Yellow cake is spiked with peanut butter, hot fudge, topped with a peanut butter glaze, more hot fudge, and sprinkled with peanut butter cups!! It’s rich, decadent, SO EASY, and made in a slow cooker!!
This is one of the best cakes I’ve made in ages despite it not being the most photogenic cake. It’s not neat and dainty. It’s messy but fabulous.
Yellow cake is spiked with peanut butter, hot fudge, topped with a peanut butter glaze, more hot fudge, and sprinkled with peanut butter cups. You’re welcome.
With the dog days of summer upon us, I’m all about not turning on my oven if I don’t have to. Enter an easy slow cooker cake.
This isn’t the first time I’ve made dessert in a slow cooker but it’s been awhile and this cake reminded me I should do it more often.
The cake is so soft, moist, and tender from the peanut butter and hot fudge swirls that are baked inside that cake but the literal icing on this cake is the peanut butter glaze that’s swirled with hot fudge.
When the glaze and hot fudge are applied to the warm cake and you dive in, it’s incredible. Warm melty peanut butter is heaven on earth.
It’s a great cake to make before the start of a party because when the appetizers and dinner are finished, the cake is ready. Everyone can dig right in with spoons into this warm, gooey, rich, decadent cake.
I always use slow cooker liners because they save so much cleanup time and highly recommend one for the cake.
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Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Cup Swirl Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- one 15.25-ounce box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 3 large eggs
- heaping 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup hot fudge sauce, not thin chocolate sauce
Glaze and Toppings
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup cream or milk, plus more as necessary for consistency
- ⅓ cup hot fudge
- 20 peanut butter cups miniatures, unwrapped and cut in half (minis may be substituted)
Instructions
- Cake – Line a 6-quart oval slow cooker with a slow cooker liner or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the cake mix, water, eggs, peanut butter, butter, and beat with an electric handheld mixer on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes; stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The batter will be thick.
- Turn just over half of the batter out into prepared slow cooker.
- Add the hot fudge and top with the remaining batter.
- Using a knife or rubber spatula, lightly swirl up and back the length of the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for about 1 hour 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs. Because all slow cookers vary, start checking at 1 hour 30 minutes. When cake is done, remove the ceramic base from slow cooker and place the base on a wire rack to cool. While cake cools, make the glaze.
- Glaze and Toppings – To a medium bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, milk, and whisk until smooth. Add additional milk as necessary until desired glazed consistency is achieved. Turn glaze out evenly over the cake.
- Evenly drizzle the hot fudge over over the glaze and lightly swirl it into the glaze.
- Evenly sprinkle the peanut butter cups and serve immediately. Cake is best fresh but will keep airtight for up to 5 days.
- Recipe adapted from Tablespoon
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’ve been following your blog for a while and made several of your recipes and this is, hands down, the best recipe on your blog. And you have a ton of stellar recipes. This is legit the best thing I have eaten in a long time. As I lay here on the couch with a proud belly ache, all can think about is getting just one more bite. Thanks for all cooking and baking inspirations! Peanut butter is life.
Peanut butter is life, I agree! Thanks for LMK that although you’ve made quite a few things, that this is hands down your favorite! I remember when I made this, I literally couldn’t stop eating it either! I had to donate it to a neighbor LOL.
ooooh so warm and gooey and indulgent!!! I love it!
Yes so indulgent! We loved this one!
The best cake I have seen in a while! I was swooning when you shared it in your Insta story. Cannot wait to make it!
I have to say the video on the Insta Story did it more justice than the photos. One of those you just have to see it in 3D kind of cakes!
I am literally in heaven looking at this. If only I could have it for breakfast!!!
It was so much better in person than the photographs make it look. It was just….epic.
Dang this looks like messy delicious heaven. D-A-N-G. In the best way!!!
Thank you!
You’ve saved the day! I don’t have an oven, but I’m dying to make a cake for my office “welcome back” party. This! Is! It!
This is the perfect non-oven dessert! You and your coworkers are going to love it!
Wonder if this can be made in the Instant Pot….hmmmmmm
Good question. I don’t have one and so can’t even make a guess at it.
Wow! That looks so good. I love peanut butter cup anything!
Thank you!
I have yet to make a slow cooker dessert, but this is at the top of my list!
It’s a great one to put at the top!
This looks dangerously delightful! I need it in my life!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.com
It is so dangerously delightful! Have a great weekend!
I haven’t made a slow cooker dessert in ages. This looks yummy! I think I might eat all the batter, though …
The batter…yes it was so good. And the melted peanut butter and just digging into this cake with spoons…OMG. It was…everything.
Oh my (followed by ooh’s and aah’s) is what keeps running through my head!! The hot fudge slow cooker cake looks pretty incredible and this version is right up there. You’ve definitely captured all of its deliciousness in your photography!!
It was SO hard to photograph without just looking like a messy, sloppy, well…mess. But sometimes the messiest desserts are the best ones and this one fits into that group! The melted chocolate and peanut butter was.so.good. Have a great weekend!