A Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Earthquake Cake is a gooey, layered chocolate cake that “cracks” as it bakes, letting cream cheese, chocolate, and peanut butter cups swirl together into a rich, messy dessert.
Here’s a solid home-style version:
🍫 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Earthquake Cake
🧁 Ingredients
Cake base
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients listed on box: eggs, oil, water)
Cream cheese layer
- 225 g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix-ins
- 1 to 1½ cups chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut (optional but classic)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional but extra indulgent)
🔥 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan well.
- Prepare cake batter
Mix the chocolate cake batter according to package directions. Pour it into the prepared pan. - Add toppings
Sprinkle chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups evenly over the batter. - Make cream cheese layer
Beat cream cheese, melted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. - Spread (don’t worry about perfection)
Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter. Don’t fully mix—it should sit in uneven patches (this creates the “earthquake” effect). - Add extras
Sprinkle coconut, nuts, and chocolate chips on top if using. - Bake
Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the center is set but still slightly gooey. - Cool slightly & serve
Let it cool at least 20–30 minutes before slicing. It’s meant to be messy and fudgy.
🍰 What you’ll get
- Fudgy chocolate cake base
- Creamy cheesecake-style swirls
- Melty peanut butter cup pockets
- Crackled, “earthquake” surface
If you want, I can also give you a slow cooker version, a no-cake-mix version, or a super gooey lava-style variation.