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Peanut Butter Cake

This simple sheet cake is packed with peanut butter flavor and topped with a silky peanut butter and chocolate frosting or your favorite frosting recipe.

  • Prep15 min
  • Cook30 min
  • Total1 hr 45 min
  • Yield20 people
  • Calories504

Ingredients Steps Notes

This Peanut Butter Sheet Cake is covered in a sweet peanut butter chocolate frosting then topped with chopped nuts and peanut butter candy! Pull this dense yet tender cake out of the oven after only 30 minutes of baking!

Slice into this Peanut Butter Sheet Cake and admire the dense, golden peanut butter cake that’s covered in a thick layer of fluffy chocolate peanut butter frosting! But don’t stop there! Take that first bite and be amazed at how the cake is filled with cozy peanut butter flavoring yet isn’t overly sweet, but instead is just the right balance!

You can really customize this dessert to your taste buds by swapping out the chocolate peanut butter frosting and instead choosing either this Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or Peanut Butter Frosting! No pressure when choosing though because regardless of which frosting you decide to go with the cake will still turn out incredibly delicious!

I’m sure most people have tried a slice of (or at least heard about) chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. But I’ve been thinking, why not peanut butter CAKE?! And now we can all be glad that question got answered with this Easy Peanut Butter Cake!

It’s perfectly tender, is the best balance of sweet and salty, and can come loaded with fun peanut butter candy on top! Grab those easy baking ingredients off the recipe list to get this cake prepped for the oven in just 15 minutes and you’ll be well on your way to enjoying your first slice!

Ingredients For Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Whip up this Peanut Butter Cake recipe by gathering up cake flour, light brown sugar, whole milk, creamy peanut butter, vegetable oil, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Using cake flour instead of the common baking ingredient all-purpose flour gives this peanut butter dessert its deliciously tender crumb!

After the cake has baked and cooled it gets frosted with a homemade chocolate peanut butter frosting. To make this you’ll need unsalted butter, creamy peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and heavy cream.

Once the cake is frosted, you can sprinkle on some fun toppings! I like to use chopped nuts, mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, or any crushed peanut butter candy that you may enjoy!

How To Make Peanut Butter Cake

  1. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  2. Combine the brown sugar and butter together in a stand mixer until it becomes light and fluffy. Then add in the vanilla and oil, continuing to mix again until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the peanut butter to the brown sugar mixture and mix until combined. Next, add the eggs in one at a time.
  4. Add in the flour in multiple additons, alternating with milk but starting and finishing with flour. After you add the last part of flour, stir it together by hand so that the batter doesn’t get over mixed.
  5. Pour the peanut butter cake batter into the greased baking pan.
  6. Bake the cake in a preheated oven until a cake tester comes out clean. Then remove from the oven and allow it to completely cool before frosting it.
  7. Cream the butter and peanut butter together in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment to begin preparing the frosting. Afterward, add in the cocoa powder and mix again but just until combined.
  8. Add the powdered sugar in one cup at a time, slowly mixing after each addition.
  9. Pour in the heavy cream slowly while the mixer mixes on low speed until it’s fully incorported. Then increase the speed and whip until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
  10. Frost the cake and top with nuts or candy if desired. Enjoy!

Can I Make This Cake In Round Cake Pans Instead?

Absolutely, you’ll just need to adjust the baking time accordingly.

How To Store Peanut Butter Cake

If the cake is still in the cake pan you can just cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Or you can store it in slices in an airtight container. Enjoy the Peanut Butter Cake within 3 to 4 days!

Try Another Yummy Peanut Butter Dessert Recipe:

Steps

Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

  2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

  3. Using a stand mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.

  4. Add the vanilla and oil to the mixing bowl and mix until combined.

  5. Once combined, increase the speed to medium-high until the batter is once again light and fluffy.

  6. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

  7. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition just until combined.

  8. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix in the last part of flour by hand to prevent over mixing the batter.

  9. Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet.

  10. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

  11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour.

Frosting

  1. Prepare the frosting by creaming together the butter and peanut butter with a paddle attachment.

  2. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the cocoa powder and mix until fully combined.

  3. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing slowly between each addition until incorporated.

  4. Slowly add in the heavy cream with the mixer running on low speed until incorporated then increase speed to medium-high and whip for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

  5. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and top with chopped peanuts and/or candy or leave plain.

Notes

  • This cake has a deep and cozy peanut butter flavor but is not overly sweet on its own, most of the sweetness will come from the frosting.
  • The cake is dense but tender.
  • Granulated sugar can be used instead of light brown sugar in a pinch but the flavor will change slightly.

Nutrition

  • Calories504
  • Carbs57g
  • Protein9g
  • Fat28g
  • Saturated fat13g
  • Fiber2g
  • Sugar40g
  • Sodium241mg

Estimates per serving, when a serving size is listed.

Dessert Cake

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