Two things: 1) I need more food props, and 2) to quote my husband, “Every time you use the white table cloth and that plant it looks like something out of a 1970’s cookbook.” (Thanks, Todd. Love you, too.)
Combine points one and two: No more 70’s food pics. Need. More. Food. Props.
Now for the subject of the actual photo: This cake will kill you.
Seriously. If you were to eat the whole thing your arteries would likely clog and you would go into cardiac arrest.
Notice the name of the cake? Yeah. “Killer” has a double meaning here.
As much as I want to promote my food, I also feel a certain moral obligation to look out for you. This is a straight forward, squeeky clean, honest cooking blog. That means no deception, no taking advantage of, nothing that’s going to knowingly harm you in any way.
Which is why this cake comes with a warning label: This cake is dangerous. Eat in moderation only.
Still interested? Then keep reading…
I created this cake by way of request from Elizabeth via the Make a Request! link. She asked me if I would create a peanut butter cake that is “moist, peanuty and delicious,” like the kind she enjoyed from her childhood. I didn’t have any more information than that to go on. Sheet cake or layered? Frosting or glaze? Moist crumb or goopey? So many options. At first I was thinking along the lines of a peanut butter layered cake with a hot honey glaze drizzled over it and left to seep down into the cake, resulting in a super moist, slightly goopey texture. Then maybe even add a layer of peanut butter frosting on top. I may still get around to creating that. In the end I settled for the more traditional version: A peanut butter layer cake with a rich peanut butter frosting. I went for oil instead of butter because oil makes cake nice and moist whereas butter tends to dry it out. Buttermilk also does wonders for creating a soft and moist crumb. So we’ve got both in here!
Peanut butter lovers – this is definitely the cake for you.
Is it good? Oh, it’s good alright. It’s also one of the most fattening cakes you will ever eat.
Again, the warning label: This cake is extremely rich. Killer rich. Eat in moderation only.
Still interested? Okay…here are the directions. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
* Now, if you want to cut back on calories (and save yourself some work), bake the cake in a 9X13 square cake pan as a sheet cake and make half the amount of frosting to go on top (the “death factor” in this cake lies primarily in the frosting).
Also, for a moister, goopier version, see notes in recipe box. I haven’t actually tried this, merely conceptualized it in my mind, but I think it would work wonderfully 😉
Before we continue – If you haven’t already, come “Like” The Daring Gourmet on Facebook! so you never miss a recipe!
So happy to have you on board!
Alright, let’s go to that killer cake!
Combine the brown sugar, oil, and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl.
Beat until combined and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until combined.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, beating just until combined. Do not over-beat or the cake will be dense and dry.
It’s okay if there are a few small lumps of flour.
Grease a 9×3 inch round baking pan and pour the batter in. (I used 9×3 – a 9×2 inch pan should be fine, too). I use the hand-forged aluminum pan by Magic Line, made in the USA. Love it!
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out “moist” – not wet with batter, but moist. If it’s dry, it’s over-baked and the cake will be dry.
Let the cake sit in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl.
Cream the two together until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add the heavy cream a little at a time until the frosting becomes a spreadable consistency. Note: This is a fairly stiff frosting. Be sure to keep it at room temperature or will be stiffen even more.
Note: For a chocolate frosting, simply add a couple of tablespoons of good quality cocoa powder.
Cut the cake in half.
Spread the bottom half with frosting, frosting down the sides as well.
Place the top layer on top. Ignore the picture. I accidentally put it on wrong and I didn’t want to try and pick it up again. The top cake layer should have been put on upside down so that the top edges don’t slope down.
But if the cake’s going to kill you anyway, what does it matter if it wasn’t perfect, right?
Oh, I forgot to mention. I faced a serious challenge here. You’ll remember from my Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies With Nutella Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting that I absolutely LOVE the combination of peanut butter and Nutella. I probably stood at my kitchen table staring at this jar of Nutella for a good 10 minutes, debating whether or not to add some to the frosting or maybe swirl some into the batter. Or a swirled peanut butter Nutella frosting… Oh, it was so hard deciding what to do! In the end I decided to stick to the classic peanut butter cake.
Sorry, my dear, beloved, adored Nutella. Don’t take this as a rejection. It just means I have more of you to enjoy for another time.
Spread the frosting on the top layer and down the sides.
This is where you can now become creative with your cake decorating skills. Piping, crumbled up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you name it. My 3 year old was eagerly waiting for me to take him and his baby sister to Petco to see the animals, so I kept it simple.
Another variation: Pour some chocolate ganache over it for some ultra decadence!
Warning: Do not cut yourself a piece as big as the one in the next picture. Start with a sliver.
Simply the best peanut butter cake ever, enjoy!
- For the Frosting:
- 1 cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
- up to ½ cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
- For the Cake:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup coconut (at room temperature) or oil of choice (I use coconut oil), oil yields a moister cake than butter
- ⅓ cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, oil, and brown sugar. Beat until combined and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
- Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the wet mixture, beating just until combined. Be careful not to over-beat or the cake will be dense and dry. A few small lumps of flour is fine.
- Grease a 9X3 inch round baking pan (I use Magic Line pans)
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out moist (not wet with batter but moist. If the toothpick is dry, the cake is over-baked and will be dry).
- Let the cake sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- In the meantime, to make the frosting, place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, continuing to beat. Add the heavy cream until you reach a spreadable consistency. (Note: This is a fairly stiff frosting)
- Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally. Frost the bottom half of the cake and down the sides. Place the top layer of the cake, upside down, on top of the bottom layer. Frost the top layer and down the sides.
*Variation: Add Nutella to the frosting
*Another variation: Pour some chocolate ganache over it for ultra decadence!
Ohh this cake is so evil!!! ..i was the lucky one to tried the same cake pictured in the photo made by the awesome hands of Kimberly!!!..ohh how lucky i am!!…It was a killer!!!..thanks Kimberly 🙂
Yes, thanks for taking it off my hands!! It was making me nervous just having it around, haha! 😉
Dear Kimberly, this cake looks absolutely delicicous! I love peanutbutter!!
Thanks, Brigitte! Yes, this cake is only for the most passionate of peanut butter fans – it’s very peanuty!
For some strange reason your killer cake warnings only make me want it more! Your cake looks so good!
Hahahaha! Reverse psychology is a powerful thing 😉
Mmm I just might have to live dangerously and try this killer cake! As a huge peanut butter fan, I’m sure it’s worth it!
It’s delicious, but as to worth it…I’m still weighing the pros and cons in the balance 😉
I just pinned this masterpiece (and included a health warning–LOL!). Wow! That’s all can say. Wow!
Good job passing on the warning label, Kathleen – you are now cleared of any liability, law suits, etc. 😉
Great cake but the receipt box needs to be at the top. I almost left the page before I found it.
I can understand why it might be a little confusing. For whatever reason, the trend for food blogs is to post the actual recipe at the very bottom. Many food blogs post step-by-step pictures as a visual aid for the preparation process and then at the bottom of the pictures is the actual recipe. I’m happy you stayed long enough to find it! 🙂
how much cup of oil and peanut butter are used?
Thank you very much!
Hi Rehbin! Scroll down to the very bottom of the page (past all of the preparation pictures) and you’ll see the recipe box with all of the ingredients, quantities and instructions.
This was the best cake i ever made! And the instructions are easy. Thank you!! 🙂
Hi Maria! AWESOME!! Thank you for such glowing feedback! I’m so happy you enjoyed it so much and, above all, that you’re still alive and well after eating it! 😉 Thanks again for your feedback and I hope you’ll continue to try some of my recipes!
My kids loooveee this cake!!!
Yayyyyy!! So happy it was a hit! Thanks for making it and for your feedback!
Hi Kimberley, This cake looks amazing! and with all these glowing reviews, I can’t wait to give it a try.
I would just like to ask one silly little question.
Can this cake be covered in Fondant/Plastic Icing/Pettinice?
Kind regards
Mandy
Hi Mandy! Thanks for the compliment! I don’t know a whole lot about cake decorating, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to use fondant. If you decide to try it, be sure to let me know how it went!
