Fudgy One-Bowl Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Cake.

WITH chocolate peanut butter ganache.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. YES.

This CAKE!

So much excitement and enthusiasm for this cake. Like I don’t even know where to begin. I guess maybe with the fact that I feel like anyone can make this cake…and not mess it up!! I mean, you can totally over cook it, which would be kind of a bummer, but if you watch the time, you will be golden. The rest is SIMPLE. Hello, ONE bowl. Pretzels. Peanut butter. YUM.

Wait. In full disclosure, the recipe uses two bowls. One for the cake and one for the ganache. I wasn’t really sure if that still qualified as one-bowl, but the cake batter is mixed together in just one bowl, so I am going to go with it. Plus, if you use a microwave safe bowl, you could totally use the same bowl to make the ganache in, which in turn would truly make the recipe one bowl. Or you could even skip the ganache…

Not gonna sugar coat it though, you’d be a fool not to make the ganache. Just sayin.

Lately I have really been on the lookout for simple and easy recipes. Sometimes I feel like I can get a bit carried away with my recipes and in turn they end up being a little too much work for average weekday cooking. Not all of them, but some. So these last couple weeks I have been trying hard to just simplify things. It’s SO hard, but I am realizing, I like the simple too.

Especially simple in the form of chocolate and peanut butter, which just might be the best two ingredients ever to pair together.

Give me just a straight up chocolate bar (preferably bittersweet or dark) and a jar of creamy peanut butter and I am a happy girl. That’s a sweet snack I will never tire of.

Anyway, the point is I have been looking to simplify a bit, and this cake is only the beginning.

Also, I really wanted to make my mom a cake for Mother’s Day…if you are reading in between the lines here, I am pretty positive that just meant I was looking for an excuse to make a chocolate cake. But really, this cake, this Sunday, YOUR mother. <–DO IT.

So I am just coming to the realization that I have planned pretty much nothing, except some good food and plenty of chocolate, for my mom for this Sunday.

I am feeling kind of lame, Sunday just snuck up real fast on me. This happen to anyone else? If so, what last-minute gifts are you guys getting?? Are you making anything homemade and crafty? Please share your secrets.

You see, when I make chocolate cake, it’s pretty much almost always with my mom in mind. I know you guys know this by now, but the woman is a chocoholic and a good old-fashioned chocolate cake is probably one of her biggest weaknesses with chocolate peanut butter bars following closely behind.

After thinking about that fact the other day, I realized I needed to create a chocolate cake with peanut butter. That should have been obvious to me a long, long time ago, but oddly I am just getting to it now. AND thank God because whoa, I cannot imagine life without this fudgy one-bowl chocolate peanut butter cup pretzel cake. Good thing it literally takes just minutes to prep and only minutes more to assemble. There is no fancy frosting here, and you won’t be pulling out your hair because your cake ended up looking nothing like the photo.

Been there, done that, shed tears.

Over it.

This is that cake we can all make and be super happy about. It’s gonna look awesome no mater what because cake, pretzels and peanut butter cups, drizzled with chocolate peanut butter ganache, can never NOT look good.

Like never.

Umm, can I just bark out some orders yet???

Like guys, go grab a bowl, some simple pantry staple ingredients (or well pantry staples for me at least) and two round cake pans. Crack a couple eggs, mix, bake, melt, pour and EAT.

Oh, and show your mom you love her more than anything by giving her the very first (and very thickest) slice with a big glass of icy cold milk on the side.

YUP, that right there would surely make my mother’s, Mother’s Day.

Right, mom? I mean, that’ll do it for you??

Fudgy One-Bowl Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Cake.

4.18 from 51 votes

8 Servings

by Tieghan Gerard

calories 970kcal

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Prep10 minutes mins

Cook25 minutes mins

Total35 minutes mins

This is that cake we can all make and be super happy about. It's gonna look awesome no mater what because cake, pretzels and peanut butter cups, drizzled with chocolate peanut butter ganache, can never NOT look good.

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 eggs, at room temperature*
• ▢ 1/2 cup buttermilk
• ▢ 1/2 cup canola oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
• ▢ 1/2-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
• ▢ 1-2 cups mini pretzel twists
• ▢ 1-2 cups mini peanut butter cups, chopped (optional)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

• ▢ 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil and vanilla. Whisk to break up the eggs and then begin to incorporate the eggs and other ingredients into the flour. Mix until mostly smooth. Stir in the hot coffee and mix until combined. Batter should be pourable, but not super thin. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
• Divide the batter among the two cake pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Grab 2 large flat plates, line them with wax or parchment paper and invert the cakes onto the paper lined plates. Cover and let the cakes cool.
• To make the ganache, add the chocolate, cream and peanut butter to a small sauce pan. Set over low heat and melt until smooth, stirring often to prevent burning.
• Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. Spread a single layer of pretzels over the cake and then a sprinkle of peanut butter cups (if using). Now take the ganache and drizzle about half of it overtop of the pretzels. Next place the second layer of cake on top and add another layer of pretzels. Drizzle with the remaining ganache and then finish with peanut butter cups. Allow the ganache to set for about 10 minutes or up to one day...OR just dig in!

Notes

*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature place them in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let them sit five minutes. **To keep things all in one bowl, use a microwave safe bowl. Once you have emptied the cake mix into the baking pans, add the chocolate, cream and peanut butter to the bowl and microwave for thirty second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth.

Nutrition

Calories: 970kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 791mg | Potassium: 774mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 72g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 6.9mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.

I feel like she’ll be happy, so I am excited.