Reese's Geode Cake
Cakes

Reese's Geode Cake

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Every good trend has its spin-offs...

and this Reese's Geode cake is one of them! Geode cakes have been huuugely popular on the Pinterest and Instagram channels that I follow for a good while now….and every cool trend has its spin-offs, right?

I love the way geode style cakes look, but honestly – the rock candy they’re made with doesn’t really taste ALL that good, does it? Sooo….why not replace it with something that does?

The Reese’s Pieces and box on the top give it a super fun pop of color, and it looks gorgeous on the inside too! This cakes combines several of my favorite cake styles – geode, drip, and anti-gravity – all into one! Recipe and instructions below!!

Why you'll love this cake...

  • Cake and frosting 100% homemade - and both recipes require just one bowl each 
  • Perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter - in the cake as well as the Reese's Pieces geode! Speaking of which...
  • SUPER fun to put together because that Reese's Pieces geode just looks so dang cool
  • Also - peanut butter frosting is arguably one of the best things on the planet! 😉 

FAQS: 

“How do I store this cake?”

  • Usually, I'll give the thumbs up to assemble a cake a day or so ahead of serving - and recommend storing it in the fridge. 

  • This is one of the rare cases where I don't exactly recommend that tactic. I'll explain. I once pre-assembled an M&Ms cake, and put it in the fridge overnight before serving it the next day. After taking it out of the fridge, I noticed some of the candies had gotten a bit of a pale-looking sheen to them. They all looked a little washed out and discolored. I can only assume they formed some condensation in the fridge, and the moisture washed out some of the candy color.

  • All of that said - if you want to stack and frost the cake ahead of time, go for it! I'd refrigerate it overnight, but wait to add the Reese's Pieces until the next day if you can get away with it. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

  • Should you be fortunate enough to have leftover cake, wrap it up well and store it in the fridge (because of the cream cheese in the frosting.) If well wrapped and protected from drying out, I find this recipe usually keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge.  

"Dude, this recipe is SO long. And it looks complicated. Any way to simplify it?" 

  • I mean, I wouldn't have written the recipe the way I did if I didn't love these cake and frosting recipes - BUT! That said - I know it's a LOT. I'm updating this post as the mom of a 1- and 3-year-old, and I know life is busy! So if you want to simplify...

  • You can substitute 2 of your favorite chocolate cake mixes - replace the water with buttermilk, the oil with butter, and add an extra egg for more homemade-tasting cake layers. Keep the baking pans the same.

  • You may have some trouble finding peanut butter frosting, but you can use chocolate frosting or mix peanut butter into vanilla frosting! Just be aware you may have to thicken it a bit. Add a 1/4 cup of extra powdered sugar at a time until you reach a consistency that spreads and stays in place on the cake well. 

(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

Don't forget to pin for later!
Reese's Geode Cake pinterest pin
Reese's Geode Cake (slice cut, peanut butter frosting with a chocolate ganache drip and Reese's pieces geode)

Reese's Geode Cake

Sarah H
Reese's Pieces beat rock candy any day - so make this stunning Reese's Geode Cake, packed with peanut butter candy and chocolate!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Decorating time 55 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 servings
Calories 785 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Reese's Geode Cake layers

  • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (350 grams)
  • 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar (450 grams)
  • 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder (100 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks/250 grams, softened)
  • 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk (350mL)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package, softened)
  • 16 Tablespoons butter (two sticks, softened)
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (8 ounces)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons milk

Drip & Decorations

  • 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
  • 6 oz heavy whipping cream (¾ cup)
  • 1 large bag Reese’s pieces candy
  • 1 Reese’s Pieces candy box (I emptied mine out to make it easier to work with)
  • 1 long skewer (or straw, or anything long and thin enough to hold the box on top of the cake)

Instructions
 

Reese's Geode Cake layers

  • Preheat an oven to 350℉ (180℃) or 325℉(160℃) for a convection oven. Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with baker's floured spray, or grease and line with parchment rounds.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low for a minute to combine dry ingredients, then add softened butter 1 Tablespoon at a time until well incorporated into the dry ingredients and no lumps of butter are visible.
  • Next, whisk eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla together until well combined. With the mixer on low, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in a steady stream until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 20 seconds.
  • Fill the three pans evenly - I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part, and each of mine weighed out to about 550g. Bake for 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans, and cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
  • Once your cake layers are cool, level them (if needed). This can be done with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife and a ruler. Ensure cake layers are well-cooled or chilled before decorating. (This is a great time to start prepping your frosting and ganache for the filling and drip!)

Peanut Butter Frosting

  • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; beat in peanut butter until thoroughly combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.

Chocolate Ganache (cake drip)

  • Meanwhile, make your ganache. Place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Add whipping cream and microwave on half power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or piping bag.

Assembly

  • (This peanut butter frosting recipe has a different texture than buttercream frostings, and I found plastic spatulas and cake scrapers worked a little better than my metal ones to spread/smooth the frosting!)
  • Place a bit of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting. Add a sprinkle of Reese's Pieces candy and a drizzle of chocolate ganache if you'd like, and add your next cake layer on top.
  • Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
  • Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
  • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. Again, I used a small plastic knife and plastic bench scraper. Once your cake is covered, place it into the fridge to set the frosting.
  • (Option! I mashed the cake tops with a bit of frosting to make a ‘cake pop’ mix; I wanted the Reese’s box to stand a bit taller above my cake than it would have otherwise – so I mounded some chocolate cake pop mix on top of the cake while I was decorating. Mash the cake tops with a bit of frosting to make cake pop mix now if you want to do this…. otherwise you can just eat the cake tops! 😉 )

Making the Reese's Geode

  • Take the small paring knife and cut a slanted slice out of the cake – check out about 0:12 of my video if you’re unsure how to make the cut! With a small spatula or knife, crumb coat the inside of the cut you just made, and press Reeses Pieces into the frosting, filling your ‘geode’ cut in the cake.

Decorating

  • Okaaaay...the drip! Re-warm ganache if needed to a moderate temperature – it should feel slightly warm and still be fairly liquid. A spoon will work; you'll just have a little less control. (I recommend a test drip to check temperature / consistency.)
  • Slowly drizzle ganache around the upper edge of your cake (except the geode), pausing every inch or so to let ganache fall in a drip down the side of the cake. Return cake to the fridge for about 10 minutes to set the drips.
  • Mound cake pop mix on top of the cake (optional). Open the box of Reese’s Pieces and insert your skewer (or straw) into the box. I cut a side tab off so that I could close the box, but you could also leave all four tabs open. Invert the box and press the skewer down through the cake pop mix mound into the top of the cake.
  • Transfer remaining frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe peanut butter frosting in small swirls around the upper rim of your cake – this will help hold the Reese’s pieces in place!
  • Pile Reese’s pieces candy around the box on top of the cake, making sure to cover the mound of cake pop mix and the frosting on top of the cake. I used a tiny bit of extra ganache to make some of them stick down close to the geode cut so they wouldn’t spill off the top of the cake.
  • Annnd you’re done! Step back and admire your kick-butt cake!

Video

Notes

(Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.) 

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 785kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 9gFat: 41g
Keyword Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, Reese's Cake, Reese's Geode Cake, Reese's Peanut Butter Cake
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Mentioned in post: 
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5 thoughts on “Reese's Geode Cake”

  1. This cake turned out so good! The frosting was to die for and the cake was moist and fluffy! I followed the directions exactly and followed the grams measurements for the flour and sugar. Would definitely recommend!

    Reply
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