I made this for my sons 15th birthday and WOW was it a huge huge hit..the poor cake never made it passed the first day 🙂 I halved the frosting recipe which was perfect for us and sprinkled the top with chocolate shavings. This cake is without a doubt the best when it comes to the peanut butter flavor. It’s moist and even when it’s slightly cold from sitting in the fridge it still stands up..infact we LOVED the frosting even more when it was cold. The cake become slightly dense and man was that even better! So thank you..from one VERY happy 15 year old boy and his mom who was declared the best peanut butter cake baker..lol
Hi Sonya! I am soooo delighted and happy to hear that!! Truly, it makes my morning 🙂 It’s funny you should mention its texture after having been refrigerated. I noticed the same thing. The quality of the frosting created an almost ice cream-like cake effect. So glad you all enjoyed it…and survived it 😉 And congratulations on your newly bestowed title as the “Peanut Butter Cake Baking Queen”!
Delicious! Best PB cake recipe I’ve ever found! This is my husband’s favorite cake. I’ll use this recipe every time…from here on in! Thanks
I am SO happy you liked it!! Thank you for making it and for your feedback!
how much vegetable oil and peanutbutter for the cake(not the frosting) ? I looked at the recipe box from my wii and it just has a square where those 2 measurements should be.
Hi Gretchen! Not sure why those two items are blocked out on your wii – it’s 1/3 cup of each. Thanks for visiting and I look forward to your feedback if you make the cake!
I just made this cake and it really is KILLER! The only change was that I made it with a plain cream cheese frosting. It was seriously perfect. Not too sweet or too savory, very moist and had great texture. I will definitely be making this again….oh and it totally won over my boyfriend and his mom!
Hello, Stefanie! AWESOME!! I’m so happy it was such a success! Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it. And congratulations on the “big win”! 😉
thank you so much for this recipe! i used it to make pb&j cupcakes (the recipe will make 30, baked @ 350F for 15 minutes); after the cupcakes cooled i filled their centers with strawberry jelly, then iced each one with your pb frosting and topped them with chopped peanuts and a couple of strawberry slices. awesome!
Jess, that sounds fabulous!! Thanks so much for your feedback and for your creative cupcake ideas! I’d love to eat one of those cupcakes right now!!
If I were to use “regular” (not unsweetened) peanut butter, how much should I cut back on thecsugar!
Please excuse typos – IPad keyboard is frustrating. ;- ).
Hi Lora and great question! For the cake itself I’d say cut back by about 1/4 cup. For the frosting you can cut back even more on the powdered sugar, but will need to use less heavy cream accordingly (add it slowly until the desired consistency is reached).
Hi Kimberly! I understand that the dry ingredients are sifted together but I’m curious to know how you measure your flour. A cup and a half sifted, spooned or scooped out of the bag? Thanks
Hi James! I measure the flour in the measuring cup first and then sift it with the baking powder/soda.
Hello again! Before you replied I went ahead and spooned the flour into the measuring cup. 170 grams of flour is what I ended up with. I made this for my wife’s birthday and we took it to her mothers house. The reviews were excellent. Thanks for sharing this. My wife, Frannie, has requested this for her birthday next year. I might dip into the nutella next time. Thanks again and have a great weekend!
James
James, I’m SO happy to hear it was such a success! Thanks so much for making it and I really appreciate your feedback!
If I were to split the cake into two separate cake pans instead of one pan and cutting it, do I need to adjust the baking time? Thanks!! I only have short cake pans!
Hi Kelly! Yes, you’d need to reduce the baking time by a few minutes. Check the cake after 20 minutes with the “toothpick” test and continue to bake as necessary until the toothpick comes out clean but moist. Good luck and be sure to let me know what you think once you’ve tried it!
I made this cake yesterday. My nine inch pans were not deep enough so I had to split the batter between two pans. I used Jif. It’s the only peanut butter for my family. The cake looks great. It’s yummy, but was a little on the dry side for my taste. I don’t think splitting the batter made the difference. I checked frequently to avoid over baking. I also made sure not to over mix the batter during preparation. Overall, it’s still an awesome cake.
made this cake for my husband’s birthday, everyone loved it! Used my own peanut butter frosting for the top and sides, along w/ chocolate frosting for the in-between layers and poured a chocolate ganache on top! WONDERFUL! Thanks, this is going to be a keeper…
Hi Carrie! Thanks for making this cake and for your feedback! The ganache sounds wonderful!
This cake is great! I think the the icing may need some fine tuning, probably a technique thing on my part, the icing got greasy a bit and even separated while in the bowl. But beyond that, greatness even from someone that never bakes cakes. I did try the glaze too. It adds a nice flavor, but it is kind of sandwichy.
Thanks for the recipe, I will be doing others of yours soon.
Hi Bill! I am so flattered that despite not being a cake baker you decided to make this! 🙂 You know, the greasiness factor most likely has to do with the peanut butter not having been adequately stirred. Natural peanut butter is extremely oily and requires a lot of stirring – it can be a bit of a beast to work with. But I am so happy you liked the cake and even happier that you’re planning on making more or my recipes!! I look forward to your feedback!
This looks amazing, something for the weekend! 🙂
Thank you, diamondkids, and thanks so much for visiting!
Your cakes look so good that you don’t need to use props! (Tell Todd I said that 😉
Hello, Melanie, and thank you! You’re an angel for saying so! 🙂
OMG – you are absolutely right on the richness of this cake…..I love the frosting but it is so rich….but I still LOVE it……Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Jackie, I know, right?! So dangerous…but so good!! At least anyone who makes this can’t say I didn’t warn them 😉
I would seriously consider doubling the cake ingredients and making a four layer cake…. that would be awesome.
Whoa, a double killer, huh?! Oh yes, that would be quite the cake alright – just be sure to call the medics in advance! 😉
I have some granular honey, do you think I’d be able to replace half the brown sugar with that? Just looking to lower my sugar intake.
Hi Rachel, you bet! I regularly bake with honey and it works great – and I love the flavor.
Fantastic! Thanks 🙂 Sometimes trading in liquid honey changes the outcome in a not good way, so nice to know there’s some flexibility there.
I’m planning on pairing it with peanut butter ganache and honey-vanilla ice cream for a home made ice cream birthday cake. Fingers crossed that everything works!
That’s true. I’ve have good luck each time I’ve used honey and since you’re only substituting half it should be okay. Ooooooh, your birthday cake creation sounds absolutely AMAZING!! Let me know how it goes!
When I was in school (long time ago) the ladies in the lunch room made sheet cakes that were peanut butter with peanut butter and crushed pineapple frosting. Talk about something good? This was delish.
H Joan! I never would have thought of that combination, but that does sound delish!
This is super-delicious looking cake!!
Thanks so much, Winnie! 🙂
I have to confess I messed up the recipe a bit by adding a whole cup of PB to the cake mix instead of 1/3 of a cup. Nevertheless (or perhaps because of this) this cake was a huge hit. To give you an idea of how huge, my mother-in-law who hitherto has never liked PB cakes, loves it. “It’s just soooooo peanut-buttery” is the general verdict. Thanks, Kimberly, for making me a baking star!
By the way, I made it in two 1.5″ deep 9″ cake tins and it came out fine – but it was cooked in less than 25 minutes.
Haha, that’s awesome, Dan!! A whole cup PLUS all that peanut butter in the icing, woah!! So happy to hear it was such a hit and that you even won over the MIL as a result! 🙂
Hi Kimberly,
I’m making this for my step-dad’s birthday and he’s forever requesting stuff I’ve never heard of. Was wondering if/how much I should cut back on sugar in batter and frosting if using regular creamy Jif peanut butter? Miraculously, I have everything on else on hand and would love to avoid going to the store (cause I’m a lazy bum).
Haha! I’m always looking for ways to avoid going to the store, too 😉 You know, I don’t think I’d even bother cutting back on the sugar. Someone told me they used an entire cup of regular peanut butter instead of 1/3 and they loved how it turned out! If you were to cut back, I’d say just a couple of tablespoons or so. If your step-dad’s a peanut butter fan, this cake should win him over! Let me know how it goes!
I made this cake for my brother’s birthday yesterday. Normally, our family doesn’t bother with home made cakes and just springs for store bought ones. I was a bit nervous about making a cake, since I haven’t made a cake since I was a kid using store bought cake mix.
This cake was most certainly a hit. Everyone loved it! I added a bit of coco powder to the frosting, but only enough to give it a darker color and just a hint of flavor.
