This Reese's Pieces cake is a peanut butter fan's dream come true and is really simple to make with our step-by-step picture recipe.
If you're fan of Reese's Pieces you're going to love this showstopping cake made with a rich chocolate sponge, peanut butter buttercream and glazed with a luxurious chocolate ganache. The icing on the cake? Unlike our classic chocolate cake, this is scattered with delicious Reese's Pieces on top of a deliciously rich and decadent chocolate ganache.
This Reese's Pieces cake should take about 50 mins to cook and 30 mins to decorate, plus cooling time. If you have more time, how about making your own homemade mini peanut butter cups. They take 10 mins to prepare and another 10 minutes to cool. We've stuck to just Reese's Pieces only as the topping, but if you'd like to include whole chocolate bars, you might also like our incredibly over-the-top chocolate drip cake.
Reese's Pieces cake ingredients:
For the sponge:
400g plain flour 200g golden caster sugar 150g light brown sugar 1½tsp baking powder 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 50g good quality cocoa powder ½tsp salt 300g melted butter 1tbsp vanilla bean paste 280ml water 150g sour cream 3 eggs
For the buttercream:
250g unsalted butter 250g smooth peanut butter 2tsp vanilla bean paste 400g icing sugar
For the ganache:
200ml double cream 130g dark chocolate 2 packets of Reese’s Peanut butter cups
How to make Reese's Pieces cake
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and line your cake tins with greaseproof paper.
For the cake mix, whisk the eggs, vanilla and sour cream together. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and beat in the melted butter and water. Add the egg mix bit by bit beating until you have a nice smooth mixture. Don’t overbeat or the cake will be greasy. Divide the mixture between the 3 tins (about 540g in each pan) and bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, depending on your own oven. The cake will look ready when it has shrunk from the outside of the tins.
Cool the cake in the tins for 10 minutes before cooling completely on wire racks.
Step 2
For the buttercream, beat the butter and peanut butter together until light in colour and fluffy.
Sieve the icing sugar into the butter mix and push in with a spatula before beating. This will stop you getting an icing cloud and be a bit less messy. Beat for about 8 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and shiny.
Step 3
If you have one, use a turntable to ice the cake. Start with a non-slip mat, a large cake drum (just so you can pick it up and move it around), another piece of non-slip mat and then the 8 inch cake card. Add a layer of icing to the 8 inch cake card. If you do not have these, you can ice the cake on a plate or board.
Layer the cakes with a generous layer of the peanut buttercream.
Give the outside of the cake one layer of buttercream and then pop in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
Step 4
Cut a square of the reusable baking paper.
Remove the cake form the fridge and cover the top of the cake with the buttercream and then lay the baking paper over the top, smoothing any bubbles you can see and until the paper is nice and flat.
Using a clean palette knife to lift the cake, flip it over so the baking paper is now on the bottom of the cake and then give the cake another layer of buttercream. Don’t worry about any lumps, bumps or holes they can be fixed when the cake has cooled again.
Step 5
While the cake is chilling, cut a few of the peanut buttercups in half.
Step 6
Remove the cake from the fridge and smooth any lumps or bumps with a hot palette knife, if you want a perfect finish. Dip it in boiling water and then wipe on kitchen towel before smoothing over the icing.
For the ganache, chop the chocolate quite finely and heat the cream on a low heat until it’s close to boiling point. Pour the cream over the chocolate and gently fold until it’s smooth and shiny. Don’t whisk the chocolate or you will get air bubbles.
Step 7
Pour the cooled ganache over the cake gently teasing some drip around the edge of the cake. Add the Reese's Pieces to the top of the cake before the ganache sets. Your cake is now ready to serve.
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Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and line your cake tins with greaseproof paper.
For the cake mix, whisk the eggs, vanilla and sour cream together. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and beat in the melted butter and water. Add the egg mix bit by bit beating until you have a nice smooth mixture. Don’t overbeat or the cake will be greasy. Divide the mixture between the 3 tins (about 540g in each pan) and bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, depending on your own oven. The cake will look ready when it has shrunk from the outside of the tins.
Cool the cake in the tins for 10 minutes before cooling completely on wire racks.
Step 2
For the buttercream, beat the butter and peanut butter together until light in colour and fluffy.
Sieve the icing sugar into the butter mix and push in with a spatula before beating. This will stop you getting an icing cloud and be a bit less messy. Beat for about 8 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and shiny.
Step 3
If you have one, use a turntable to ice the cake. Start with a non-slip mat, a large cake drum (just so you can pick it up and move it around), another piece of non-slip mat and then the 8 inch cake card. Add a layer of icing to the 8 inch cake card. If you do not have these, you can ice the cake on a plate or board.
Layer the cakes with a generous layer of the peanut buttercream.
Give the outside of the cake one layer of buttercream and then pop in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
Step 4
Cut a square of the reusable baking paper.
Remove the cake form the fridge and cover the top of the cake with the buttercream and then lay the baking paper over the top, smoothing any bubbles you can see and until the paper is nice and flat.
Using a clean palette knife to lift the cake, flip it over so the baking paper is now on the bottom of the cake and then give the cake another layer of buttercream. Don’t worry about any lumps, bumps or holes they can be fixed when the cake has cooled again.
Step 5
While the cake is chilling, cut a few of the peanut buttercups in half.
Step 6
Remove the cake from the fridge and smooth any lumps or bumps with a hot palette knife, if you want a perfect finish. Dip it in boiling water and then wipe on kitchen towel before smoothing over the icing.
For the ganache, chop the chocolate quite finely and heat the cream on a low heat until it’s close to boiling point. Pour the cream over the chocolate and gently fold until it’s smooth and shiny. Don’t whisk the chocolate or you will get air bubbles.