Irresistible Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Roll

I believe dessert should make you a little irrational. Like, you will protect it with your life and also eat half of it at 10 p.m. in the car. Also? This is peak 2020s comfort-food culture (but classier, somehow), and I will fight anyone who says otherwise — especially if they’ve never had an Irresistible Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Roll right out of the fridge. Also, if you want something cozy and peanut-butter-forward to compare notes with, my take on soft peanut butter cookies is scandalously easy and will make you feel better about your life choices.

How I Turned This Into a Kitchen Crime Scene

I once baked this and somehow created three things at once: smoke, regret, and a smell that lived in my oven for eight months (true). The first try sounded like someone tapping the underside of a drum—bubble-pop crackles as the batter overheated?—and the texture came out like a chocolate-y napkin. It flaked. It cried. I cried. There was powdered sugar in places powdered sugar should not be. Also: peanut butter cups scattered like tiny, guilty treasures across my counter, half melted, half judgmental.

Embarrassing specifics? The towel I used to roll the cake soaked up a suspicious amount of ganache and then became a sticky, modern art piece. My spouse asked if we were making dessert or trying to summon a demon. I said both. The story really meanders here because I’m still processing the trauma (and also maybe the ganache).

Why This One Actually Sticks (Mostly)

Turns out the difference between “failure” and “gift” is twofold: technique and emotional maturity. I started letting the eggs be room temperature (don’t scoff), and I learned to stop overwhipping sugar into some sort of air-soufflé—there’s a sweet spot. Also? I finally accepted that a little vegetable oil keeps the cake pliable enough to roll without cracking. Radical.

This version of the Irresistible Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Roll has the right balance: a springy chocolate sponge, an unapologetically peanut-buttery filling, and enough ganache to make people take photos. I’m confident-ish. I still have doubts. Sometimes the seam peeks out and I panic and then someone eats a slice and everything is okay again.

The Stuff You’ll Need (and a Few Opinions)

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (for ganache)
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Budget note: you can swap in cheaper chocolate if you’re trying to be fiscally responsible, but know that the ganache will judge you. Texture note: creamy peanut butter keeps things smooth; crunchy would be chaos (but crunchy chaos is also a mood). Availability? If peanut butter cups are extinct in your area, I will personally mail you some. Maybe.

Cooking Unit Converter

If you’re eyeballing teaspoons to tablespoons or cups to grams (we’ve been there), use this handy converter right here:

How the Magic (Mostly) Happens

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed for 4–5 minutes until thick and pale. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract.
• Fold dry ingredients gently into wet ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
• Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched.
• Immediately invert onto a kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. Peel off parchment paper and roll the cake with the towel. Cool completely.
• To prepare the filling: beat peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth, then add heavy cream and vanilla. Fold in chopped peanut butter cups.
• Unroll the cooled cake and spread filling evenly. Re-roll gently without towel and set seam-side down.
• For ganache: heat heavy cream until steaming and pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Spread or drizzle over the cake.
• Chill for 30 minutes to set, then slice and serve. Optionally garnish with extra peanut butter cup pieces.

Non-linear explanation: sometimes I spoon filling with a small spatula (tiny motions, tiny joys), sometimes I fling it on like decor (not recommended). TIP: if your cake cracks, fill the crack and call it "rustic." Also, if you’re wondering what to make for an easy weeknight main to offset this decadence, try my Irresistible Lemon Garlic Butter Cod — it’s fast and feels like therapy. Seriously.

Kitchen Confessions & Your Comments (I Read Them, I Cry)

So, are you going to roll this like a boss or like me (flailing but determined)? Do you secretly prefer store-bought peanut butter cups? Do you own more than one towel that has been sacrificed to the gods of ganache? If you make this for brunch (guilty), try pairing it with something sunny — like a blueberry buttermilk pancake casserole — because balance is a lie and carbs are friends.

Talk to me. Tell me your roll technique. Tell me which pan survived. Tell me how long you hid slices in the back of the fridge. I will pretend to be shocked and then steal one when you’re not looking.

Common Questions (You Know You Have Them)

I always get slightly emotional here — because food is memory and nonsense and tiny victories. Sometimes a roll is just a roll. Sometimes it’s the thing you bring to a party and someone whispers, "This tastes like home." And then you realize you made something that does that, which is weirdly profound.

Daily Calorie Needs Calculator

If you’re curious how a slice fits into your day, pop your details into this little tool to make peace with portion control (or not):

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Roll

A delightful chocolate roll filled with creamy peanut butter and topped with a rich ganache, perfect for dessert lovers.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 42 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8 slices

Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the cake

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk

For the filling

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups

For the ganache

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed for 4–5 minutes until thick and pale. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract.
• Fold dry ingredients gently into wet ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
• Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched.
• Immediately invert onto a kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. Peel off parchment paper and roll the cake with the towel. Cool completely.

Filling Preparation

• To prepare the filling: beat peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth, then add heavy cream and vanilla. Fold in chopped peanut butter cups.
• Unroll the cooled cake and spread filling evenly. Re-roll gently without towel and set seam-side down.

Ganache Preparation

• For ganache: heat heavy cream until steaming and pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.
• Spread or drizzle ganache over the cake.
• Chill for 30 minutes to set, then slice and serve. Optionally garnish with extra peanut butter cup pieces.

Notes

If your cake cracks, fill the crack and call it 'rustic.' Store leftovers wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Keyword Chocolate Roll, Comfort Food, Ganache, Irresistible, Peanut Butter Dessert