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!
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! :)
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!
Thanks for sharing the recipe, it looks moist and delicious!
Thanks, chhiwat, happy baking!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!