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
This is the second best cake that I have ever eaten. The best is a 5 ingredient chocolate flourless cake. I left off the peanuts but thought that peanuts would be good in the frosting. I was thinking that adding chopped peanuts in the frosting would be good, but then ,I thought that the saltiness of the peanuts on the top when sprinkled on top would be a great surprise for the palate. This cake recipe is definately a keeper.
Thanks so much for coming back to let us know Joyce! Now I need that flourless cake recipe!!
I made this cake on Christmas Day, 2 days ago, and it is still as moist & delicious as it was the 1st day! My kids and I are so in love with it. I’m going to make it for my crush at work. Cast the love spell lol
Good luck <3
After the cake is done, if I don’t plan on serving for a few hours… Should I refrigerate or just keep out at room temperature?
I’d leave it out Nikki.
Do you have to sift the powdered sugar?
I like to sift it because I don’t want little lumps in the frosting, but it’s not absolutely required.
Can I use home made peanuts butter ?
Yes, that would be delicious.
Sue, this looks delicious and I think it would be devoured by my peanut butter-loving family. The recipe calls for roasted peanuts for garnish over the frosting. Can you tell me exactly what I’m looking for? Are they canned? Cocktail peanuts? Spanish peanuts? What do you recommend? Thanks for the recipe and thanks for your recommendation.
I used the canned type, because I like the little bit of salt. Cocktail or Spanish would work.
I found your recipe today while looking for a cake recipe for my peanut butter lovin’ husband, and he loved it! Your recipe will definitely be a keeper for us. I did take a cue from others who suggested cutting back on the sugar. I used 1 and 1/2 cups and it is still very sweet. I also used crunchy peanut butter I had on hand for the batter and frosting and left off the peanuts. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Thanks for the feedback Lyn, I guess I should try it with less sugar next time. The crunchy peanut butter sounds good too!
Really stoked about this! My girlfriend loves PB cake and so for her birthday I layered this on top of a whole pan of dark chocolate brownies, doubled the icing and used half for filling after mixing in some PB and chocolate chips. Awesome recipe!
Whaaaat? Did you save me a piece??
This has become our new family favorite. Peanut Butter Cake (stacked and only peanut butter frosting) was always a staple for birthdays and get togethers…loved by some but not all….this recipe has changed the mind of everyone about peanut butter cake….goes quick, you better get a piece NOW,
I love that this cake has become a tradition in so many readers’ lives!
I never bake but I made this for my sons birthday and my whole family thinks it may be the best cake they ever ate We are die-hard peanut butter fans so perhaps we are biased-but regardless the cake was divine! The frosting is so good-like a peanut butter caramel.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m thrilled that this cake got you baking Gerry! And I love your description of that frosting, makes me want to make this cake right now 🙂