Make a decadent Slow Cooker Reese’s Peanut Butter Cake for your family. It has warm chocolate cake and melty peanut butter frosting and is topped with Reese’s peanut butter cups.
If you love warm dessert cuisine, skip using the cake pan and the oven for your crockpot. It is the perfect way to go. We also make blackberry cobbler and lava cake in our crockpot!
Can I make cake in a crockpot?
- You can make cake in the crockpot! It’s a perfect environment to create a warm cake you spoon out instead of slicing. Be sure to watch the timing for a crockpot cake can burn easily.
- This moist chocolate cake cooked in the slow cooker is perfect for family get-togethers, BBQs, birthday parties, or even a church potluck.
Ingredients
- Devil’s food cake mix – You can use any chocolate cake mix you like. We also use chocolate cake in our slow cooker s’mores cake recipe.
- Wet ingredients for cake – Eggs, melted butter (I use melted butter instead of oil), and water
- Warm glaze – Melted peanut butter and powdered sugar make the best topping for this chocolate cake.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – Mini peanut butter cups go inside the batter and halved bite-size Reese’s go on top for garnish.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Mix a deviled food cake mix, eggs, melted butter, and water in a large bowl. Stir in a small bag of mini Reese peanut butter cups.
Step Two – Spray an oval slow cooker with non-stick spray and pour the batter into it.
Step Three – Cook on HIGH for 2 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
Step Four – Add the peanut butter to a small pan set over medium heat on the stove top.
Step Five – Stir until melted and smooth and then add the powdered sugar, whisking until smooth.
Step Six – Pour the sweetened creamy peanut butter frosting over the warm cake.
Step Seven – Top with halved bite-sized peanut butter cups. Serve and enjoy!
How to serve warm cake
- Scoop the warm cake into serving bowls.
- Top with ice cream or whip cream. You can also provide chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate chips (semi-sweet chocolate chips are great), and/or diced fruit for an extra topping choice.
- Have a bottle of chocolate syrup ready for garnish if desired.
- This is a great dessert to let your guests serve themselves; they can choose how much dessert and toppings they prefer.
Variations
- Coffee – Use freshly brewed coffee in place of the water; it will have a slight hint of coffee and add depth of flavor to the cake.
- White Cake Mix – Not a huge chocolate fan? Use a white cake mix instead of chocolate, and you will have wonderful vanilla and peanut butter dessert.
- Reese’s Pieces – Use Reese’s pieces instead of cups for a fun twist! Or you can add a handful of both for some added texture.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can make Reese’s Peanut Butter Cake in the oven. Bake in a 9×13 pan, and bake as directed on the cake recipe mix box. It will still taste delicious!
The topping in this recipe tastes like the peanut butter topping at Baskin Robbins. It’s not overly sweet and goes great with chocolate and ice cream.
If desired, you can let the cake cool on the counter and place the entire slow cooker insert in the fridge. Flip the lid over to make it fit better in the refrigerator. Or spoon into airtight containers (this can be messy).
Freeze the leftover peanut butter cake in an airtight container for up three months. Thaw, warm, and enjoy!
Warm single servings in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake {Crockpot}
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 15.25 oz. devil’s food cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 3 large eggs
- 8 oz. pkg. mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
For the topping
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 10 bite size Reese’s peanut butter cups
Slow Cooker Size:
- 6 quart oval
Instructions:
- In a large bowl mix together the cake mix, water, butter, and eggs until smooth. Some lumps are ok, that is normal. Stir in the mini peanut butter cups.
- Spray the slow cooker with non stick spray. Add the batter to the slow cooker and spread out into an even layer.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- When the cooking time is done, remove the cake from the heat, to keep it from continuing to cook.
- In a small pan set over medium heat on the stove top, add the peanut butter. Stir until melted and smooth, watch closely because it will burn quickly. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the sweetened peanut butter over the warm cake. Top with halved Reese's peanut butter cups.
- Serve and enjoy! Great with ice cream or whipped cream.
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- You can make Reese’s Peanut Butter Cake in the oven. Bake in a 9×13 pan, and bake as directed on the cake mix box.
- To store, let the cake cool on the counter and place the entire slow cooker insert in the fridge if desired. Flip the lid over to make it fit better in the fridge. Or spoon into airtight containers (this can be messy).
- Reheat by heating single servings in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
- Coffee – Use freshly brewed coffee in place of the water, it will have a slight hint of coffee and add depth of flavor to the cake.
- White Cake Mix – Not a huge chocolate fan? Use a White cake mix instead of chocolate and you will have a wonderful vanilla and peanut butter dessert.
- Reese’s Pieces – Use Reese’s pieces instead of cups for a fun twist! Or you can add a handful of both for some added texture.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Mine isn’t done in the middle.
Used reeses pieces for topping. Kids loved it
Do you have to take it out of the crockpot immediately after 2 hrs or can it stay in and put the frosting on like the video does?
Let it cool on a wire rack if you can. Don’t want it to continue to cook.
Does it have to be an oval slow cooker? What happens if it’s round?
I’m unsure if it would set in the middle in a round slow cooker. I have not tried.
How long and what temp would you make this in an instapot?
Can you make this ahead of time? Like the night before?
This was our Christmas Day dessert! I showed this recipe to my teen daughter and she proudly made it all by herself. Watching your video gave her great confidence and she was happy and delighted that we all gobbled it up. It was so yummy that we somehow found room to finish our bowls after a huge holiday meal – so good!! Thank you for this great recipe!
Ah! I’m so glad your daughter made it!
Is the cake suppose to be firm like a regularly baked cake or more soft in the center? Right now after 2 hours it is soft in the middle.
firm like a regular cake.
could this be doubled for a big crowd? also, would it work just as well using a gluten free cake mix? I have a friend in my bunco group with celiac…
I wouldn’t double it, it wouldn’t set in the middle. I’m unsure about gluten free, I have not tried. Sorry I’m not much help.
Could you substitute brownie mix for the cake mix?
I think it would work fine, follow the directions for liquids on the box.
Thank you!
Susanne, I would make the recipe in the oven for your celiac friend. I bet it would be yummy! My husband has Celiac Disease and everything here is gf except the mix.
So, if I made this ahead and just put the crook on warm would it work? Or should I keep the topping off, warm the cake and then add the topping?
It may be hard to reheat with out burning the edges. I would keep it room temperature and add the topping soon before serving.
These look easy an healthy
Healthy? Really?
Yum Yum Yum!!!! I am really the only fan of Peanut butter in this house and it is rather a lot of cake, in your experience, any other ideas to use instead of Reeses?
I have not made this recipe yet but your question prompted me to think some kind of mint candy to replace the Reese’s. Chocolate & mint are usually good together. York peppermint paddies?
If I were going to replace the Reeses with something mint, I would go with Andes mints instead of York Peppermint Patties….just my opinion!
I would use Andes baking mint chips!
What about rollo chocolate filled with caramel
What about m&m’s as an alternative?
I think that would be great!