I’m so happy to hear that! And flattered that, not having made a cake for so long – and one from scratch at that – you decided to make mine! Awesome! What a nice thing to do for you brother and I’m glad it was a hit. Thanks so much for your feedback!
where can i find unsweetened peanut butter
Hi, Marcus! You can find it in any larger grocery store. Adams is a common brand, for example. It will say “100% natural”, meaning no added sugar.
If you live in an area that has Harris Teeter grocery stores, they have a house brand that has only peanuts in it. Another option, if you have a food processor, is to make your own. It only takes about 5 minutes and is really simple.
Very true, Susan. On the topic of homemade nut butters – have you tried sunflower seed butter? It’s fantastic. I like to add a little raw honey to it.
No, I have not tried sunflower seed butter. I may try it for myself, but I know my husband won’t eat it because he does not like sunflower seeds. I think I’ll put those on my shopping list for the next time I go to Sprouts… 🙂
When you say alternatively add the buttermilk and flour does this mean if you follow instruction above you don’t add the buttermilk ?
Hi Lucy! That’s alternately, meaning taking turns adding a little of the buttermilk and flour at a time instead of one or the other all at once. With the small print on the screen I can totally see why you would have misread the word. Happy baking and I hope you enjoy this cake!
My brother is celebrating his 50th birthday this week and I’m going to try to make this cake for him since he is a HUGE peanut butter fan. His wife says he doesn’t eat cake but I think he will love this one. I’ll let you know!
Hi Lynette! If he’s a huge peanut butter fan, regardless of whether or not he likes cake, he’ll be tickled to get this super peanut-buttery cake. Let me know how it goes!
Hi 🙂 This cake looks amazing! I really want to bake it for my best friend who loves peanut butter, I’m just worried that it will be too peanut buttery for our friends also. Do you have any tips? Should I do a nutella frosting – to balance out the peanut butter or? any suggestions please 🙂 You also mentioned a nutella peanut butter swirl – how would you do that? THANKS 😀
Hi Giulia! Yes, this cake is very peanut buttery! Truly a cake for die-hard peanut butter fans. My husband and I could only handle a small piece at a time. But I have a couple of big peanut butter fan friends who ate two of huge slices in one sitting! Any kind of chocolate frosting would help temper the peanut butter flavor (and anything with chocolate tastes wonderful, anyway!) A nice chocolate buttercream frosting would be an excellent choice. I’ve also had a couple of readers tell me they made it with a chocolate ganache and loved it. For a Nutella swirl: I would whip some Nutella up in a small bowl with a spoon just to soften it. Then at the very end I would just stir it into the batter a few times to get a swirly pattern and then pour the batter in the cake and bake it. However you decide to make it, let me know how it goes!
Made the sheet cake version for a friend’s birthday; substituted cake flour for all-purpose and added the 2T cocoa to the frosting. The cake turned out fabulous, very tender and moist. I never did get the frosting to be very spreadable even after adding a tablespoon more cream than the recipe called for, but flavor-wise it was terrific!
Hello, Omorka! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! The frosting has to be thoroughly room temperature. I noticed that even if it’s slightly cool it stiffens up. The next time I make it I’m going to make the sheetcake version as well – and I’m going to add some Nutella swirl and, like you, add some cocoa to the frosting. Thanks so much for making this and for your feedback!
Hiii from Saudi Arabia
This is an awesome recipe … greaaat …. I liked it even my 3 years old daughter loved it … I’m thinking about making money from it 😉
By the way .. Every thing was fine except for the frosting … I kept the original ingredients but when I was about to add the third cup of sugar it became very heavy and not creamy at all .. I also added the half cup of heavy cream and still heavy it even stick on the knife .. I had to dip the knife in a glass of water to keeping it from sticking … is it the right amount of sugar ??
Hello and welcome!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it so much – and that your daughter did, too! You know, I’ve gotten a ton of positive feedback about this cake and there has never been any mention about the frosting being a challenge – until yesterday when someone mentioned the same thing that you just did. It isn’t a super creamy frosting, it is more on the heavy side and it will “set” a bit once it’s on the cake. Did you find it too difficult to even spread, or was it just that you were expecting it to be creamier? I’m going to add a word about that to recipe so people know not to expect a soft, creamy frosting.
Hi again and thanks for the quick reply .. yeah .. I thought it will be more creamy .. but if you say so … that is suuuper fine .. I like it this way too .. the challenge was only on making it sticking on the cake but I dipped the knife on a glass of water and it works .. by the way .. It will be great if you post a recipe of a cake containing caramel toffee bites inside it … I looked every where on google but nothing comes out … 🙂 xoxo
Mmmm, a cake with caramel toffee bites inside sounds fabulous! I’ll keep that one in mind 🙂
I am so glad you mentioned putting it into a 13×9 because I was seeing this as a Yule log and am going to try it this way. Yummy.
Hi Susie! I’ve had one other person leave feedback about trying that alternative way of making it and they loved it. Hope you do, too. Let us know how it goes!
Could I make cupcakes out of this cake?
Hello, Haya! I haven’t tried it yet, but I would think that you absolutely can. Just reduce the baking time and bake for about 18-22 minutes.
I will try this.
You are very brave! 😉 It’s been a huge hit with 100% positive feedback – I hope you enjoy it, too!
I made this cake for my son’s birthday, it turned out great. Everyone loved it. thanks
I’m so happy to hear that, Sherry, and thank you for taking the time to leave some feedback! Best, Kimberly
I like your picture and I love the plant.Don’t change a thing.
DONNA
Thanks, Donna! 🙂 Fortunately it hasn’t made the cake any less popular and the 1970’s Betty Crocker cookbook pic has kind of grown on me 🙂 Best, Kimberly
This cake was spectacular! I made it for my own birthday yesterday… I told my husband that was because I just love baking and wanted to do it myself, but it was really because I wanted to lick all the extra frosting! And there was a lot of frosting, which was fine by me. I always make extra so I can eat some. 🙂
I made it in 2, 9 inch round pans and baked for 20 minutes like you suggested to another commenter, and it turned out perfectly, moist and magnificent! Thank you for this killer recipe.
Wonderful!! I’m so thrilled to hear that, Laura, and a happy belated birthday to you! Best, Kimberly
So after over an hour of looking for a decent peanut butter cake recipe I came across this page. I then spent another hour browsing through this site and already see a ton of things I want to try making sometime. So I want to start of by saying “Thank you!” For all the time and effort you have put into all of this. It truly is incredible.
I do have a couple of questions regarding this recipe if you don’t mind. After reading all of the warnings about how rich this cake is I’m hesitant to put the peanut butter frosting onto the already peanut butter cake. So I was thinking I might sub in some chocolate frosting, French Silk was the first thing that came to mind, but I was wondering if maybe a Buttercream or some other frosting might go better with the cake? Also, I do want the cake to have a strong peanut butter taste, so since I am using a different frosting should I add more peanut butter to the cake or does it stand on its own alright?
Thanks in advance for the help.
-Devon
Welcome, Devon! And thank you very much for your kind words, I really appreciate them. Excellent questions about the cake. If you love peanut butter, you’ll love the peanut butter frosting. That said, a chocolate frosting would go marvelously with this cake – chocolate and peanut butter are a natural match. And yes, the peanut butter flavor in the cake will still stand out. I wouldn’t use plain buttercream simply because its delicate flavor would be lost in the dominant peanut butter flavor. So I would either use the peanut butter frosting (for die-hard peanut butter fans who can’t get enough!) or some kind of chocolate frosting (for a nice, complementing contrast). Happy baking and whichever route you go let us know how it turns out! Best, Kimberly
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly and for the wonderful advice. I was making it for a friend’s birthday so while I was up for the peanut butter frosting, I’m not sure everyone else would have been. Anyway, I ended up making a really nice and light chocolate mousse for it. Spelled “Happy Birthday” out with some Reese’s Pieces on top and chopped some mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups up to smash on the side of the cake. It turned out wonderfully and the recipe was perfect. I’ll be sure to make it with the peanut butter frosting next time and let you know what I think.
Thanks again,
-Devon
Wonderful and I love the way you decorated it! Thanks so much for your feedback, Devon!
