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This Brownie Cake is the ultimate chocolate lover’s dream, a fudgy chocolate bundt made from cake mix and brownie mix, stuffed with a creamy peanut butter cheesecake ribbon and drizzled with ganache. I made it for Maddie’s half birthday and there was not a crumb left. If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, our peanut butter buckeyes are a must too.
Made with a clever cake mix and brownie mix shortcut, this easy brownie bundt cake hides a peanut butter cheesecake surprise inside.
Brownie Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 60 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 602kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich, fudgy, and chocolatey with a creamy peanut butter filling
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a simple doctored cake mix dessert like our chocolate earthquake cake
Quick Answer
To make a brownie cake, combine a chocolate cake mix and a brownie mix with eggs, water, and oil, then pour half the batter into a greased bundt pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and peanut butter into a filling and spoon it over the batter, then top with the remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes, cool, and drizzle with chocolate ganache and peanut butter.
Jump to:
- Brownie Cake Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Brownie Cake
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Brownie Cake FAQs
- Other Recommended Chocolate Desserts
- Best Brownie Cake (Chocolate Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Filling)
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Two mixes make it extra fudgy. Blending a chocolate cake mix with a brownie mix gives you the rich, dense crumb of a brownie with the easy rise of a cake.
- The filling bakes into a ribbon. Spooning the peanut butter cream cheese filling between layers of batter creates a creamy, cheesecake-like surprise running through the cake.
- Boxed mixes keep it foolproof. Starting with two reliable mixes means the cake turns out perfectly every time with very little measuring.
- Ganache makes it bakery worthy. A simple two ingredient chocolate ganache drizzled over the top makes the cake look and taste impressive.
- Peanut butter ties it together. A drizzle of melted peanut butter and a scatter of Reese cups echo the filling and double down on the chocolate and peanut butter combo.
- The bundt shape does the work. Baking in a bundt pan gives the cake a beautiful shape with no frosting skills required, just an easy drizzle.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a rich, fudgy chocolate cake with a creamy peanut butter surprise hiding inside every slice.
- It starts with boxed mixes, so it is genuinely easy, yet looks impressive enough for a party next to our Oreo brownies.
- The chocolate and peanut butter combo is a guaranteed crowd pleaser for birthdays, holidays, and potlucks.
Key Ingredients
A handful of shortcut ingredients make this decadent cake. Here are the ones that matter most.
- Chocolate cake mix and brownie mix: Combining the two boxed mixes gives the cake its rich, fudgy, brownie-like crumb with almost no effort.
- Cream cheese and peanut butter: Whipped together into a sweet, tangy filling that bakes into a cheesecake-like ribbon through the middle.
- Chocolate chips and heavy cream: Melted together into a glossy ganache that drips down the sides of the cake.
- Peanut butter: Drizzled over the ganache for that classic chocolate and peanut butter finish.
- Mini Reese cups: Sprinkled on top while the glaze is wet for a candy-shop finish.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This brownie cake is easy to make your own:
- Use one mix: No brownie mix? Use two chocolate cake mixes, or a brownie mix plus an extra egg, for a similar fudgy result.
- Change the filling: Swap the peanut butter in the filling for cookie butter, Nutella, or extra cream cheese like our chocolate lasagna.
- Make it a sheet cake: Bake the batter and filling in a 9×13 pan instead of a bundt, adjusting the bake time as needed.
- Switch the candy: Top with chopped Snickers, Butterfingers, or chocolate chips instead of Reese cups.
How to Make Brownie Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 10-cup bundt pan. Combine the cake mix, brownie mix, eggs, water, and oil in a large bowl.
- Mix the batter until smooth and well combined, then pour half of it into the prepared bundt pan.
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and peanut butter together until smooth to make the filling.
- Spoon the peanut butter filling over the batter in the pan, then top with the remaining batter. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, then cool 10 minutes and invert onto a rack.
- Heat the heavy cream until hot, pour it over the chocolate chips, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir the ganache until smooth and shiny, drizzle it over the cooled cake, then drizzle with melted peanut butter and sprinkle with mini Reese cups. Let set 30 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Grease the bundt pan well, use a baking spray with flour and get into every crevice so the cake releases cleanly.
- Check both box directions, some mixes call for slightly different amounts, so follow what each box lists if it differs.
- Keep the filling off the pan sides, spoon it into the center of the batter so it bakes into a ribbon and the cake still releases.
- Test for doneness, a toothpick in the cake part should come out clean, though it may have a little filling on it.
- Cool 10 minutes before inverting, any longer and the cake can stick, any less and it can break.
- Let the glaze set for at least 30 minutes before slicing so the ganache and peanut butter firm up.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This brownie cake is rich, so thin slices go a long way. Serve it on its own, or warm a slice slightly and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of ganache for a decadent dessert.
