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Raspberry Rose Baked French Toast.
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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.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 970 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 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.
I feel like she’ll be happy, so I am excited.
If you make this without coffee, do you suggest any replacements? Would it be dry without it? (I hate coffee, but the rest of this cake sounds amazing)
Hi! Just replace the coffee with water. The cake will still be great. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you!
Hi! Lovely cake, so excited to make this for my boyfriend! One question: do the pretzels get soggy after pouring the ganache on them? How can I avoid that?
Thanks for the post!
HI! Nope, the pretzels stay firm since you will not pour the ganache on hot. Hope you love this!
Will this recipe work without the coffee? Or would it change it too much? Thanks! Looks amazing!
Hi Katie! Yes, you can just swap the coffee for water. Not a huge deal. Enjoy! 🙂
Just made this…holy richness! It’s so amazing. I had to add semi sweet chocolate chips to the ganache because my people do not have a palate as refined as mine and the taste was a little bitter for them. I tried explaining that the flavor profile would come together but it was exhausting. The recipe is perfection!
LOL!
So happy these are a hit! Thanks Amber! 🙂
Made this cake, following your recipe to a t.
A few points.
The cake is intensely chocolatey, with relatively little sweetness. This is a nice combination, and works well for those without a sweet tooth.
Following the ganache recipe, it did not turn out runny, as in your photo, but gloopy. So “pouring” it on the cake resulted in a messy looking concoction, as opposed to the eloquently indulgent cake pictured. Maybe adding milk would solve this?
The pretzels should be applied to the cake when completely cool. Otherwise they lose their crunch and become soggy.
After adding the hot coffee to the mixture, the batter should also be left to completely cool. This is so that when the chocolate chips are added, they do not simply melt into the batter.
All in all a good cake, but mentioning the points raised above might prevent someone from having to make it twice to get it to “match the photo”
it looks great 😀
Thank you!!
This cake!!! I got halfway through reading this post and suddenly started feeling like I needed chocolate ASAP despite the fact that it’s not even noon yet. Show-stopper for sure!
haha!! Thank you so much! Hope you had a great!! 🙂
This looks amazing!!!
Thank you!
You know I love this! I could live on chocolate, PB and pretzels if that was socially acceptable (wait, can it be?).
THANK YOU!!
I love that ganache drizzle and a one bowl cake is the best. Love the sweet/salty flavors here!
Thank you!!
This cake is crazy beautiful, and I’m in love! I love something simple AND wonderful.
Oh my gosh indeed!!! This is such a stunner!
making the cake now and realize that the recipe doesn’t say when to add the yogurt. assuming with the eggs and before the coffee. Correct?
Hey Lauren,
The yogurt was actually a typo and is not supposed to be in the recipe, but I am sure if you added it it will still be great…just extra moist. Hope you love the cake!!!
I like your recipe however I’m vegan is there a way I can substitute for your 4 eggs? It gets dicy with more than 3. Thanks in advance
oh no, it’s happening again, I’m drooling!…
Wow that looks absolutely amazing!
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