Seriously, if you love Snickers Candy Bar, you will love this Decadent Chocolate Snickers Cake! Dark chocolate cake three 6″ round layers layered with Caramel Peanut and Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling then frosted with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. It’s delicious and a perfect cake for entertaining. It is a bit advanced but I have broken it down to make it easy for you to make. Whether you want a stacked cake or cupcakes you can make this decadent chocolate snickers cake.

How to Make Chocolate Snickers Cake

Let’s start with making the fillings. This recipe has two fillings plus the chocolate buttercream. All three can be made ahead as well as the cakes baked ahead and frozen until ready to assemble. Or you can make it all in one day if you begin early. I recommend making it in steps so it is enjoyable and fun to make.

Note: If you want to make cupcakes instead of this three layer cake, Use the chocolate cake recipe and make the fillings. But bake your cupcakes in paper liners and cupcake pan. Once cooled, remove center of cupcake, fill with caramel peanut filling and peanut butter filling, Frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. EASY!!!

Here is what I recommend for making this cake in stages.

1. Make 3- 6″ round chocolate cakes. If not assembling cakes, wrap and freeze cakes.
2. Make the Caramel Peanut Filling one day. Set aside at room temperature.
3. Make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Nougat Filling day two. Set aside room temperature.
4. Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting day of assembly; set aside at room temperature while cakes are baking.

Tools you will need to make this cake: 3-6″ round cake pans, parchment paper, cake baking strips -optional, candy thermometer, lazy susan or turntable, 3 disposable piping bags, piping tips # 1M for chocolate buttercream swirls and 6 B-shell design for chocolate peanut butter filling & cake base. The third piping bag is for piping the well around the top of the cake with the chocolate buttercream frosting. You will also need an off set spatula for smoothing the frosting between layers and frosting the sides of the cake. Garnish with 5 snack size snicker bars, cut in half.

How to Make the Chocolate Cakes

Prepare 3-6″ round cake pans with parchment paper rounds for the bottom of the cake pans. Lightly coat with cooking spray the pans and the parchment paper rounds.. Set pans on a baking sheet. If you want to use the cake strips that wrap around the cake pans go ahead and wet them down in cold water and wrap pans. If you are not familiar with cake strips, they help cakes bake evenly without a crown on the cake. They are optional as you can also cut off the domed cakes with a sharp serrated knife. Preheat oven to 350°F. Oven racks in the middle of the oven.

In large glass mixing bowl that is micro wave safe add 4 tablespoons chocolate chips, cocoa powder and hot water or strong coffee. Whisk together until melted and somewhat thick.

Add sugar and vegetable oil, whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk to blend. Set aside.

In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to blend. Do not over mix. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula.

Throughly mix batter until flour is incorporated. The batter will be slightly thin but not to worry this is perfect. Divide the batter evenly between the three 6″ cake pans.  Bake cakes on a baking sheet to help with even baking and easy to place and remove from oven.  Bake 32-35 minutes. Remove from oven allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan, then invert and remove parchment paper. Allow to cool before assembling or freezing. 

If you are not assembling the cake today, wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and foil then freeze until ready to assemble. Cakes can be baked ahead and frozen up to 3 months.

How to Make the Caramel Peanut Filling 

Oh my goodness, this is so good and you have to make this. If you don’t make it the cake will not taste like a snickers bar. Just say’n. It isn’t hard… just heat and stir in a saucepan to a temperature of 225° F.  Here’s how to do it.

1.In a large saucepan over medium heat, add sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and heavy cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture is combined and begins to bubble, about 5-6 minutes.  

2.Turn heat to low, continue to stir, mixture will begin to thicken about 5 -6 minutes or until mixture reaches 225 °F. Use a candy thermometer. The caramel will thicken as it cools. Just be careful not to burn the mixture. Remove from heat and stir in chopped peanuts and vanilla. Pour mixture into a separate container with a lid and allow too cool to room temperature before using on cake layers.  It will thicken as it cools.  Store at room temperature if assembling the cake. If not assembling cake, place the cooled mixture in refrigerator until ready to assemble cakes. Just make sure the mixture is softened at room temperature before assembling cakes.

