Perfectly moist chocolate cake with a creamy swirl of peanut butter mousse, what more could you ask for?!

Fudgy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Roll

Raise your hand if you remember the Little Debbie Swiss Rolls that every kid in middle school was absolutely OBSESSED with!!! *everyone raises hands* It was always a huge surprise if I got one in my lunchbox, and I always begged my mom to buy a box at the grocery store, which I know she loved… lol. Anyways, I’m pretty sure those Little Debbie delights are still being sold in stores, hallelujah.

I was thinking about those sweet treats the other day and I thought to myself “ummmm why not remake a version that’s equally as yummy (if not more), and includes my fav ingredient of all time.. peanut butter.” Thus, this Fudgy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Roll recipe was born, and I’m so over-the-moon excited about it. Let me tell you why…

IT’S DELICIOUS. Yeah folks, this is one that you’ll be bringing to alllll the dinner parties this summer and showing off your baking skills in style.
IT’S STUNNING. Will your friends look at you like you’ve become a professional pastry chef overnight? Probably. And they’ll never know that it took you literally 30 minutes of hands-on prep work… but we can keep that between you and me 🙂
IT’S SO EASY. Did someone say cake mix?!?! Yep, that’s right. This recipe is made with boxed cake mix as a base. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a place for homemade cake mix (honestly, most of the time its preferred), but the peanut butter mousse is really the star of the show here, and the chocolate flavor just ramps it up a bit. It’s the perfect flavor marriage in your mouth (similar to these Chocolate-Bourbon Cupcakes), and it’s fun to add some simplicity to your life every once and a while!

Ingredients for Fudgy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Roll

Let’s get right down to business here so you can hop in that kitchen of yours ASAP.

Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

Chocolate fudge cake mix – You can use whichever brand you prefer. I used Betty Crocker’s chocolate fudge cake mix and it turned out beautifully.
Eggs – We’re using more eggs than we normally would for a cake because we really want them to provide structure to the cake (because it’s so thin, and because it’s rolled).
Brewed Coffee – Hello, chocolate-flavor magic. I’ll always be the girl that adds coffee anytime I have chocolate incorporated in a recipe, there’s just something about the combination of both that just makes everyone’s life (and tastebuds) much happier 🙂
Powdered Sugar – This is what we’ll use to ensure the cake removes easily from the towels we roll them up in. You could use flour if that’s all you have on hand, but I feel that powdered sugar dissolves into the cake layer while the flour would just remain on the outside.
Heavy Cream & Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix – This will be the base of our mousse. I will remind you to make sure you purchase INSTANT vanilla pudding mix, not the “cook & serve” kind (I learned this the hard way lol).
Peanut Butter – My favorite ingredient EVER. It makes this recipe so yummy!
Frozen Whipped Topping – This gives the mousse a delicious flavor, while also providing the structure we need for the mousse to remain a strong consistency.
Mini Reese’s PB Cups – Just to give a little extra texture when you take a bite of the entire cake roll! I just purchased the unwrapped mini Reese’s PB Cups (the 7.6-oz package) and I had plenty!
Unsweetened Baking Cocoa – for sprinkling the top at the end!

How to Make Fudgy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Rolls

Prep Your Pans: First, we’re going to preheat the oven to 350°F, grease 2 15-x-10-inch pans (I used cooking spray, but you can use butter or margarine if you’d like), and line the bottoms of the 2 pans with parchment paper. We want to make sure we can easily remove the cake from the pan once it finishes baking.
Prepare the Cake Mix: No need to whip out your stand mixer for this recipe, a bowl and a whisk will work just fine for this Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Roll.
Bake: The bake time is really important here, which means it’s really important that you’re watching your cakes to make sure they don’t stay in there too long. We want to retain some pliability in the cake layer so that we can roll it up while it’s still warm. So, PAY ATTENTION!
Roll up the Cake Layers: About 5 minutes after you remove the layer from the oven, we’re rolling them up in kitchen towels. We want to make sure that they cool in this form so that we won’t break them when we roll them up with the filling inside.
Make the Peanut Butter Mousse: Honestly, this is probably one of my new favorite things ever. I think I could eat an entire bowl-full in one sitting. The fun part is that you can use this recipe in a variety of things. I think it’d be good as a filling for these Chocolate-Bourbon Cupcakes, a substitute for vanilla pudding in my Banana Pudding recipe, or maybe even as a filling for these Chocolate Muffins. The possibilities are endless!
Add the Filling: Time to add our filling to the cake layers. Make sure you leave about 1/2-inch of space at the edges of each layer so that it won’t ooze out the sides when you roll them up!
Chill: Time for the cakes to chill in the refrigerator (covered) for about 3 hours. You’re well on your way to enjoying chocolatey, peanut buttery goodness.

Ok friends, that’s all from me! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do, and don’t forget to tag me on socials if you make it! I want to see all of your beautiful creations 🙂

XO,

Sarah

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