I was very happy to find this recipe and even more excited when I read the comment about the nutella swirl. My friend requested a PB cake with nutella frosting, so I’m going to add that swirl for more! But now I’m thinking about adding nutella to your PB frosting. How much would you recommend? Thanks!
Excellent, Stacey! You can never go wrong with Nutella 🙂 I’d start with 1/4 cup or so of Nutella for the frosting and taste it to see if it needs more (and if the consistency can handle more – since Nutella is thick it should be perfectly fine even if you use more). Yummy, I want a slice right now!!
Whoa! All this positive hype on the cake…I am definitely trying this. I am going to try making cake pops and would prefer to make “from scratch” cakes. Do you think this cake would be too oily after I break it apart and add frosting to bind the cake into balls? Thanks!
Hi Liz! Cake pops sound like a great idea! No, it’s not an oily cake at all. Happy baking!
Wonderful! Thanks!
I REFUSE….to share this cake with anyone! hahaha. I used 1 cup of peanut butter as some readers did, and it turned out amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
For the frosting, if I halve it, will it still turn out well? Thanks again!
Hahaha! Awesome, Liz!! It makes quite a bit of frosting – half is enough for a thin layer, it just depends on how scandalously thick you want it 🙂
What are your thoughts on turning this cake into a tres leches cake? I was thinking if I went with a less killer frosting it might work? My boyfriend wants a peanut butter tres leches cake for his birthday but silly enough, there aren’t any recipes already floating around for it 😛
Hi Katie! I love the idea of a tres leches peanut butter cake! I wouldn’t recommend this recipe for it though. Tres leches cake is a sponge cake which is what enables you to soak it in milk without it becoming soggy. I haven’t tried doing that with this peanut butter cake, but my concern would be that it would end up soggy. My recommendation would be to find a good recipe for tres leches cake and add about 1/3 cup peanut butter to the batter (any more than that will likely weigh the delicate sponge cake down too much). Tres leches cake is supposed to just have some delicate sweetened whipped cream for the topping, so I would probably stick with that. If you decide you want a peanut butter frosting instead, I would make one that’s fluffier: Use an electric mixer to beat 1/2 cup softened butter with 1 cup creamy peanut butter. Gradually add 2 cups of confectioner’s (powdered) sugar and if it gets too thick add a tablespoon of milk. Add up to 3 tablespoons of milk as needed until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
Good luck and I hope your boyfriend appreciates your efforts! 🙂
This cake looks amazing! My new hubby loves anything PB. The first year we were dating and I asked him what kind if bday cake he wanted, he asked for PB w PB frosting. I searched and searched for a recipe. I managed to use parts of a few and it turned out pretty good. The next year, notsomuch. It turned out heavy and dry. 🙁
I am so thrilled to find this one as his bday is 6-19 and I will try again!
I have a question though. You used only one layer and sliced it horizontally. However, in the final product picture, your layers look like normal layer cake thickness. Why are they not super thin? I have 8 or 9″ round pans and my layers would be really thin if I sliced one them into two. What do I need to do differently?
Hi Tara! Excellent, I’m so happy you found my site! The cake rises quite a bit. Thinking back to the last time I made it, each layer is probably about an inch thick after it’s been sliced in half and that was using a 9″ round pan. If you use a 8″ it will obviously be thicker, but you’ll need an 8″ pan that is 3″ high so it doesn’t overflow. I would recommend sticking with the 9″ pan. As you can see from the pics it’s plenty thick using a 9″ inch pan, especially once you’ve added the frosting. Let us know how it turns out!
Hi Kimberley, I found this cake by accident but after reading all the feedback it sounds really good so I might try it tomorrow. I was wondering if you know any cup conversions for this recipe as in England, we use grams an ounces rather than cups so I not completly sure how to convert it to work – thanks for your help 🙂
*and instead of an
Hi Kimberley, I found your website by acident and while browsing found your ‘killer’ cake. I wanted to make it tomorrow but as I’m from England, we measure in grams (metric) and ounces (imperial) rather than cups so I wasn’t sure how to convert it. I wonered if you had you recipie in grams or ounces so I could follow it as it sounds a really good recipe. If you coud also give me a conversion rate as I’ve seen some other good recipes of yours, thanks 🙂
Hi Susanna, I’m happy you found my site! There are many websites you can use to easily convert the measurements. Here is just one of many: http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking/ Simply add the ingredient and the amount and it will tell you how much you’ll need in grams and ounces. You’ll love this cake! Happy baking!
I will do, thank you! 🙂
Hello again. After reading all the comments I decded on making the cake with more peanut butter than stated, a nutella swirl in the batter and about 2/3 peanut butter 1/3 nutella in the frosting and it is a seriously silky sweet killer which I’m glad I came across so thank you for creating it 🙂 I also added about 1/2 cup (1 cup in total) more heavy cream to the frosting which made the frosting more pliable.
As a suggestion do you have a chocolate cake recipe as the one I normally make is quite dry and tasteless and I wondered if it had the buttermilk in it if that would add flavor and make it more moist, thanks again for your advice.
That’s wonderful, Susanna, I’m so happy it was a hit! Some tips for making cakes more moist: Buttermilk, yes that will make it moister. I love baking with buttermilk. Also, butter tastes wonderful but it dries cakes out. Using oil makes cakes very moist. The two chocolate cake recipes I have on my blog currently is my Chocolate Deception Cake (can be made in a round or square pan as well) and my Chocolate Almond Quinoa Cake (to die for!). Thanks so much for your feedback and Happy Baking!
Happy Baking to you too and thanks again 🙂
I had a request for a chocolate peanut butter cake. I substituted 1/2 cup cocoa powder in for 1/2 cup of the flour. So good!!!!!! Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Perfect, Starla! So glad it was a hit and thank you for your feedback!
Made this yesterday for my son’s birthday…. so good! I filled it with cream cheese frosting topped with seedless raspberry jam. it was a perfect combo! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Fantastic, Virginia, so glad it was a hit!!
Hi this looks great! Would this recipe be good for two 6 inch pans or should I cut the the recipe in half?
Hi Riri! Do you mean using two 6 inch round pans as opposed to using one 9×3 inch round pan and cutting the cake in half? Sure, that would work, the cake will simply be smaller in diameter and taller in height.
I followed the recipe but my cake crumbled apart…:-(((
Sorry to hear that, Al! So many variables can factor into a cake crumbling apart (e.g., not allowing the cake to fully cool, not greasing the pan adequately, baking the cake too long or too little, the geographic elevation of your location, mixing the batter too much, and the list goes on). Hopefully you’ve been able to identify the culprit and enjoy a perfect result the next time!
Hello there – just wanted to offer an alternative to your recipe. I don’t know if you know what Biscoff spread is, but I made the cake the exact way that you had but replaced the peanut butter with biscoff. It’s an awesome spread that is made from those really delicious cookies that you get as an in-flight treat :).
We will be eating the cake officially tonight for my husband’s 30th birthday, but the Biscoff frosting is out of this world! It ends up being an awesome substitute that is also safe for those with peanut allergies or those who might want a different version of the cake.I also bought biscoff cookies to crumble and use to coat the sides of the cake. (easy touch – for those who stay with peanut butter, Oreos has a limited edition peanut butter oreo cookie out that would go nicely on the sides or top of this cake crumbled 🙂 )
I didn’t have buttermilk too, but I made my own with a cup of milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice. You stir it in, wait for it to do its chemical reactions, and then can use that for a buttermilk substitute :). Good to know if your grocery stores are like me and don’t carry buttermilk for some reason.
Thanks again for this awesome recipe!
Hi Christina! Practically anything with Biscoff is delicious, thanks for tip and hope your husband has a wonderful birthday celebration tonight!
This cake looks heavenly. *drool* Must. Bake. This. Weekend. XD
Do you have any recommendations for baking it in a 9×13 pan at a high altitude (6500 ft)?
Great site, btw!
Thanks in advance!
Thank you! 🙂 I don’t know off-hand what adjustments you’ll need to make, but if you google “baking at high altitudes” you’ll find everything you need to know. I hope this cake turns out successfully, whatever adjustments you end up needing to make. Happy baking and enjoy!
I just discovered your wonderful blog today. I was browsing stepable.com and found your recipe for cheeseburger and fries casserole. So I clicked over to your website and can’t stop looking! I am definitely sharing this fantastic site with my readers.