Bring caramel peanut filling to room temperature before spreading on cake layers the day you are assembling cakes.

 

How to Make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling

In a bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, whip butter on high speed about 3 minutes until creamy and smooth. Very important step be sure to do a full three minutes. Add the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix on low speed until combined, add a tiny bit of heavy cream if mixture it too thick. Beat about 2-3 minutes. you will be piping this filling, so make sure it is semi firm for easy piping. 

Note: Use creamy peanut butter for easier piping. You will be filling the cake layers and piping a shell design or dots around the bottom edge of the cake. I used Tip # 6 B, it is a larger shell design.  You will need two disposable piping bags for this cake. One for chocolate peanut butter filling and one for chocolate buttercream frosting.

How to Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

In a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter and whip on medium high speed for 4 -5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and add confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, milk, salt and vanilla. Start on low speed and gently blend ingredients. Keep mixing until well combined and smooth about 2-4 minutes.

Tip: The lower the speed you whip your frosting the less bubbles you will have in the frosting. Your frosting will become smooth and very creamy. Also the longer you whip the room temperature butter before adding the remaining ingredients the smoother and fluffier the frosting will be. You will want to have a medium firm consistency so you can spread and pipe to hold designs.

Assembling the Chocolate Snickers Cake

1. Once cakes are cool at room temperature, make sure to level the cakes so they are evenly shaped. Use a serrated knife to do remove a crown or rounded cake top if you didn’t use the cake strips. Eat the leftover pieces. 🙂
2. Fill one disposable piping bag without a tip with chocolate buttercream frosting. Clip the end that is the size of 1/2″ opening.
3. Place one cake layer on a turntable if you have one, makes it easier to frost. Pipe a circle of chocolate buttercream around the edge of the cake layer. Then on top of the just piped circle pipe another circle of frosting around the edge of the cake. You are creating a dam or well of frosting. This keeps the fillings inside the cake when working with soft fillings.

4.Fit tip # 6B ( no coupler needed) in second piping bag, fill with peanut butter nougat filling. Pipe filling inside the dam of buttercream. Smooth with off set spatula. Be careful not to touch the dam during spreading.

5.Spoon the softened peanut caramel nougat filling over the top of the peanut butter filling. Shape or pat the nougat into a thin flat disc and place over the filling, instead of spreading with off set spatula. Add tiny bit of chocolate buttercream over the nougat. Spread with off set spatula. ( If you don’t do this part your second layer will not adhere to the bottom layer.)

6.Add second cake layer, repeat process with buttercream frosting dam, peanut butter filling and nougat, & chocolate buttercream. Add top or third layer cake with bottom of the cake upright and not the leveled cut side. Easier to frost.

7.Frost top and sides of cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting in a skim coat. Wrap loosely with plastic wrap and chill cake 20 minutes. Once chilled, unwrap and frost top and sides of cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Place cake on cake stand or serving platter. Slide a large spatula underneath cake to place on stand or platter.

8.With the peanut butter filling with the 6 B piping tip, pipe shell design around base of cake. Fit third piping bag with tip # 1M, fill with chocolate buttercream frosting from other piping bag, pipe large swirls on top of cake edge. Slice 5 snack size snicker bars in half and place between swirls. Serve at room temperature. Cake will serve 10-14 small slices.

9.This cake was inspired by Sugar & Sparrow.com, I used her recipe for the peanut butter filling, and peanut nougat. The chocolate cake is from my Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

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While this cake looks intimidating by the instructions. When you break it down it is not as hard to make. It is absolutely DELICIOUS! YOU WILL LOVE IT.

Options:  Make 2- 8″ round cakes instead of three-6″ for less height and easier frosting. Just add more chocolate swirls and more fun sized snicker bars as a garnish. You could also make cupcakes, bake the cupcakes, remove center of cake and add caramel peanut and peanut butter filling. Frost with Chocolate Buttercream. Garnish with chopped peanuts or cut up fun sized snicker bars. 

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