BEST Peanut Butter Cake
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This Peanut Butter Cake recipe is simply THE BEST EVER! But don’t take my word for it, check out all the rave reviews and then experience this cake for yourself! The ultimate cake for peanut butter lovers, both the cake and the frosting are positively LOADED with peanut butter flavor!
Before we get to the peanut butter cake recipe, 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.” It’s sadly true. But it doesn’t change the fact that the cake is downright amazing.
Combine points one and two: No more 70’s food pics. Need. More. Food. Props.
But on to the subject of this recipe post: Peanut butter lovers – this is definitely THE cake for you! Is it good? Oh, it’s good alright. So good that it comes with a warning label: This peanut butter cake is extremely rich. Like if you eat the whole thing in one sitting you may experience cardiac arrest. And we really don’t want that to happen. So eat in moderation only.
I created this cake in 2013 by way of request from one of my readers, Elizabeth. 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!
How Do I Make A Peanut Butter Sheet Cake?
If you want to cut back on calories (and save yourself some work), you can bake the cake in a 9X13 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 an even more moist, “goopier” version, see notes in recipe box. I haven’t actually tried this, merely conceptualized it in my mind, but I think it will work wonderfully :)
Peanut Butter Cake Recipe
Let’s get started!
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).
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. Be careful not to over-bake or 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.
Then cut the cake in half.
Now let’s 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.
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.) 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. At the time 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!
Oh, I forgot to mention. I faced a serious challenge here. You may have seen my Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies and know 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. But I mention this because you may decide to add some Nutella – it’s a delicious option.
This is simply the best peanut butter cake ever! Check out all the rave reviews in the comments below and then give it a try to experience it for yourself!
And for all of you peanut fans out there, you absolutely MUST try these Boiled Peanuts, a Southern classic!
Enjoy!
For more delicious cake recipes be sure to try my:
- Caramel Pear Walnut Cake
- Old Fashioned Carrot Cake
- French Almond Plum Cake
- German Cheesecake
- Dundee Cake
- Limoncello Cake
- Rhubarb Streusel Cake
- German Apple Cake
- Orange Buttermilk Cake
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- German Plum Cake
- Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake
- Chocolate Almond Quinoa Cake
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BEST Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil , at room temperature or oil of choice (I use coconut oil). Note: Oil yields a moister cake than butter
- 1/3 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (can substitute 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice stirred into it. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes then use as recipe directs)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Frosting:
- 1 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter (if using regular peanut butter which has lots of sugar in it, cut back a little on the brown sugar)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 3 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar (can use less if preferred)
- up to 1/2 cup heavy cream , at room temperature
Instructions
- 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.
- To Make the Frosting: In the meantime 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.
Notes
*Variation: Add Nutella to the frosting
*Another variation: Pour some chocolate ganache over it for ultra decadence!
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet April 19, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
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!
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’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!
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!
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.
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!)
Why use vanilla flavoring if you want it to taste of peanut butter?
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.
call me crazy, but I think when I’m going to make this, I’ll add a little salt to the frosting.
really excited about this recipe by the way ^.^
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!