Hi, Meagan, and welcome! Thanks so much for the compliment and for sharing The Daring Gourmet with your readers!
I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday and it was the biggest hit ever! Everyone loved and raved about it. And we’re all still alive, lol 🙂 I love how easy you make your recipes with the step-by-step photos for reference. Thank you for all the hard work you put into creating and sharing your recipes.
That’s wonderful, Cathy, I’m so happy it was a hit! You’re very welcome and it’s comments like yours that make the hard work worth it 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I doubled the recipe and made 3 8″ layers. Between the layers I filled it with a chocolate-peanut butter frosting with chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. After frosting it with your peanut butter frosting, I poured chocolate ganache over it. It’s amazing, and my 12 year old loved his birthday cake!
Oh my goodness, Francie, I can only imagine how amazing it was with the chocolate ganache poured over the peanut butter frosting, yummy!! So happy it was a success and that your 12 year old loved it!
I have made this cake twice now. It is amazing. Best pub cake ever and so easy. Thank you so much. I love the way you show pictures step by step to see consistency and texture.
I’m so happy to hear that, Bnj Brown, thank you very much!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s FABULOUS! I made it this past weekend, and I just had one more slice now! It’s heavenly! I only had to add 1/2 more cup of lour, because for some reason my batter turned out too thin (it was way more liquid than yours, shown in the picture), Do you think it turned out so thin because I used dry buttermilk? (1 envelope dissolved in 1 cup water = 1 cup buttermilk). I don’t remember how thick is the regular refrigerated buttermilk – I never buy it because I rarely use this ingredient. So I prefer the dry version, it has a long shelf life and when I need some, there it is! So, perhaps it made a difference in the recipe. Next time I make it I will use the regular buttermilk and see the difference. I will use one more teaspoon of baking powder, too (so it will be 1 Tbsp total, instead of 2 tsp) – my usual amount for a cake. I think the cake was a little short – especially because I baked another one to fit to it (my final cake was made of two half-moons: one was the peanut butter cake, the other half-moon was a dark chocolate cake – so, it happened that the peanut butter was shorter than the chocolate, and I had to be creative to level it up! 🙂 It was fun, though! The end result was fantastic. Well, the reason why I made two different cakes like that, without mixing the flavors, is that my father-in-law (the cake was for his birthday!) wanted chocolate, and I was crazy for trying this recipe of yours. So, I compromised and made two and assembled them in one! 🙂
Hi Rosangela, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is perfect and your father-in-law is very fortunate that you surprised him with that! The batter is a pretty thin batter. It’s hard to tell from pictures, but if you look at the pictures again you’ll see it’s pretty thin as I’m pouring it into the cake pan. Adding the extra 1/2 cup of flour won’t have hurt it but it may not have been quite as moist as it otherwise would have been. In any case, it turned out fabulously and was a hit – and that’s really all that matters 🙂 Again, so glad you liked it and thanks for your feedback. Best, Kimberly
should i flour the pan??
I rarely do. I find that buttering the pan does a perfect job. But then it also depends on the quality of the pan itself. If you usually flour your cake pans, then do that. If you usually have good luck just buttering them, then no need to flour. Happy baking!
I have been chasing a cake my nana made for me when I was 10. Like a crystal meth high, no other recipes came close. BUT THIS ONE IS IT! I love this cake so much I would marry it and have it’s little peanut butter babies if the government approved of our love . I put the batter into two pans to bake just to make it easier, and added another tablespoon of natural peanut butter to the icing to soften it a bit.
Fantastic.
Haha!! Thanks for the great laugh to get my morning started, Sue! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed, thank you! Best, Kimberly
Hi.. I accidentally came across ur blog and instantly became a fan! Planning to surprise my wife for her b.day.. however, I have a Q: can I use regular white sugar instead of brown sugar (I dont have it readily at home, & if I buy it now, my wife my get suspicious:)? If yes, do I need 2 lessen the quantity?
Hi Suresh and welcome, so glad you found my site! That’s wonderful that you’re going to surprise your wife with this. To answer your question, yes you can use white sugar and you would use the same quantity. Or, if you happen to have molasses on hand, to make your own brown sugar you would simply add 1 tablespoon of light molasses (or 2 teaspoons of dark molasses) to the white sugar and give it a good stir – that’s all that brown sugar is. Happy baking and I hope everything turns out a success!
Hi, sry missed 2 provide my feedback after trying the recipe.. The cake came out wonderfully well & was a huge success. Many thanks for sharing such awesome recipe!
Wonderful, thank you so much for the feedback, Suresh!
Thank you for this recipe!! I used it in my brother’s birthday cake and everyone loved it!! The consensus was that it tasted like a giant peanut butter cookie…so delicious.
Fantastic, Ashley, I’m so glad to hear it was such a big hit, yay!! Thanks so much for the feedback!
I made this cake for my son’s 6th birthday. It was a HUGE hit with him and my family. My dad has requested it for his birthday too. The cake was inhaled by all – truly an awesome recipe, really REALLY loved and enjoyed by the crowd tonight! Thank you!
I am so thrilled to hear that!! And I really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
I am making this cake tonight for a friend’s b’day tomorrow. If I wanted to make the frosting tonight, keep it in the fridge overnight, then frost it at work – do I just need to let it sit out until it’s at room temp? Secondly, I haven’t decided on 13×19 or the layered, but would it be better to keep the cake portion in the fridge overnight or to leave it out?
Hi Lisa! Yes, you definitely want the frosting at room temperature or it will be too stiff to work with. The cake I would just leave out and make sure it’s either thoroughly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container so that it doesn’t dry out. Happy baking and let us know how it goes!
Could I use this recipe with a pound cake pan and the height still turn out right? Thanks!
Hi Latoya, I’m not entirely sure what the volume of this batter is and how full it would fill a pound cake pan. I’m thinking it should work perfectly fine though. Happy baking!
Thanks for sharing the recipe, it looks moist and delicious!
Thanks, chhiwat, happy baking!
Can I use self-rising flour instead? I’m excited about making this for Sunday church luncheon!
Jenny, because of the flour to baking powder ratio in this recipe you theoretically should be able to substitute self-rising flour (and just omit the baking powder) but I have not tried it so I can’t vouch for it. It may not rise as much, I don’t know. This cake sounds like the perfect option for a Sunday church luncheon! 🙂
I have two things to say about this recipe: This cake is ‘to die for’…and It is definitely a keeper! Thank you so much for this recipe! 🙂 Everyone at my church luncheon LOVED it !
YES!! I’m so happy this was a hit and thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it!
Hello! I am so happy I found this website and can’t wait to make this cake tomorrow for my hubby’s birthday. He would probably win the gold for his obsession with all things peanut butter. So I will definitely let you know how he likes it. (Of course I’ll have to up the peanut butter content just a lil weeee bit in the batter and frosting because I’m dealing with a peanut butter crazy man here!). Anywhoo. I don’t have baking powder! Is it absolutely necessary to use it. I don’t have cream of tartar either (apparently you can make your own bp with baking soda and cream of tartar). Should I hit up the grocery store tomorrow? What do you suggest? Moistness is soooo important to me when it comes to a yummy cake. So I don’t want to mess with that factor.
Hi Shaima, yes, definitely let us know what your hubby thinks of the cake! Baking powder…yes, you need it I’m afraid. It’s essential for making the cake rise. And yes, you can make your own with baking soda and cream of tartar. Either way it looks like you’re going to have to make a trip to the grocery store! Moistness: Very important is proper storage. You want to store it in a cake saver where it isn’t exposed to air or it will dry out. Also, it depends on how long you’re going to keep the cake – if it’s eaten the same day versus over the course of a couple of more days. Butter does dry out baked goods. Oil does not, it makes things stay moist longer. So if you’re planning on keeping this cake a couple of days or more, you can substitute oil. Butter just tastes a lot better and the cake will be moist enough if you eat it the same day – probably the next day as well as long as you store it properly. Happy baking! 🙂
I just made this cake today for tomorrow’s feast. Does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi Maureen, if you’re eating it tomorrow I wouldn’t worry about refrigerating it. Doing so will make the frosting hard and then you’d have to let it sit at room temp for a while anyway to soften it. Enjoy!
