You mean to tell me you’ve never had a Reese’s Take 5? 

Take 5 and go get one. I’m not kidding. 

Did you get one? Perfect. Now let’s get into it.

The Inspo

A Take 5 Candy Bar has - as written - “five layers of sweet and salty goodness that doesn’t ask you to compromise. It’s crunchy pretzels, smooth peanut butter, salty peanuts and sweet caramel - all covered in a chocolaty coating.” 

Do I even need to say any more? Probably not, but I’m going to anyway.

The Elements

I modeled this cake after Hershey’s description of the Take 5 Bar.

• Chocolate cake layers baked on a pretzel crust

• Whipped peanut butter filling infused with chopped Take 5 Bars, sprinkled with some salty peanuts

• Salted caramel

• Homemade caramel buttercream

The whipped peanut butter filling starts with cream cheese and peanut butter, beaten together until smooth. Then comes some powdered sugar, a tiny bit of vanilla, and some chopped Take 5 Bars folded into the mixture. It’s lighter and fluffier than buttercream, but a bit heavier than a traditional whipped filling.

The salted caramel takes this cake to another level. I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again - if you’re not making homemade salted caramel, you’re missing out. The homemade caramel’s taste and smell add so many dimensions to this cake that would be missing if I used store-bought caramel.

I think this one takes the cake. *wink*

Enjoy!