It is a showstopping dessert for a chocolate and peanut butter lover’s table, right alongside our peanut butter buckeyes, peanut butter cookie bars, and chocolate lasagna.
Store the cake covered at room temperature for a couple of days or in the fridge for longer. Bring chilled slices to room temperature before serving so the cake is soft and the filling is creamy.
Brownie Cake FAQs
A brownie cake is a hybrid dessert that combines the fudgy, dense texture of a brownie with the shape and structure of a cake. This version doctors a chocolate cake mix with a brownie mix for an extra rich crumb, then bakes it in a bundt pan with a peanut butter cheesecake filling running through the center for an easy, decadent treat.
Yes, you can leave out the peanut butter cream cheese filling and simply bake the chocolate brownie cake batter on its own. It will still be rich and fudgy. You can also swap the filling for a plain cream cheese ribbon, cookie butter, or Nutella if you prefer a different flavor inside.
To keep a brownie cake from sticking, grease the bundt pan thoroughly with a baking spray that contains flour, getting into all the grooves. Keep the filling toward the center of the batter rather than against the pan walls, and cool the cake for exactly 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to release.
Store brownie cake covered at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five days because of the cream cheese filling. Let refrigerated slices come to room temperature before serving so the cake softens and the filling turns creamy again. You can also freeze slices, well wrapped, for up to a month.
Yes, brownie cake is a great make ahead dessert. You can bake the cake a day in advance and store it covered, then add the ganache and peanut butter drizzle the day you plan to serve it so the topping looks fresh. The flavor and texture actually improve after the cake rests overnight.
A standard 10-cup bundt pan is best for this brownie cake because the center tube helps the dense, fudgy batter bake through evenly. If you do not have a bundt pan, you can bake the batter and filling in a 9×13 baking dish instead, adjusting the bake time and checking for doneness with a toothpick.
Craving more chocolate and peanut butter? Try our peanut butter buckeyes and chocolate lasagna next.
Love a chocolate layer cake? Our chocolate chip cake is another easy crowd pleaser like this brownie cake.
Love a saucy finish? Our butterscotch sauce is delicious drizzled over this brownie cake.
Drizzle or frost a cake like this brownie cake with our fluffy Oreo buttercream frosting.
Best Brownie Cake (Chocolate Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Filling)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 15.25 oz. chocolate cake mix
- 1 18.3 oz. brownie mix
- 5 large eggs
- 1 & 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup vegetable oil
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup peanut butter for garnish
- Mini peanut butter cups for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F degrees. Grease a 10-cup standard-sized bundt pan with baking spray (the kind that has flour in it) and set aside.
- Combine the cake mix, brownie mix, eggs, water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Check what ingredients your particular mixes call for, as it might differ slightly from what is listed. Just make sure to add the listed ingredients for both mixes they call for on the back of the box.1 15.25 oz. chocolate cake mix, 1 18.3 oz. brownie mix, 5 large eggs, 1 & 1/4 cups water, 1 cup vegetable oil
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and peanut butter until smooth with an electric hand mixer.8 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, ¼ cup peanut butter
- Add spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture all on top of the cake batter.
- Top the peanut butter mixture with the rest of the cake batter.
- Transfer your bundt pan to a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool it completely.
- Once cool, heat up the heavy whipping cream in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. The cream should be hot (90-110°F).½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Add the chocolate chips to the cream and let sit for 5 minutes.½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- Stir the chips and cream together until melted and shiny.
- Drizzle the chocolate ganache all over the top of the cake.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt your peanut butter for 20 seconds.½ cup peanut butter for garnish
- Drizzle the peanut butter over the top of the cake.
- Immediately sprinkle chopped or whole mini reeses cups on top of the glaze. Allow the cake to sit for at least 30 minutes for the glaze to set, slice, and serve.Mini peanut butter cups for garnish
Notes
- Use a large mixing bowl when combining ingredients to avoid a mess.
- Always make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for a smoother filling.
- Use an electric mixer for the best and fluffiest cake batter.
- Always place your bundt pan on a baking sheet to keep that oven clean!
- A rubber spatula is the perfect thing for scraping down the sides of the bowl. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed!
- If your brownie cake comes out too dry, no worries! A simple syrup drizzle can bring it back to life.
Nutrition
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Wow, great eye! That is a typo, thanks so much for bringing it to my attention. It should be 5 with the cake mix/brownie mixes I used, however make sure to check the back of your box mixes to make sure!
This looks so delicious! My birthday is coming up and this could be THE dessert ☺️ Combining a cake mix with brownie mix is genius. One question: I noticed while reading the actual recipe at the end that you call for four eggs for the cake batter but one of the pictures in the body of your post showed five. Which should it be? Thanks!