I made this cake for my supervisor who is a peanut butter fanatic for his 50th birthday. I’m expecting a raise any day now! It is definitely peanut-buttery! And you are right, the icing is the killer. I could feel my arteries clogging with every scrumptious bite I took. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Haha, awesome, Christy, thanks so much for the feedback! And yes, your boss had BETTER give you that raise!! 🙂
Hello,
I am vegan and am going to try to veganize this recipe…I will use 2 flax eggs instead of eggs and Soymilk for buttermilk. Also I will use unsweetened organic peanut butter but am looking to cut back on the sugar.
Any advice would be very much appreciated!
Thanks!
Hi June, I am far from a vegan expert and would hesitate to make any recommendations until I actually tried and tested it myself to make sure it works. Let us know how your veganized version turns out!
Thank you!
Thanks for the great recipe I actually made a bundt cake with it and used your idea for the honey glaze with 1/4 cup peanut butter added it looks great, can’t wait to find out what my friend thinks of her birthday cake
That sounds terrific, Mary, I love that idea and I’d be excited to hear your friend thinks, too!
Omg! I just made this for boyfriends 40th bday (huge peanut butter fan) and told him it’s a “killer”….. He said they obviously don’t know me….I said it came with a disclaimer ….he laughed…ate 2 servings…said it was THE BEST CAKE HES EVER HAD! But has only taken a few bits here and there…told his parents about it and now I’m making one to take to them! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! Also I used Jif… Cut out 1/3 cup of powdered sugar for cake and cut out 1 cup for the frosting and added about 1/2 cup more peanut butter for the frosting…mmmmmm so rich and dense.
SCORE!!! I’m totally thrilled to hear it was such a hit and that your boyfriend enjoyed it, Alissha, thank you! It sounds like you’ll be busy baking for a while 🙂 Hope his parents enjoy it, too!
Where are the amounts for the ingredients?
Hi Olive, scroll down to the bottom of the post past the step-by-step pictures and you’ll see the recipe box with all the ingredients and directions.
Thank you soooooooo much for sharing this recipe. I made the steamed version of this cake without frosting, but it was so delicious I wanted to eat the whole cake myself 😀 It’s definetely a killer!!!
Thank YOU, Aiz! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
So due to several reasons (including food allergies and somebody eating most of the peanut butter), I ended up tweeking the recipe to make it gluten and lactose free, and put some amaretto in to compensate for the smaller amount of peanut butter, and some chocolate chips and raisins for texture, and it’s amazing! Going to try the recipe again properly when I have more peanut butter (and hide it from sneaky snackers), but I have no regrets making a boozy big girls version. Yum!
Hi Nini, what a transformation, it sounds great! Thanks so much for sharing!
This must be a GOOD cake, judging by the years of comments it has generated. I found your recipe while searching for dessert recipes using almond butter. In your experienced opinion, might the pb in the cake be replaced by almond butter (also subbing almond extract for vanilla)? I do think recipes should be follwed before bakers start tweeking
them, but here I am trying to exactly do that very thing! I’m a hit-or-miss cook/baker, with some sad/hilarious/gruesome cooking tales to tell, so asking your advice before I forge ahead is, I know from experience, a very good idea.
Hi Mariannette! Sad, hilarious and gruesome cooking tales – oh, I think we all have those! 😉 Substituting almond butter and almond extract won’t change anything about the cake’s texture. Almond butter has the same consistency as natural peanut butter, which is what I use. So the only difference in outcome will be flavor – it won’t have the peanut butter flavor and with the almond extract it will taste slightly more along the lines of the flavor in almond poppy seed muffins (but the almond butter will camouflage some of that flavor). If you’re going the almond butter route I’m assuming you’d do the same for the frosting and add a bit of almond extract there as well, right? No, I don’t think it would be a disaster at all, it will just taste very different, but not a bad thing by any means. If you give it a shot let us know what you think!
Hi Kimberly! Can’t wait to try this cake! My daughters boyfriend requested a peanut butter cake. My Question: The coconut oil that you use…. Is it refined or unrefined? Do you melt it before adding as it is a solid oil? Thanks in advance for your reply!
Hi Loli, I use unrefined but you can use either. No, don’t melt it but it should be at room temperature so that it’s soft enough to beat it. Happy baking!
Absolutely THE best peanut butter cake EVER!!!! This was a massive hit in my family and you’ve made me a star, thank you!! 🙂
Awesome, Kate, I’m so glad everyone loved it, thank you!
Been trying to make ‘Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” type cake for awhile using chocolate cake with different recipes of peanut butter frosting. Never turned out quite right.
This cake recipe sounds (and looks) great. I plan to make it this weekend with an intense chocolate buttercream frosting. Not quite the ‘killer’ as your frosting, but close enough.
That sounds awesome, FrankE, happy baking and let us know how it goes!
Gave in and made the PB frosting. Outstanding.
THANKS
Awesome!! Thanks, FrankE!
Let me start off by saying every time I make this cake everyone ends up begging me to make it again. It’s always the first to go at parties. I was wondering if you think it would be a wise choice to make it in a bundt pan? Or if you’ve tried? My daughter has requested only bundt cakes for her birthday party and your killer peanut butter cake is by far her favorite type of cake. I just don’t want to ruin a beautiful thing.
Hi Diana, we just got back from vacation and I apologize for the delayed response. I’m so happy to hear this cake has been such a hit, thank you! I’ve never tried it using a bundt pan but don’t see why it wouldn’t work just as well. Be sure to properly grease and flour the pan and it should turn out perfectly. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Peanut butter is my weakness. I’m making this for my hubby’s birthday this year!
this sounds amazing…I am drooling just thinking about it.
Okay, first of all I laughed out loud over the prop thing. I love shopping for props, if I lived near you I’d come pick you up for a prop shopping excursion. Try cheap places first if you go. Honestly, Walmart has lots of fun things. So does Home Sense. One of my favourite fabrics to use is cheese cloth, it’s a dollar so if you spill on it you just buy another one. Ha. I’m so cheap.
I love this cake. Peanut butter is life. I bet once I started eating this I wouldn’t want to stop.
Haha, glad you can appreciate the humor in that, Kim! I totally agree with him and I got rid of those flowers over a year ago 😉 And I’d totally LOVE to go on shopping excursion with you! And burn off some calories from this cake while I’m at it 🙂
I totally admire your ability to resist the siren song of the Nutella jar, and to go with plain and simple instead. I’m normally not the biggest fan of peanut butter on its own (PB and chocolate, on the other hand? Heck yeah!), but I think I could totally make an exception for this beautiful cake.
Love the name of this cake. I actually think all cake should be eaten in moderation, but with this one, I’m sure it’s difficult to stop. Looks fantastic, and your food prop situation and your husband’s comment made me laugh.
Can you use crunchy pnut butter? Surely some has asked above but there are so many responses i cant read them all…this cake looks amazing!
Thanks, Mary, and yes you can use crunchy peanut butter. Happy baking!
First off I never ever leave comments. No reason, I just don’t.
That being said, I HAD to comment! I’m a peanut butter freak (as my kids like to call me). This cake was delicious. Like super delicious! The frosting was amazing. I suck at making frosting. I’ve never made a successful frosting. I searched my cabinets top to bottom looking for a frosting but I didn’t have one so I just tried yours. It was to die for! The best frosting I’ve ever made and actually ever had homemade. Thanks for posting and sharing. This will be a regular in my house.
Well, I’m totally flattered that you decided to break your no commenting streak for this recipe, Janey! 🙂 And I’m thrilled that you were so happy with this cake and frosting – thank YOU!
This was fantastic, my 9 year old daughter made it for my birthday last night!
That’s terrific, Kareena, thank you! And hooray for that amazing daughter of yours, what a champ!
Hi,I made your Killer Peanut Butter cake and the name is right on. It is the best, moistest cake. My husband wants to know when am I going to make it again. My sister said it was a new favorite. I loved it. Made it just like the recipe said. I made it again and increased the recipe by half. I wanted three layers. So good. Thanks for sharing!!!Glenda!!
I’m super thrilled to hear that, Glenda, thank you so much for making it and for taking the time to leave feedback!! Best, Kimberly
I am wondering if anyone has tried making and freezing for later
on.
I would like to be able to do that.
Any thoughts?
This cake will freeze as well as any, just be sure to thaw it completely before adding the frosting.
