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
it is really good
Outstanding recipe. Made it exactly as written, except instead of peanuts on top, I sprinkled a little bit of Maldon salt over the cake. My husband raved. Will be making this again and again. Thank you!
The cake is delicious have made it twice with 1/3 of the sugar and rite now i have the same cake ahalf size with whole meal flour.
Nice variations, thanks!
Can you use a bundt pan? What temperature and baking time would you suggest?
This cake is much too moist for a bundt pan I’m afraid. It would just get stuck!
This cake is delicious, and easy. I will certainly be making it again; probably as soon as it’s gone. 😉
Guys i used Banking powder instead of soda ?? will comment later cake in the making lol
first omit the water double the peanut butter
eggs are a binder can’t do without or add 3.5 oz. butter, butter is also a binder
butter milk is an acid its used to aid the baking soda and power to create bubbles also change the baking soda to 1/2 tsp and add 2 tsp baking powder
no butter milk, add 1/2 tsp lemon or vinegar to milk
Londoner here, keen to try your cake! I’ve succeeded in working out the corresponding Euro weights and measures but what is ‘peanut butter, not natural’ please?
I mean regular peanut butter that does not separate in the jar, with a layer of oil on top. Here in the States we have both kinds.
This cake looked so good, I made it this morning, just after work, I had all ingredients sitting out (except for milk ? and eggs?) and I still forgot the oil, said that to say, it is still surprisingly moist, for those that my want to skip the extra fat. My one tweak is the amount of sugar, I will never use that much sugar again in 1 cake. Other than that it’s very good if you are a PB-OHOLIC like me. ??
What a yummy cake! Wanted to share a tip for those who have a kitchen scale and hate cleaning peanut butter out of measuring cups. A half cup of peanut butter is 125 grams. I put the empty butter wrapper on top of the scale and plopped the peanut butter right on top of that to weigh, then just tossed the messy wrapper. For this recipe, both the cake and the frosting have a stick of butter and a half cup of peanut butter (how lucky is that?). Makes this dangerously easy recipe even easier!
I used your tip for the icing! It works wonders! Todah Miriam!
Thank you!