Snickers! My daughter exclaimed in eager reply when I asked her what flavor of birthday cake she would like this year. And a snickers cake is exactly what she got! An easy gluten-free snickers cake packed full of that delicious candy bar yum.
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Easy Gluten-Free Snickers Cake
Rich moist chocolate layers made super simple with an amazing gluten-free cake mix that whipped up in no time. Filled with chopped snickers bars and salted peanuts for that lovely texture crunch in each bite. Covered in a smooth and wonderfully salty-sweet caramel peanut butter buttercream frosting. Last, but definitely not least, is a decadent chocolate ganache drip that wraps gloriously around this layered dessert. This easy snickers cake was absolute pure heaven and probably my favorite flavor of 2022 so far.
Gluten-Free Cake Mix
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There’s something so darn tasty about a good old box mix cake. They’re easy, they’re fluffy, and totally take me back to childhood memories. Since my oldest daughter’s celiac journey began this summer of 2021, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to enjoy that sweet slice of cake mix yum ever again. But alas, I found a scrumptious solution!
XO Baking Co.
Thankfully I stumbled upon XO Baking Co. A women-owned company that specializes in gluten-free baking mixes. Lindsey, the owner and an avid baker herself, was determined to create the tastiest gluten-free cake mix that everyone, celiac or not, would enjoy! Safe to say this XO Baking Co chocolate cake mix meets that expectation and beyond! I would rival this box mix up against any other, gluten-free or not! Bold words, I know, but true.
Each mix is crafted with organic coconut flour and free from rice which the majority of other gluten-free mixes cannot boast. Already containing xanthan gum, the chocolate cake mix with a few easily added ingredients comes together in a snap and tastes like pure chocolate decadence.
How To Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Layers
When I say this is an easy snickers cake recipe, I mean super duper easy. Following the cake mix instructions on the back of the box with very few changes is the first step to amazingly rich and moist gluten-free chocolate cake layers.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, and 1 ½ cups of hot milk. Not cold milk, nor room temperature milk, but hot milk. This added heat is going to interact with the cocoa powder in the cake mix and cause it to bloom and deepen in flavor. Trust me when I say that this step is crucial and makes a very palatable difference.
Whisking in the box cake mix dry ingredients is the next step to these easy gluten-free chocolate cake layers. Mix the batter until it is silky and smooth. Divide this glorious cake batter into three 6 inch round cake pans and you are ready to bake them up! See, how easy was that?
Salted Caramel Sauce
In keeping this recipe as simple as possible, I opted for store-bought salted caramel sauce. It truly doesn’t get any easier than that. If, however, you are feeling up to the caramel task, you can certainly make your own from scratch. It’s not hard to do, just takes a bit of patience.
Here’s my easy salted caramel sauce recipe from a delicious salted caramel cake I made a little while ago. I walk you through each step in the post so give it a thorough read and you’ll be in salted caramel sauce heaven in no time.
Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
I’ve made my fair share of frostings. This salted caramel peanut butter frosting may go down in history books as my all-time favorite. Salty, sweet, fluffy, and oh so incredibly delicious. Here’s betting that you won’t be able to resist stealing a spoonful of this bomb buttercream before you even begin to cover the cake with it.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on high speed for 10 minutes. This step is the important step to achieving a soft, fluffy, and totally smooth frosting. The butter should have lightened in color and increased in volume at the end of the 10 minutes.
Next, add in the icing sugar and salt and mix on low until combined. Follow that up with the salted caramel sauce and smooth peanut butter. Make sure that you use creamy peanut butter and not natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter will cause the buttercream to split and be far too runny. Kraft peanut butter is my personal favorite but Skippy, Jif, or other brands such as those will work too. Mix on low until combined and then crank it up to high and let it cream for another 5 minutes. Hello, salted caramel peanut buttercream frosting of your dreams!
Snickers Bar Filling
Seeing as how easy is the name of this cake game, I chopped up some snickers bars into fairly small pieces and used that as the cake filling. Along with some chopped salted peanuts and an extra drizzle of salted caramel, this easy snickers bar filling was fantastic. Salty and sweet. Smooth and crunchy. It was a bite of snickers yum in every single fork full.
The Most Delicious Gluten-Free Snickers Cake Recipe
My daughter’s face lit up in pure snickers bar delight at her first bite of this spectacular chocolate candy bar-inspired cake. Three layers of rich moist gluten-free cake using the easiest and most delicious gluten-free cake mix from XO Baking Co. Filled with salty and sweet snickers bar filling and covered in the most delectable salted caramel peanut butter buttercream frosting, this easy gluten-free snickers cake will leave you reaching for a second piece.
