The Ultimate Snickers Cake

This Ultimate Snickers Cake is six layers of chocolate cake with peanut-caramel filling and peanut-butter cream cheese frosting, dripping with chocolate ganache and caramel sauce. It tastes just like a Snickers bar!

Snickers cake is exactly what it sounds like: a show-stopping layer cake built to taste just like the candy bar. This version has six layers of moist, deeply chocolatey cake, alternating between two fillings. One is a peanut caramel studded with roasted peanuts; the other is a silky peanut butter cream cheese frosting. The whole thing gets blanketed in dark chocolate ganache and a generous pour of caramel sauce, then finished with flaky Maldon sea salt and more peanuts. It’s messy, it’s imperfect, and it is absolutely worth every minute it takes to make it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I originally made this cake for my friend Ally’s birthday. Ally is the ultimate Snickers devotee, and also the reason there’s a No-Bake Snickers Pie in the Bakerita archive. If a Snickers recipe lives on this site, Ally had something to do with it. I had to make her the ultimate Snickers cake.

This cake got served at a party, and all night long I heard the same thing: it literally tastes just like a Snickers. That’s the goal. That’s the whole thing.

Ingredients and Key Components

The chocolate cake layers use buttermilk, Dutch-process cocoa, and both baking soda and baking powder, which gives you a crumb that’s moist and rich without being dense. The batter comes together in one bowl and bakes into three 9-inch rounds, which you level and split into six thin layers.

The peanut caramel filling is made by melting Kraft caramels with heavy cream, then folding in chopped dry-roasted peanuts. Simple, gooey, and it tastes like the inside of the candy bar.

The peanut butter cream cheese frosting is the secret weapon of this cake. Butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and creamy peanut butter come together into something incredibly silky and flavorful. It’s what gives the whole cake that distinctly Snickers flavor that takes it beyond just “chocolate caramel cake.”

The chocolate ganache is a simple dark chocolate ganache, bittersweet chocolate melted with heavy cream, poured over the chilled, frosted cake and allowed to drip down the sides.

The caramel topping is a second, slightly thinner batch of caramel sauce poured over the set ganache. Garnish with roasted peanuts and flaky sea salt and you’re done.

Tips for Success

Don’t skip leveling the layers. Six thin, even layers mean every bite has the ideal frosting-to-cake-to-filling ratio. A simple cake leveler or long serrated knife makes this easy.

Use a piping bag or Ziploc for the frosting dam. Before adding the caramel filling to each layer, pipe a circle of frosting around the edge. This keeps the caramel from squishing out the sides and makes assembly much cleaner.

Chill between steps. After frosting the outside of the cake, refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before adding the ganache. Then refrigerate again, at least 1.5 hours or overnight, after the ganache, before pouring the caramel topping. The patience pays off.

The caramel topping should be pourable but not hot. Let it cool for about 10 minutes after making it before pouring. This gives you more control over the drip.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The cake layers can be baked up to 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and kept at room temperature. The caramel filling and frosting can also be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Once fully assembled, this cake keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week, covered.

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Bakerita | Rachel Conners

Snickers Cake

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Snickers cake made from scratch — 6 layers of moist dark chocolate cake, peanut caramel filling, peanut butter cream cheese frosting, and chocolate ganache. This one tastes just like the candy bar.

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Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Chill Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 16 slices

Ingredients

 

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For the cake

• ▢ 3 cups (12.75 oz) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3 cups (1 lb. 5 oz) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1½ cups (4.5 oz) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking soda
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1½ cups buttermilk
• ▢ 1½ cups warm water
• ▢ ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting

• ▢ 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 3 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the caramel filling

• ▢ 1 (11 oz) bag Kraft caramels, unwrapped
• ▢ ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ ½ cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

For the ganache

• ▢ 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ▢ ⅓ cup heavy cream

For the caramel topping

• ▢ 1 (11 oz) bag Kraft caramels, unwrapped
• ▢ ⅔ cup heavy cream
• ▢ Peanuts & flaky sea salt, to garnish

Instructions

 

For the cake layers

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans, and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Combine flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a mixer. Mix on low. Add eggs, buttermilk, 1 1/2 cups warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and completely combined.
  3 cups (12.75 oz) all-purpose flour, 3 cups (1 lb. 5 oz) granulated sugar, 1½ cups (4.5 oz) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 1½ teaspoons salt, 4 large eggs, 1½ cups buttermilk, 1½ cups warm water, ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake until cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pans set on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks, and let cool completely.

For the caramel filling

• Place all of the unwrapped caramels and heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan. Heat on low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the caramels are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and let cool until warm. Stir in peanuts.
  1 (11 oz) bag Kraft caramels, ½ cup heavy whipping cream

For the frosting

• Add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer). Beat together until the light and fluffy, about 4 minutes on medium speed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, beat until there are no streaks. Add the powdered sugar and beat for another 3 minutes on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
  1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To assemble

• Once your cakes are completely cooled, level each cake so that the top is flat with a long, thin knife or cake leveler. Using the same knife, cut each cake layer into two thinner layers. You should have six thin cake layers.
• Place about 1 cup of frosting into a small Ziploc or piping bag, fitting with a large round tip if you have one. If not, you can just cut a 1/2 inch hole in the corner of the bag.
• Place 1 layer of cake, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. Pipe frosting in a circle around the edge of the cake layer. Pour about 1/3 heaping cup of the caramel with peanuts in the center of the cake layer, and spread to cover the caramel up to the frosting border. Place another layer on top, and using a knife or offset spatula, spread evenly with a layer of frosting. Repeat with remaining layers of cake, switching between the caramel filling and the frosting filling. You should have 3 layers filled with the peanut caramel, and 2 filled with frosting. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Don’t worry about it being too perfect as you will be covering most of it up. Place the cake in fridge to allow the frosting to set for at least 30 minutes.
  ½ cup dry roasted peanuts
• After the frosting has set, make the chocolate coating. In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and cream. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring between each until melted and smooth.
  8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, ⅓ cup heavy cream
• Allow the chocolate to cool for about 3-5 minutes, and then pour the sauce onto the middle of the cake and spread to just the sides, allow the sauce to drip down the sides of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 1 1/2 hours (or overnight) until the chocolate is completely set and the frosting firm.
• Once the chocolate has set, prepare the caramel topping. Place the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream in a saucepan. Heat on low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the caramels are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. It should be thinner than the previous caramel. Transfer to a liquid measuring cup, and let cool for about 10 minutes. Stir, and then pour the caramel over the cake and allow it to fall down the sides of the cake over the chocolate ganache. Garnish with peanuts and a sprinkling of sea salt if desired.
  1 (11 oz) bag Kraft caramels, ⅔ cup heavy cream, Peanuts & flaky sea salt
• Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set before serving.
• Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

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Recipe inspired by and adapted from this Salted Caramel Apple Snickers Cake from Half Baked Harvest