treat 🙂
kaboom! My mind is blown. This looks crazy delicious!
I. Can’t. Even. With this cake! The amount of slices that I want to face plant into RIGHT NOW, is insane! Pinned!
Uh, I know. There’s a reason why I gave this cake away!
Peanut butter caramel??? This is one AMAZING cake!!!
I am glad you didn’t put a serving size on this as far as I am concerned -this serves ONE …ME!!! 🙂
Ha! As far as I’m concerned, we treat ourselves with desserts. You can just go to the gym the next day! 🙂
That is one amazing cake! That peanut butter caramel sounds divine all by itself!
Ummmm I really want to lick my screen, that’s totally normal right? 🙂 Looks incredible!
Peanut butter caramel is the best invention ever! My boyfriend also loves Twix so I have a feeling I may need to make this for him.
This cake blows me away! AMAZING!
ohmygawwwwwd this cake! that mousse!!! I waaaaant it!
Oh.my.goodness!! I want to eat this right now. I think I need to make this cake!
You don’t need to tell me twice to make this incredible cake! Loving all that chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel together.
“Candy bars are so yesterdays news” <– that's a bold statement, my friend, but looking at the photos of your amazing chocolate peanut butter Twix cake, I have to say that I agree with you! This is phenomenal! Sigh…I remember my high school metabolism. I also ate absolute garbage every day (vending machine instant noodles, tube steak hot dogs, candy bars, McDonalds…) and still stayed thin. Those days are long gone! My expanding waistline wouldn't stop me from devouring this cake though!
Peanut Butter Caramel sounds like such a good idea!
Love those layers. I wish cake was acceptable at every single meal. Glorious.
If loving this cake is wrong, I don’t want to be right!!!
WOW. You had me at Twix, but adding PB and chocolate too? I’m in!
Girl, this is one delicious looking recipe. I can’t wait to give this a try. Pinned.