No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake is light, creamy, peanut buttery, and is loaded with chocolate, hot fudge sauce, an easy peanut butter cheesecake filling, and topped with Reese peanut butter cups. It's no-bake, creamy, easy and fun! This is the perfect make-ahead dessert!
If you are in the mood for chocolate and peanut butter, this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake is the ultimate treat! Indulging layers of chocolate graham crackers, creamy peanut butter cheesecake filling & chocolate fudge in between, and topped with Reese's peanut butter cups.
This chocolate dessert a peanut butter lovers dream with the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Plus it's completely no bake which makes the prep simple and so easy, just like No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache.
Key Ingredients
- Creamy Peanut Butter - Creamy peanut butter is best. I don't like to use crunchy peanut butter because it's a lot thicker and drier, and therefore will end up drying out the peanut butter filling. It's also best to use the regular non-fancy peanut butter with all the oil. Natural fancier peanut butter tends to be drier because it has less oil, which will definitely effect the end result/
- Cream Cheese : For the best texture and rich creamy taste, I always go with full-fat cream cheese instead of lite or reduced-fat cream cheese.
- Powdered Sugar
- Whipping Cream - No bake chocolate peanut butter cake calls for quite a bit of whipping cream which is a key ingredient that makes the cake fluffy, moist and delicious.
- Chocolate Graham Crackers - You can also use regular Graham crackers here.
- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - You can also use mini-sized unwrapped Reese's peanut butter cups.
How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Make the Peanut Butter Mousse: In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in chopped Reese's. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the peanut butter mixture until smooth and fluffy.
- Prepare the Whipped Cream: In another chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Prepare the Graham Cracker Crumble: Place the Graham crackers in a sealed plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer to a small bowl, and add in butter and sugar, and stir together.
How to assemble the cake
In a 9x9-inch baking dish (or similar), lay graham crackers in a single layer across the bottom, breaking apart as necessary to fill the spaces.
Spread a thin layer of hot fudge sauce.
Top with a layer of creamy peanut butter cream cheese.
Repeat the 3 steps above one more time to create layers. Add 3rd layer of chocolate graham crackers - you will have 3 layers of chocolate graham crackers in total. Now spread the whipped cream evenly over this final graham cracker layer.
Sprinkle with Graham cracker crumble.
Then sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
Chill - Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until the Graham crackers soften into a cake-like texture.
My tips for this recipe
- Decorate with Reese's - Do it right after the cake is set and chilled overnight. Cut them in half. Drizzle with melted peanut butter on top of the Reeses.
- Add fudge sauce on top of the cake if you want.
- Sprinkle with chopped peanuts for texture and some crunch.
- Cookie Layer : Instead of chocolate graham crackers I also successfully used peanut butter Oreos, or regular Oreo cookies.
- Chill Time - This No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter cake needs3- 4 hours of chill time before serving, so it's perfect for making ahead or overnight.
More delicious peanut butter & chocolate recipes
- No Bake Peanut Butter Dessert
- No Bake Chocolate Cake
- No Bake Black Forest Oreo Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Mousse Layer
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 Reese's peanut butter cups full size, coarsely chopped
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream cold
Whipped Cream Layer
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream cold
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Graham Cracker Crumble
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
Assembly
- 18 chocolate graham crackers (or regular if preferred)
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional, for layering)
- 1½ cups hot fudge sauce
- 6 reese's peanut butter cups cut in half
- chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Make The Peanut Butter Mousse
- In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in chopped Reese's.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the peanut butter mixture until smooth and fluffy.
Prepare The Whipped Cream
- In another chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Prepare The Graham Cracker Crumble
- Place the Graham crackers in a sealed plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin.
- Transfer to a small bowl, and add in butter and sugar, and stir together.
Assemble The Cake
- In a 9x9-inch baking dish (or similar), lay graham crackers in a single layer across the bottom, breaking apart as necessary to fill the spaces.
- Spread a thin layer of hot fudge sauce, topped with a layer of peanut butter mousse.
- Add another single layer of graham crackers, breaking as needed to fit.
- Spread another thin layer of hot fudge sauce, topped with a layer of peanut butter mousse.
- Add another layer of graham crackers.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly over this layer.
- Sprinkle with Graham cracker crumble, then sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
Chill
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until the Graham crackers soften into a cake-like texture.
Garnish and Serve
- Just before serving, decorate with Reese's cut in half. Drizzle with melted peanut butter and fudge sauce if you desire.
- Sprinkle with chopped peanuts for texture if you desire (optional).
- Serve and enjoy!
Jennie says
New subscriber here. What size pie crust did you use?
Olya says
Are you using chocolate oreo crust instead of graham crackers? If yes - just regular premade crust would do - 8 or 9 inch in diameter.
Alice says
Trying to make this ahead of time for fourth of joy and I’m wondering if this would be fine if I froze it?
Olya says
I have never frozen so I can’t say for sure. It can be made a couple of days ahead of time and stored covered in the fridge. I actually love this pie the day after I made it and even on the second and third day. I would just make it like 2 days in advance or the day before and leave it in the fridge.