Hello,
I have been looking for a great tasting lb cake most are dry and tasteless. This is a wonderful recipe. I did make an adjustment though. I used 2/3 lb and 1/8 coconut oil.
Not only did it come out wonderful it smelled so great while baking. I also used dark chocolate panache frosting. So great I will be using this recipe from know on.no more hunting. Thank you so much.
Awesome!! I’m thrilled you found a recipe you’re happy with Alice – thank you!
Just a cautionary note. I followed the directions to the letter
and especially the part about testing the cake so that it comes out
moist, but not dry in the middle. One layer was fine. The other
layer tested as moist, not wet…no batter came out, but sunk in the middle.
It was not quite done. Next time when it looks like that,
I’ll put it back in for another couple minutes.
Hi Mary Ann, if one layer turned out fine and the other didn’t my guess is it has to do with how the cake pans are positioned in the oven. Depending on how even the temperature circulation is throughout the whole oven, baking the layers on two different oven racks (one on top of each other) can mean one layer needs to bake longer or less than the other.
I agree. That’s true. But what was confusing is that in the recipe
it says to check that no batter comes out….it didn’t. It appeared done
by that description but perhaps because the cake is very moist,
that is not quite enough. My hunch at the time was to put it back
in for a few minutes, but I didn’t because again, that directive
threw me off. The next time I make it I would aim for just a touch
more of “dryness.”
I want to report back regarding final results of my cake. It
was a huge hit. I froze the layers and was worried about the
results. No problem at all. I wrapped in plastic wrap and put
them in 9 inch layer pans for protection. I made two 8 inch
layers so they fit perfectly and were protected from damage
in the freezer. I made a cream cheese peanut butter icing
because my family is crazy for cream cheese icing. I crushed
up chocolate peanut butter cups and put them in the middle
layer on top of the icing. I decorated with M and M peanut
candies. I now have two more family members who
want this cake for their birthdays. The small indentation
that came from pulling one of the layers out too soon was
lost in the icing and had no effect. I’m not
nuts about peanut butter cakes, but my family is pretty fussy
about their cakes, so this cake is a keeper, for sure. Thank
you very much!
That’s fantastic, Mary Ann! I’m so glad this was a hit and that you’ve gotten repeat requests. The cream cheese peanut butter ice sounds wonderful and the peanut butter cups are a great touch. Thanks so much for the feedback!
By the way, for whatever it’s worth, I made the icing less sweet to compensate for the candy.
M
Hi I really need to make this cake fir my grandaughters 18th. She loves peanut. Problem being I’m in UK. Each time I try to to convert to grammes I come up with conflicting amounts for each ingredient. Different site give different amounts. Can you please help. I will be really greatful. Thank you
Hi Chris, I don’t have the amounts in grams and my attempt to convert them would be the same as yours. I would use one of any of the multiple sites that make the conversion process easy – you simply enter the quantity of each ingredient and it converts it into grams for you. Just Google “convert ingredients into grams” and you’ll see several sites come up.
I just made this cake for my son’s 18th birthday. What a wonderful recipe. Everybody wolfed it down. Three generations of family give two thumbs up.
Feedback can’t get any better than a three-generational double thumbs up! That’s terrific, Emma, I’m so happy to hear it – thank you!
May I know if this cake needs to be refrigerated?
Hi Cheryl, not as long as it’s eaten with a couple of days. Any longer than that I’d recommend keeping it in the fridge.
I made this cake twice and doubled the recipe so that I could make a taller layered cake. I used one 9×2 inch and one 9×3 round cake pans. My problem came with the cake baked in the 9×3 round. The batter filled the pan to slightly more than one half full. Each time the cake fell badley in the middle when I opened the oven door to check after 30 mins. The middle of the cake was not done but I removed it as the sides began to pull away from the sides and I didn’t want them to dry out. On the last try I even used a center heating core. The 9×2 rounds came out just fine. I was able to put together a couple of layers, frosted it and it is now awaiting a coating of ganach. I used veg. oil, as that was all I had. Should I have been using something more solid like shortening? Just wondering your thoughts. I have plenty of scraps to make some cake pops. Of course I couldn’t resist testing some frosted cake scraps and this cake is wonderful! I made this for my son who’s main “go to” is peanut butter.
Hi Karen, I’m sorry to hear about the sinking center. No, shortening is not needed. It’s a very common baking problem and there are numerous reasons that could be the cause. If you Google “why did my cake sink in the middle?” you’ll find countless articles on the subject. In any case, I’m glad the two 9×2 rounds were a success and coating it with a ganache sounds perfect. And cake pops are also a perfect way to have put those scraps to use! 🙂
Cooking time for 8″ round cake pan?
P.S. – Made the 9″ version already – it was a hit A+++ (THANKS)
8″ fits better in my old cake carrier.
Terrific, J.J.! You’ll probably need just a few extra minutes longer of baking but I’d still check it around the same time using the toothpick test. Then if needs be you can always let it bake a little longer.
Just made it this afternoon – used 8″round by 3″tall cake pan. baked for 30 minutes @ 350 as per instructions for 9″ pan.
When I checked after 30 minutes, cake looked done – sides browned and coming off side of pan and toothpick test good. Maybe my oven temp is off (OLD oven), but came out fine. Taller, of course, than 9″ version.
Fantastic, J.J., I’m glad it turned out!
Hello, I’m making this cake tomorrow for my mom’s birthday. I will be using a 9×13 pan as I want it to be like a sheet cake. My question is, how thin does this cake come out since it’s a larger pan? If I want approximately a 2.5 inch tall 9×13 cake, should I double the recipe? Also when doubling would I be better off making 2 and stacking them or just one cake? Also any pointers on baking time for this size would be great 🙂
Hi Steph! I haven’t measured the depth of the sheet pan version so I’m not sure how tall it is and wouldn’t want to give you false information based on a guess. If you’re wanting height with your sheet cake I’d recommend doubling it just to be safe. Or, if you plan on stacking them, you can bake each batch separately in a 9×13 (it will be easier than trying to cut that long of a cake in half). Stacking them simply comes down to aesthetics and how you prefer it to look – whether you want a traditional one-layer frosted sheet cake or a double-layer sheet cake with frosting in the middle. Double layer will of course feed a lot more people too, so it depends on how many people will be present and how much leftover cake you’ll want. For baking time, if baking each batch separately (ie, two thinner cakes) I would do the toothpick test after 18 minutes or so and determine if it needs more baking time. If you are doubling it in the same baking dish, then it will take closer to the 30 minutes. Again though, do the toothpick test at around the 20-25 minute mark.
Thank you! It only needs to feed 8 but I wanted height as I’m putting a lot of decorations on top (crazy cat lady cake!)
Hi Kimberly;
how long can you keep this cake ?.I need to make this for a bday. Hoping a soon reply
You can wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated for a couple of days before frosting it. Once frosted I would probably consume it within two days at room temp or within three days if refrigerated. Note, if you refrigerate it with the frosting the frosting will get very hard so it will need to sit at room temp for a while to soften before eating it. Ideally though just keep the cake at room temp and eat it within two days.
Made this cake and it’s absolutely awesome!!! Changed the layer frost to Nutella and added pecans on the top. Couldn’t keep my hands off it. Thank you for the recipe!!
That sounds terrific, thank you!
I’ve been looking for this recipe for ages!!! In the 90’s I tried a peanut butter cake and loved it but did’t know how to make it. Thank you very much!! 😄
Glad you found us, Sandra, thank you!
I love to bake and bring things to work frequently and have had people ask me to make things for them. Before Christmas, someone tried another cake I made and asked me to make them a peanut butter cake. Since I had never made one and didn’t have a recipe, I had to get online and find one. I looked at several different ones before deciding to try yours because it had the best reviews. You didn’t disappoint. My coworker loved it and told me that the rest of their department liked it to because they had less than half a cake left when they got off work that day and there is only 5 people in their department. Thanks for the recipe. It was amazing.
That’s awesome, Bridgett, I’m so glad it was a hit – thank you!
I love baking with my nieces and just made two of this cake. Right now they are cooking. My 4 year old and I made one and my two nieces made the other. They’re putting Nutela on theirs and I’m putting the peanut icing on ours
Wonderful, Mathew, I hope everyone enjoys it!
Good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it.
