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This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake has a tunnel of creamy peanut butter hiding inside our moist chocolate cake. It all gets topped off with a sweet peanut butter glaze and a rich dark chocolate glaze!
You might have noticed that I have a bit of a thing for that chocolate peanut butter combination.
Decadent In The Best Way
Look, I’m not going to pretend this is health food. This is the kind of cake you make when you need chocolate and peanut butter to solve all your problems. And honestly? It works every single time.
I grew up eating Reese’s every chance I could get, then graduated to making my own chocolate peanut butter treats like these chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies, our famous peanut butter lasagna, and these chocolate peanut butter cookies. This bundt cake is basically all of that rolled into one impressive-looking dessert that’s surprisingly easy to pull off.
The hidden peanut butter tunnel gets oohs and ahhs every time someone sneaks a peek at the cake. Seriously delightful.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It looks fancy but isn’t fussy. Bundt cakes are naturally gorgeous – no fancy decorating skills required. Just pour on the glaze and watch people think you’re some kind of baking wizard.
- The peanut butter filling is the real star. Sure, the chocolate cake is rich and moist, but that creamy peanut butter tunnel hiding inside? That’s what gets people talking.
- Two glazes are better than one. We’re not messing around here – this cake gets both chocolate AND peanut butter glaze because more is definitely more when it comes to this combination.
Key Ingredient Notes:
Sour cream – This is what makes the cake incredibly moist and tender. 0% fat Greek yogurt would also work well here.
Peanut butter – Stick with regular creamy brands like Jif or Skippy for both the filling and glaze. Natural peanut butter is too oily and won’t give you the right texture.
Butter (partially melted) – Microwave for 30-45 seconds until very soft but not fully liquid. This creates the perfect texture for easy mixing.
Room temperature ingredients – Your eggs, milk, sour cream, and cream cheese should all be at room temperature. They’ll mix together much easier and create a smoother batter.
Cocoa powder – Natural (unsweetened) cocoa powder gives the best chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa is not recommended here, since it will react with the baking soda and potentially cause a soapy or metallic taste.
Dark chocolate chips – We like dark chocolate in the glaze, but milk or semi-sweet will work here if you like it sweeter.
Prep Your Pan:
Here’s where most people mess up – properly greasing your bundt pan is absolutely essential.
There are 3 methods for preparing your bundt pan:
- Generously butter every single nook and cranny and then dust with flour (for white or yellow cakes) or cocoa powder (for chocolate cakes. Don’t forget the center tube!
- Use a baking spray designed for baking, such as Baker’s Joy. (The easiest method, but the least effective for bundt cakes in my experience.)
- Make your own ‘cake goop’ by mixing equal parts vegetable oil or shortening and flour. Brush this mix into your pan. This is my preferred method!
Step by Step:
Prepare the chocolate cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar and then mixing in the remaining wet and dry ingredients.
Use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese and peanut butter together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the sugar and flour and beat until smooth and creamy.
Add half of the chocolate cake batter to the pan and spread the peanut butter filling over the top. Pour the rest of the cake batter over that and smooth flat. Bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing to a plate to finish cooling for 1 hour.
Drizzle the peanut butter and chocolate glazes over the chocolate Bundt cake and let set for 15 minutes before slicing and serving!
Helpful Tip!
You can pour the glaze on however you like! You could alternate them in patterns or just pour one on and then pour the other over the top. It really doesn’t matter how you glaze the cake as long as you like it!
My Favorite Bundt Pan!
A quality bundt pan is essential! This one is non-stick, budget friendly, and gets used often in my home.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Room temperature storage: This cake stays moist and delicious covered on the counter for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator storage: You can refrigerate it for up to 5 days, but let it come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Freezing: Wrap the unfrosted cake tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before glazing. You can also freeze glazed slices individually for grab-and-go treats, though the glaze doesn’t hold up the best.
Make-ahead for parties: Bake the cake up to 2 days ahead and store covered. Add the glazes the day you’re serving for the prettiest presentation.
FAQs:
If you are looking to experiment with different glaze flavors, caramel is a must try for this Bundt cake. Caramel pairs perfectly with both peanut butter and chocolate. A simple vanilla glaze made with powdered sugar and milk would also be delicious.
Sounds like an easy hack, but cake mix batter is so thin that the peanut butter tunnel will likely sink to the bottom of the cake.
MORE CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER RECIPES!
We just can’t get enough of chocolate and peanut butter treats! In fact, there is an entire category devoted entirely to them that you can check out. And here are some favorites:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter partially melted
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 cups flour
- 1/3 cup natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the peanut butter filling:
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
For the peanut butter glaze:
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup powdered sugar
For the chocolate glaze:
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and liberally butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and patially melted butter until no clumps of sugar or butter remain. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined.
- Add the milk and sour cream and mix again until the sour cream is fully incorporated into the mixture.
- Add in all of the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder) and slowly mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter.
To make the filling:
- Set the chocolate cake mix aside while you prepare the peanut butter filling. In a medium sized bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese and peanut butter together.
- Add the sugar and flour and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add half of the chocolate cake batter to the bundt pan and then spread the peanut butter filling evenly over the batter. Pour the rest of the cake batter on top of the peanut butter filling and smooth flat.
- Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until the top springs back when gently pressed and a tester comes out mostly clean of chocolate crumbs. Once done baking, allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing to a cake plate. Let cool on the cake plate for 1 hour.
To make the peanut butter glaze:
- In a small bowl, microwave the peanut butter and milk for 45 seconds and then stir the ingredients, adding in the powdered sugar. Continue stirring this mixture until it is smooth.
To make the chocolate glaze:
- In another bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and heavy cream together for 45 seconds. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth.
To serve:
- Drizzle both glazes evenly over the cake and let set for 15 minutes to firm up before slicing and serving.
Cherri Pie says
I live in the UK and Reeces are not around so this is amazing chocopeanuty fix for me! love it and I have my grans bundt pan – with the addition of a silicone non-stick liner 😉
Karly says
Oh, I’ve never seen a liner for a bundt pan! Interesting and kind of genius! Hope you love the cake. 🙂