This is the perfect peanut butter cake recipe. It has the great taste of peanut butter without being overwhelming. I can’t wait to make it again and share it with friends! ~Marci
This old fashioned peanut butter cake is a winner!
Peanut butter cake is a good old Southern potluck staple. It starts with a base of moist peanut butter sheet cake. Then hot peanutty frosting gets poured right over the warm cake, and the whole thing gets showered with roasted peanuts. Just. Divine.
I can’t imagine there are too many of you out there who wouldn’t enjoy this old fashioned sheet cake. I loved everything about it. Starting with the cake itself; peanut butter does something wonderful to the texture. It’s not too sweet, just the way I like it, and very pillowy and moist. And I can’t even with that frosting.
gather your ingredients
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- peanut butter
- I love Jiff for its flavor and texture. Regular creamy pb works best. Natural peanut butter, the kind that separates with an oily layer at the top, doesn’t work as well for baking.
- butter
- eggs
- vegetable oil
- buttermilk
- the buttermilk in the cake and in the frosting gives this cake its Southern charm.
- confectioner’s sugar
- baking soda, salt
- vanilla extract
- crushed peanuts
The hot peanut butter frosting is like peanutty caramel, so good
If you’ve tried my Brown Sugar Peach Cake or my Pumpkin Praline Cake, you might have an inkling about this one. The frosting is cooked in a saucepan, and then literally poured right over the cake. It sets up immediately, almost like fudge or caramel. You have to work quickly, but your reward is that saucepan with a thin layer of peanut frosting clinging to the sides…Let’s just say I stood there scraping it with a spoon for an embarrassingly looooong time.
we love caramel
- Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel Frosting
- Caramel Frosted Zucchini Pecan Bars
- Salted Caramel Pot de Crème
- Caramel Apple Sheet Cake
- Caramel Apple Bundt Cake
whisk up peanut cake batter right in a saucepan!
The batter is thin enough that you can whisk it up in a saucepan, no mixer or extra bowl needed. That makes this amazing cake dangerously easy to throw together (it could get habit forming.)
the bottom line
The older this site gets, the longer my favorites list gets, but I’m looking you straight in the eye when I say this peanut butter cake is a goodie. You’ll love it, and it will serve you well if you need an easy dessert to bring anywhere this season. The 9×13 cake can serve up to 24 people, right out of the pan. Try it.
“I never bake but I made this for my son’s birthday and my whole family thinks it may be the best cake they ever ate. The frosting is so good, like a peanut butter caramel.
Thanks for a great recipe!!” ~Gerry
Peanut Butter Cake
Video
Equipment
- standard 9×13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter Note: I used regular peanut butter for this recipe, 'natural'peanut butter does not work as well.
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 Tbsp buttermilk, you might need a touch more if your frosting is too stiff
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
garnish
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Heat the butter and water in a medium/large saucepan until it comes to a boil. Take off the heat and whisk in the peanut butter and oil until smooth. Let cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until well blended.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a cooling rack while you make the frosting.
- To make the frosting, put the butter, peanut butter, and buttermilk in a saucepan and bring to a full boil. Take off the heat and beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar, adding a cup at a time, until the frosting is smooth. I like to put it back on a gentle heat just to rewarm it, stirring constantly, before pouring over the cake. Note: if your frosting is very stiff and not pourable, add a little bit more buttermilk to thin it out.
- Pour the hot frosting over the warm cake, working quickly because the frosting sets up immediately. Spread evenly over cake.
- Garnish with peanuts.
Notes
- Make it chunky! Yes, of course, go ahead and use chunky PB for this cake. I would still use smooth for the frosting, but that’s your call.
Nutrition
I did not see nutrition information? I ask because I am trying to stay under a certain amount of calories every day. (Not fun!) I assume there are no calories? Right? (Wouldn’t that be wonderful?)
Hi. I’m going to make this cake this week. Should I buy buttermilk or make it (milk & vinegar I think is the substitute recipe)? I’m going to the grocery either way but didn’t know if a substitute would ruin it. Thank you!
I would get the real deal cultured buttermilk for this cake Karen.
Why doesn’t natural peanut butter work for this recipe? It sounds amazing and I love peanut butter but I’d rather use natural as that is my preferred type!
You can use it if you like Wendy, but the oily nature of natural peanut butter isn’t my top choice for baking.
So good and easy, added coarsely chopped peanuts into the frosting. Excellent.
Family favorite. My new daughter in law to be loves it so much she wants me to make it for her wedding. IDK…maybe shower or groom’s cake…lol. How can I adapt this to cupcakes maybe?
I haven’t tried this cake in cupcake form, it’s pretty moist, so not sure how it would work. It would be worth a test since it’s such an important occasion.
Maybe you could do the mini cupcakes! Better chance of cooking all the way through and easier to feed a crowd.
This recipe looks delicious, can’t wait to try!
I love this recipe. I had never tried peanut butter cake but my husband has talked about it for years. He could never find one that seemed like the one his late mother use to make. I seen this one and made it and have made it a lot since then. He says it reminds him of the one his mother made and for someone that never had one oh my gosh I’m 45 and where has this been all my life YUMMY and so easy to make. Thanks for the memories for my husband and a new treat for me!!!
I love this comment Yvonne, thanks 🙂 I love sharing old time type recipes that need to be revived.
I made this yesterday looking for a change from peanut butter cookies. It was so good we ate almost half… BEFORE dinner!! Love this idea for frosting. The entire recipe is easy, quick and not stressful at all! I’d say anyone should try it!! Thank you and keep it up! Your hard work is appreciated.
Thank you!
Shannon.
Thanks Shannon!
Fantastic!!! Can not thank you enough for this great recipe.
Ohhh man this was a good cake!! I say WAS cuz its almost gone!! Easy and different. If you like peanut butter this is touchdown! I halved the recipe and used a 8×8 pan..still perfect if you have a small crowd!
This cake is down right DELICIOUS! I had everything in my pantry to make this today, so no special trips to the grocery store. It was so simple to make… creaming butter and sugar for scratch made cakes can be the pits at times, I was so happy for a change. This reminds me of the peanut butter cake that was served at my childhood school, but this one is so much better. If anyone reading reviews is on the fence about making this cake… Get in the kitchen now and make this cake. You will not be disappointed!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is for sure a keeper in my rotation.
Wow Cathy, thanks for the great feedback!