Easy Cake Mix Recipes
If you love a good old cake mix recipe, I’ve got a few here that I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy.
- Baileys & Coffee Cake
- Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
- Grape Cake
- Lemon Cake
- Key Lime Pie Cake
- Better Box Mix Brownies
Gluten-Free Snickers Cake
- Total Time: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
- Yield: 12 Slices 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Snickers bar in every single bite! This gluten-free chocolate cake is an easy and delicious cake mix recipe with snickers bar filling and salted caramel peanut butter buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
Snickers Cake
- 1 box (552g) XO Baking Co. gluten-free chocolate cake mix *
- 1 ½ cup (375ml) milk, hot
- ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Frosting
- 2 cups (450g) salted butter, room temperature
- 5 ½ cups (660g) icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (175g) salted caramel sauce **
- ½ cup (120g) smooth peanut butter ***
Snickers Filling
- 2 (104g) snickers bars, chopped
- ⅓ cup (50g) salted peanuts, chopped
Chocolate Ganache Drip
- ⅓ cup (55g) chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk
Instructions
Snickers Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the hot milk, vegetable oil, and large eggs and whisk together.
- Add in the chocolate cake mix and mix again until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Divide the batter between the three prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake pans from the oven and allow them to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before inverting on the rack to fully cool.
- If you are not going to decorate the cake right away, plastic wrap each cake layer and place it in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for up to 3 months. ****
Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Buttercream
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Approximately 10 minutes.
-
Add the icing sugar and salt and mix on low until combined.
- Add in the salted caramel sauce and peanut butter and mix on low until combined.
-
Turn the mixer up to high and let mix for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.
Chocolate Ganache Drip
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and milk in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until fully melted and smooth.
- Depending on the kind of milk, the drip may require a touch more milk to thin or a bit more chocolate chips to thicken. I always test my ganache drips over the edge of the kitchen sink before applying to a cake to check the consistency.
Cake Assembly
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Place one leveled layer of chocolate cake on a cake board, plate, and/or cake turntable. Top with approximately 1 ½ cups of salted caramel peanut butter buttercream.
- Take approximately ⅓ of the chopped filling ingredients and spread them evenly on top of the buttercream and gently press down. Drizzle approximately 1-2 tablespoons of salted caramel sauce on top.
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Repeat with the remaining layers and apply a thin coat of buttercream all over the cake. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
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Cover the cake with a final layer of buttercream and smooth the sides using the Wilton Cake Smoother. Refrigerate while the chocolate ganache drip is prepared.
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On a well-chilled cake, with a spoon or a piping bag, drip the warm chocolate ganache over the edges of the chilled cake.
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Decorate as you please. I carefully spooned the warm chocolate ganache drip over the edges of the cake and while it was still warm used my offset spatula and, with it parallel to the cake, dragged it gently around the drip and cake starting from the top and going down to create the textured marbled chocolate look. I topped the cake with a border of leftover snickers filling around the edge and, with a Wilton 1M piping tip, piped buttercream swirls. Enjoy!
-
Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
* This can be swapped for a regular chocolate mix if you are not gluten-free
** Here’s an easy to follow salted caramel recipe if you want to make your own
*** Do not use natural peanut butter
**** If you freeze the cake layers I recommend slowly thawing them overnight in the fridge before using
- Prep Time: 60 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 922
- Sugar: 100 Grams
- Sodium: 751 Miligrams
- Fat: 44 Grams
- Saturated Fat: 27 Grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 Grams
- Trans Fat: 2 Grams
- Carbohydrates: 136 Grams
- Fiber: 4 Grams
- Protein: 10 Grams
- Cholesterol: 90 Miligrams
Keywords: snickers cake, easy snickers cake, snickers cake recipe, gluten-free snickers cake, gluten-free snickers cake recipe, cake mix snickers cake, easy chocolate cake recipe
Snickers is my father in laws favorite chocolate bar. I surprised him with this cake and he said it was the best cake he has ever eaten. I made it with a regular chocolate cake mix and it worked perfectly. I will absolutely make this one again.
★★★★★
I have to say he has great taste. 😉 I’m so glad you gave this recipe a shot Heather. Thanks for sharing.
Delicious!
★★★★★
Thank you Rousita!
I made this cake for my gluten free hubby’s bday. He doesn’t usually like cake or frosting but he loves snickers so I went for it. He really loved it! Raved about it. I used a different box mix cause I couldn’t find that brand, but the frosting is key!!! And I also caramelized raw peanuts with sugar, butter, and kosher salt and that was a yummy addition! Will definitely make again.
Just reading that peanut description has me drooling Penny!