(1) Peanut butter is GOOD for you, ALL of it: the monounsaturated fat (second only to olive oil), the nutrients (e.g., magnesium), the protein…ALL of it! Don’t believe me? Would you believe Prevention magazine?
(2) In fact, fat is actually GOOD FOR YOU! LOL! Who knew? One of the best researchers in this regard is Gary Taubes (a physicist turned science writer turned nutrition scholar), whose writing I first encountered in the New York Times
(3) Coconut oil is especially good for you. I’ve seen recommendations of 3T a day as a supplement (like you would take calcium daily–which I do–or fish oil–which I also do), but, as for me, I sometimes remember to add about a teaspoon to my morning coffee (with cream…yes, I like very rich food, but can only tolerate it in small quantities, like a cup of coffee).
The nutritional value of white flour is questionable, so I’m learning to work with King Arthur brand organic whole wheat as a universal replacement (accent on learning). The problem with being an increasingly enthusiastic cook and a waste-not/want-not personality, is that I’ve got to eat all my mistakes, and, as you can imagine, a bad cake made with whole wheat flour can be like eating a kitchen sponge. Tried to turn it into biscotti and was only somewhat successful. But I’m sure I’m healthier for it! LOL
Any-hoo… this cake of yours won’t kill you at all. You might want to rename it and re-file it under “healthiest things you can eat” LOL!!!
Looking forward to trying the organic whole wheat version!
Hi Leigh, I couldn’t agree more. My post is tongue in cheek. We’re huge advocates of healthy fats and full fat dairy. My husband (a physician) has posted a couple of articles on those topics here on our blog: A Comprehensive Guide To Cooking Oils: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and The Truth About Full-Fat Dairy. He discusses a lot of the myths about fat that have been circulating around for decades and that unfortunately continue to circulate even within medical communities in spite of all the research to the contrary. So yes, here’s to healthy fats – and the more the merrier!
I’m sure this has been asked previously, but I didn’t want to go through all the comments. Can you use regular peanut butter? Will it change the bake time or consistency of the finished cake?
Hi Dee, yes you can, it will just make the cake sweeter since regular peanut butter has a lot of added sugar.
I make a similar cake using a combination of gluten-free flours, and more peanut butter and cook in a bundt pan. I use chocolate buttercream frosting with more cocoa than recipes call for, DELICIOUS! I generally do not measure and had not made in a while so looking up for the ratio of ingredients. Thank you.
This one is a good one to convert to gluten-free as a yellow cake with GF flours and bean flavor in the flour has a different taste than used to but chocolate or peanut cakes can be made with a 1:1 flour substitution.
Thanks for the tip, Terri!
My 16 year old son is 6 hours away attending a military academy. He requested a peanut butter cake for family day. I am so excited I found this recipe. I will be making it in a few days. I am making a chocolate butter cream frosting for the center and using your PB frosting for on top. Wish me luck!!
Wonderful, Stacie, let us know how it goes!
Hello! I made this cake for my wife’s birthday party last night. She’s a former professional chef and there were other famous chefs in attendance. Huge Success! I was instructed to have the last little slice gone this morning before she returns from yoga as it’s too tempting! Thank you! I’d send you a pic if I knew how of it on a gorgeous fumed oak and brass stand we made …check out our website you’ll understand…thanks again, Ryan
That is ultimate compliment, Ryan, thanks so much! I checked out your website and yes, I totally understand 🙂
Wowowowow, I made this for my peanut butter loving fiancée’s birthday and he loves it 🙂 so do I! Only needed a teeny tiny piece each, about 1/16th of a 9×13″ cake each.
Fantastic, Carolyn, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it – thank you!
I made your recipe for a friend at work but did cupcakes. It was a huge hit. Making them again today. Thank you so much!
Terrific, Hol, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Ok, So my baby has Autism and he LOVES Everything PB. We’re celebrating his 13th birthday this weekend and I’m going to turn this cake into a sheet cake for him. Any advice? This looks Delicious and I’ll admit, I want to eat it more than he probably does haha. But he never NEVER eats his birthday cake so I’m going to try this-this year, if he likes it, it’ll be my go to… I’ll take a photo and send it to you when Im done. Thanks for this…
Hi Cynthia, absolutely – see the “Note” in the recipe box at the bottom of the post and it will give you a few additional ideas, including baking it as a sheet cake. I hope your son has a wonderful birthday and enjoys the cake! Let us know how it goes and of course I’d love to see a photo!
I made it…YAY and it was a KILLER. The Frosting was so RICH but you know what? My Son Hulk Smashed it. Now, mine doesn’t look as pretty as yours but girl was it good. Im thinking of making it for him every year since after 13 years (yeah I said baby but he’s my oldest but he’s still my baby 🙂 )this was the FIRST year that he blew out his candles and actually ate his birthday cake. When he tasted it and realized it was Peanut Butter his eyes lit up. He sort of gave me this look like, Craig on Friday when his mom was making breakfast lol. However, he’s a bit on the chunky side and we’re watching his weight so, Im thinking of making this for him every year but changing it to PB2 and doing a whipped frosting with low fat everthing and greek yogurt. Do you think you could do one like that, because Im good but You’re great lol
How do I send the photo?
Thanks for making my baby’s birthday Awesome
Cy’nitha
SCORE!!! That’s awesome, Cy’nitha, I’m so glad it was a smash hit! If it were me I wouldn’t bother trying to “lighten” up the cake in the future – birthdays are only once a year, right? It’s okay to live it up once in a while! 🙂 Thanks so much for the feedback and another hip-hip-hooray that your son loved it!
You know what you’re right… I’ll email you the photo. Thanks again…
Awesome, Cynitha, it’s daringgourmet(dot)com, thanks!
Where is the recipe for the killer peanut butter cake? I only see the frosting recipe
Hi Paul, it’s in the recipe box at the bottom of the post, right under the frosting.
Do you think I can switch the peanutbutter with biscoff and reduce the sugar? Any suggestions Are appreciated
Hi Mariam, yes definitely. I will say though that this cake is already less sweet than the average cake recipe, so if you leave the sugar in and use Biscoff, I don’t think the cake will be too sweet.
So many wonderful comments, so I wanted to try this cake. I had some peanut butter cookies that had gone a bit hard and was planning on crumbling them and coating the sides of the cake. I’m not certain why, but it did not bake properly. I didn’t use coconut oil as my husband HATES coconut and can tell if I put even the oil in something. So I used part olive and part avacado oil. I always bake things in my oven a few minutes less than what is called for, but at 25 minted the center still seemed jiggly. I baked an additional 5 minutes, still seemed soft in the center although the toothpick came out clean, but moist. So I baked an additional 5 minutes. Cooled on a rack the 5 minutes as in the recipe, although even muffins or cupcakes I usually cool ten. When I turned it out into the rack, the center was so gooey It dripped through the rack. The outer edges were cooked fine. It seems this cake needs to be in two pans, rather than one, for the amount of batter it makes. Or maybe the time needs to be increased a lot. I can’t believe no one else has commented about this. I had the frosting made, so I ended up making chocolate cupcakes topped with the peanut butter frosting – and they were great.
Hi Wendy, wow, something obviously went really wrong. This recipe always receives very positive feedback from the many who try it, it’s one of our most popular recipes, so I’m really not sure where in the process it went wrong for you.
Made this cake for a contest and won first place
That’s awesome, Glen!
Hi! I was looking for a peanut butter cake and found this!! and after reading the reviews I decide to give it a try 🙂 One question: what brown sugar do you use: light brown or dark brown sugar? I will keep you posted as soon as I bake this I cannot wait!! thank you so much!
Hi Anne! I’ve used both light and dark and flavor-wise like both, not really sure I have a preference. Happy baking and yes, please let us know what you think!
Could I pipe flowers with this frosting recipe?
Hi Saarah, I haven’t tried that specifically but I don’t see why not.
wow made for a tailgate party on last friday and cake plate was clean and comments after comment the cake was moist and delicious
Why use vanilla flavoring if you want it to taste of peanut butter?
I’m delighted to hear that, Reggie, thanks so much for making it and for your feedback!
Hi Peter, vanilla extract is commonly used in most baking regardless of the flavor profile because without it baked goods tend to taste a little bland. Using vanilla extract in baked goods has been compared to using salt in savory food – they both enhance all the other ingredients in the recipe.