Did your chocolate cake fall apart? Do you have peanut butter in the cabinet? Then you can put them together to make these delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Balls! This recipe is easy to make and a life saver for cake disasters!
One minute it’s happiness, the next it’s sadness. One minute your cake is in the oven, smelling great, you’re surfing Pinterest for frosting ideas to really “wow”. The next minute your chocolate cake won’t come out of the pan, and then it does, in one million pieces. We’ve all been there. Actually I was there earlier this week. So before the tears and bad words come out I’m here to help you save the day.
What to make when a cake falls apart?
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Balls are so delicious that you won’t even mind ruining your cake. In fact, you might start ruining cakes on purpose to make these!
Note, I am providing you the entire recipe below, for both the cake and frosting. If you find this post and already have a destroyed chocolate cake, that’s ok, just use my frosting recipe and continue with the steps.
How to Save a Cake Disaster Recipe
Step 1: Fail at baking chocolate cake. Good job. You aren’t going to regret it at all.
Step 2: Break up your chocolate cake into a bowl. You can use 1 or 2 9 inch cakes for this recipe. Take the cake and crumble it up into small pieces, getting rid of any large chunks.
Step 3: Pour your peanut butter frosting in the bowl. This frosting is amazing!
Step 4: Mix it all up. The color of your peanut butter is going to disappear but the taste will remain. You can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter for this recipe. I used crunchy to naturally add nuts, which you can see below.
Step 5: Roll them into tablespoon sized balls. Put in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
Step 6: Get your ingredients ready that you want to roll the balls in. You can use shredded coconut, powdered sugar, sprinkles, crushed nuts, crushed candy. Now roll each ball in a bowl of whatever ingredient you are using.
I did some of each because I was so excited. After you roll them, put back in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Step 7: Eat them, freeze them, enjoy. You can serve them immediately, or you can throw them in a freezer bag in the freezer.
They are extremely tasty coming out of the freezer straight into your mouth. I love having individual size servings already made and ready to eat in the freezer for dessert or when I am craving chocolate. Storing these in the freezer comes in handy and are a favorite treat of mine!
Enjoy! Hope this recipe helps you with your failed chocolate cake!
What To Make When a Cake Falls Apart
PrintIngredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup boiling water
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter - melted
- 1 cup creamy or crunchy Peanut Butter
- 2 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Extra
- Shredded Coconut
- Powdered Sugar
- Sprinkles
- Crushed Nuts
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and use hand mixer to mix until smooth - about 1 minute. Stir in boiling water with spoon.
- Pour cake batter evenly into (2) 9 inch round cake pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
For the Frosting
- Beat melted butter and peanut butter in a bowl until mixed.
- Gradually mix in sugar and once thick, add milk in.
- Continue beating for about 2 minutes until creamy.
To make the balls
- Drop your failed cakes into a large bowl. Crush with your hands or spoon to crumble the cake into small pieces.
- Add frosting into the bowl. Stir with spoon.
- Using your hands form tablespoon sized balls and place on wax paper cookie sheet. Continue doing this until all the cake mixture is gone.
- Put in refrigerator for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and roll balls into your choice of shredded coconut, powdered sugar, sprinkles or crushed nuts.
- Place back on wax paper cookie sheet and refrigerate for 1 more hour.
- Eat! Or throw in a freezer bag and freeze for a quick sweet snack!
Genevieve D Saunders says
I definitely have a disaster cake. Couldn’t get it out of a silicon mold. I now have 1/2 crumbled, working on frosting. Mine isn’t creamy; it’s more crumbly. I’m pretty sure it will make balls. I love this. Thanks!
Elizabeth Smith says
Can I use the canned frosting- just chocolate- instead of the peanut butter frosting?
Pamela Reed says
Absolutely!
Jessica S. says
Thanks so much. I forgot my vanilla in my cake and one of my leavening agents. I was able to add the vanilla to the peanut butter. Perfect. I like these best with powdered sugar.
Sue says
Hi. Looks great. Non dairy option please? Don’t want to use margerine. Thanks.
Jessica S. says
Look at your nutrition info. Many margarines are already vegan.
Karen says
These are addicting ❤️ So delicious you want to eat more than one. But they are very rich and filling 😵💫. I made a white cake and threw in chocolate chips. Adding the peanut butter warm frosting made these yummy peanut butter cup tasting treats my family loved.
Pamela says
Yum, those sound amazing, Karen! So happy these worked for you!
Lynne says
I made a keto bunt cake with almond flour following the recipe exactly. It came out totally crumbly.. Can I use this type of cake and make the cake balls is Paul’s?
Pamela says
Yes, you can totally save your cake with this recipe!
Erma says
Get idea, I’m going to try it my cake wouldn’t come out of the pan, All that work, now it will be alright. Thanks
Amy says
after finding out i’m allergic to eggs I tried this vegan red velvet recipe and it turned into a mess! nothing like a cake let alone like a red velvet. taste or texture wise. it all crumbled into a million peices.
after finding this i tired some with peanut butter/caramel and some with cream cheese and butter and milk and caramel. and GOD they’re tasty! I was really sad about so much effort (wasted an entire night on them) going to waste. but now I actually learned something even tastier!
Katherine says
Can you use something other than peanut butter, such as the cooked icing I made with the cake?
Melissa says
What about a yellow cake? HELP!
Pamela says
You can do exactly the same thing with a yellow cake! Enjoy!
Jen says
I wrecked my kids chocolate birthday cake and this looks do-able. Is there a way to add the sticks on these? Or any idea on how to arrange them for candle blowing?
Pamela says
Hey Jen, I actually love the idea of adding sticks, that could be super fun! It would be like a “ball cake”, maybe you can add big colorful candles on top!
Sabrina Zaragoza says
I must say that I am not a big fan of sweet food, but this is a great idea. These looks so nice. Thanks for sharing.
Pat C.Wilson says
very funny but useful tip. these look so delicious, my kids must love them so much. i think i’m gonna ruin the cake to make this. who need a big cake when have some cute cake balls like that xD
Valentina | The Baking Fairy says
These look SO good! Cake balls are definitely my go-to when my cake plans go hay-wire and I love how you used PB instead of the classic frosting. Pinning!
Emily says
I would totally ruin a cake just to make these, haha! They look and sound incredible. Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday!
Jalynn Schroeder says
OMG! These look AMAZING. Can’t wait to try!!
Linda @ 2 Cookin' Mamas says
You are right, we’ve all been there! I love how you turned a bad situation into a delicious one. In fact, I would love one of those balls right now!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
It’s my niece’s birthday soon and I bet she would love something like this. Fun for kids to make too!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
A fantastic idea, Pamela. You can never go wrong with chocolate and pb!
Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today says
It is a great idea for the next time I’ll be cutting my chocolate cake into a funny shape 😀
Monica says
First of all, that is one moist cake! It looks delicious and you totally did a great job improvising and not wasting a thing. We have all been there and it’s such a great feeling when you can save it. And these look pretty as well as tasty – love that you added peanut butter! No one would guess you hadn’t originally intended to make these.
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
Wow Pamela – you so rock! What an awesome idea to resuscitate a broken cake by turning it into these delectable and oh so pretty chocolate-PB cake balls!
Wendy says
Great save! These cake balls should definitely be made on purpose as well! 🙂 Way too many of my cakes have been glued back together with frosting. Now I always line the bottom of cake pans with a cut-out circle of parchment paper. Spray the pan so it will stick, then spray the paper.
Jess @ Gas Stove Girl says
I love this! It is so real and relatable – haven’t we all had a cake fail before?! And that peanut butter icing…just heavenly!