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Peanut butter cup cake roll is the perfect cake for peanut butter and chocolate lovers. This easy Reese’s cake roll recipe is rich chocolate cake filled with creamy peanut butter filling. It’s topped with chocolate ganache and covered in peanut butter cups! Basically, this is the BEST CAKE ROLL EVER.
Table of Contents
What is a Reese’s Cake Roll?
I realized that, in all the cake rolls I’ve ever made (and there are a lot of them), I’ve never made one with peanut butter.
It’s a Peanut Butter Cup Cake Roll: chocolate cake filled with peanut butter cup filling. Then it’s glazed with ganache and topped with more peanut butter cups.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Cake rolls are really easy to make. They’re that dessert that everyone oooohs and aaaaahs over. They think you’re Houdini or something because, you know, you got filling inside a cake roll. It’s magic!
I promise you, the peanut butter cup cake roll is easy to make. The recipe is a little time intensive, just because of all the cooling and waiting, but the recipe itself is EASY. You can make the cake batter with a hand mixer and one bowl, and the same goes for the filling. The only thing special you need for this recipe is the right pan. Order yourself a jelly roll pan today!
How to make a Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Roll
However, in case you’ve never seen my photo tutorial on making a cake roll, I decided to make you a how-to video.
- Make the cake by beating the eggs for a full 3 minutes (5 if using a hand mixer). Then mix in the rest of the ingredients and bake in a jelly roll pan.
- While the cake is baking lay a kitchen towel onto a work surface and cover it with powdered sugar.
- Flip the hot cake over onto the powdered sugar towel and roll it up into the towel. You can also use parchment paper for this.
- Once it’s cool, make the filling by mixing all the ingredients. Carefully unroll the cake and fill it, then reroll it.
- Make the ganache frosting and glaze the top, covering it with more peanut butter cups.
Expert Cake Roll Tips
- It’s better to overbake the cake then under bake it. It’s done when it lightly springs back when touched.
- Roll it while it’s hot. (That’s a song, right?)
- If you don’t get powdered sugar all over the far wall of your kitchen when you flip over your cake, you may not have used enough on your towel. 😉
- Again, roll it while it’s hot. (I can’t help it, it’s catchy.)
- Be sure to chill it before you frost and or slice it. This gives the filling time to firm up a bit so it doesn’t squish out when you cut it.
- You can always top this with a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of ganache.
- If it cracks, it could be for so many reasons. Not cooked enough, over cooked, humid air, dry air, Mercury is in retrograde, etc. Just use some filling to paste it together and add more ganache and peanut butter cups on top. NO ONE WILL KNOW.
- You can make the cake ahead (before frosting) – wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for up to 2 days. Freeze unfrosted cake for up to one month.
Other Cake Roll Recipes
Peanut Butter Cup Cake Roll
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons brewed coffee or water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup (93g) all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar to aid in rolling
For the Filling & Topping:
- 2 ounces (113g) cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup (89g) peanut butter
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons + ⅔ cup (59ml + 158ml) heavy whipping cream
- 7 regular size Reese’s peanut butter cups chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make the Cake: preheat oven to 350°F. Line a jelly roll (10×15”) pan with foil and spray with cooking spray (I like to use the spray with flour).
- Beat eggs at high speed for 3 minutes, until frothy and dark yellow. Beat in sugar, coffee or water, and vanilla extract. Mix in cocoa, salt, and baking powder, then mix in flour. Stir just until blended.
- Spread in prepared pan. Batter will be in a very thin layer and you will need to use a wooden spoon or spatula to spread it to all the corners of the pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done because if you lightly poke the top with your fingertip it will slightly bounce back.
- While the cake is baking, set a clean kitchen towel out on a large work surface. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar (about 1/4 cup). As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn it over on the kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove foil carefully.
- Working at the short end, fold the edge of the towel over the cake. Roll tightly, rolling up the cake into the towel. Let cool completely while rolled, at least one hour (or you can wrap it and chill it overnight).
- Make the Filling: beat cream cheese and peanut butter with a hand mixer until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar until crumbly, then add vanilla and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Mix until smooth and a spreadable consistency, adding up to 2 additional tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cups.
- Assemble Cake: Unroll the cooled cake carefully and then spread the filling on the cake, leaving 1” without filling at either end. Re-roll cake, scooping out any filling that spills out as you roll. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour before frosting.
- Make the topping: place chocolate chips and 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave for about 30-60 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Chill for about 20 minutes or freeze for 10, until it thickens to a pourable but not watery consistency.
- Place cake roll on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet. Pour the ganache over the cake evenly. Top with remaining chopped peanut butter cups. Chill until set. Slice and serve.
- May be stored, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.
Recipe Video
Recipe Nutrition
Cake Roll Recipes from Friends:
Lightened Up Banana Split Cake Roll, from It’s Yummi
Hot Chocolate Cake Roll from Will Cook for Smiles
Bailey’s Chocolate Cake Roll from Lemons for Lulu
Candy Cane Cake Roll from Wine and Glue
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Can you freeze it for a later day. If so how long. Do you freeze with or without feeling. Thanks in advance
You can freeze either way – I’ve done it alone (in the towel or parchment), with the filling, and even with the topping.
Question … it says to roll up from short end ..?.? I’ve made pumpkin rolls and always rolled up from the long side .. am I mis reading this ? Looks delicious and want to try it .. thanks ..
You really can roll it up however you want – the short side will give a shorter fatter roll, the long side will give a longer, thinner roll.
Can you use parchment paper instead of foil, and used the parchment instead of the towel to roll it in? Seems simpler if it works.
Yes and yes – I find sometimes the parchment sticks to the roll, but it should work.
We are traveling for Christmas. Our families do a dessert competition. Can I make this ahead and freeze it. I can add the chopped Reese’s later?🤷🏻♀️
It sounds so good!!
Yes without the topping, then you can top it when you get there!
This recipe is great! I am a fairly experienced baker but have never made a cake roll. When I asked my 14 year old nephew what he wanted me to make him for his birthday, a chocolate cake roll was one of the options he gave me. So I decided to give it a try! I will definitely make this again. My sister and I agree that it tastes like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant or bakery.
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