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A slice of moist and fluffy chocolate cake with peanuts, pretzels, and chocolate buttercream frosting
4.91 from 10 votes

Chocolate Cake with Salty Peanuts and Pretzels

Super moist and fluffy chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting, topped with salty peanuts and pretzels, and drizzled with caramel!
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Ingredients

Chocoalte Cake

  • 2 cups / 240g cake flour
  • ¾ cup / 63g dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon / 6g fine sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons / 12g baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon / 4g baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup / 200g granulated sugar
  • 1 cup / 200g light brown sugar
  • ½ cup / 100g olive oil
  • ½ cup / 120g sour cream (can substitute greek yogurt)
  • ½ cup / 120g milk
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso
  • 1 cup / 240g water
  • 2 teaspoons / 10g vanilla extract

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 12oz / 340g cream cheese, room temperature
  • ⅔ cup / 151g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup / 63g dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 3½ cups / 420g powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Garnish

  • ¾ cup salted peanuts
  • ¾ cup pretzels
  • ½ cup caramel sauce

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 340°F/170°C. Grease and line three 6-inch cake pans (or two 8-inch cake pans) with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, olive oil, sour cream, milk, water, instant espresso, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before taking it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. After the cakes have cooled completely, slice the domes off the top.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat the butter using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese and continue to beat. Sift in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until fully combined.

Assembly

  • Spread some frosting on one of the cake layers and sprinkle some peanuts and pretzels and top it with another layer of cake, and repeat if making a three-layer cake.
  • Cover the entire cake with a thin coating of frosting, and stick the cake in the fridge to chill for an hour to let the frosting harden. Take it out and cover the cake with the remaining chocolate cream cheese frosting and decorate with more peanuts pretzels, and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
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