Cincy Shopper › Recipe Index › Dessert › Cake

Peanut Butter Cake

By Jen Cincyshopper

on Jan 16, 2019, Updated Nov 01, 2020

133 Comments

My homemade Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting is an old school recipe that will quickly become a family favorite. You will find the moist cake loaded with peanut butter flavor. Then we top it with the best peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Cake

Peanut butter fans are going to go crazy for this Peanut Butter cake. I am a big fan of everything peanut butter. If you follow along on my blog, you probably have already figured that out. I love my 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. My No Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake is an over the top  peanut butter lovers dream. So peanut butter recipes are my most favorite desserts and I share them often.

recipes in your inbox

subscribe for all the latest deliciousness

Email Address

By subscribing, I consent to receiving emails.

Each year for my birthday, my grandmother would make us each a homemade cake to celebrate our day. My grandmother quickly realized that she never really had to ask me which cake was going to be my choice. Every year, I always requested her homemade peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting. It really was her best homemade cake. It is perfect for feeding a crowd. We sometimes cut our cakes into smaller finger sized pieces when we are feeding more than just immediate family. You can easily get quite a few smaller pieces from a traditional sized cake pan. I know some make an old fashioned peanut butter sheet cake when serving a crowd. Sheet pan cakes are great but there is something about a thick moist cake topped with a layer of thicker frosting.

This recipe is an old fashioned cake recipe filled with so much flavor.  She has been making this same recipe for years. I thought the recipe was very tedious so I never tried to make it myself. I can’t believe I have waited this long to make her homemade peanut butter cake. I have now made this recipe a few times and each and every time, my family has gobbled it up. They now have deemed it their favorite cake.It was not difficult to make and took very little time. Sure a peanut butter cake mix would be a blessing for a quick dessert but homemade desserts are always the best. The question always lingers in my mind as to why manufacturers have yet to make a good peanut butter cake mix. Maybe someday they will excite all of us peanut butter fans with such a product.

How do you make Peanut Butter Cake?

All that is needed to make this recipe is some creamy peanut butter and some basic ingredients you most likely have on hand. Grab some of the store brand peanut butter, it will work best. It is always creamy and has the most oil content. So it is perfect for this cake. Peter Pan or Skippy will work fine too.

Ingredients to Make Peanut Butter Cake with Homemade Peanut Butter Frosting

CAKE
2 cup Flour
2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Milk
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
FROSTING
1/2 cup softened Butter
1 cup Peanut Butter
3 tbsp Milk
2 cup Powdered Sugar

How to make Homemade Peanut Butter Cake and Peanut Butter Frosting

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter. Dust with flour to prevent sticking.
Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl.
Add milk, eggs, and vanilla to bowl.
Beat mixture at low speed until blended.
Add water, butter, and peanut butter to a saucepan.
Heat over medium heat stirring frequently until blended (about 5 minutes).
Add peanut butter mixture into flour mixture.
Stir until batter is well mixed and pour into prepared dish.
Bake about 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool.
Cream together the butter and peanut butter.
Slowly add in the sugar, if it gets too thick then add a little milk to thin.
Continue until all of the sugar is in and the frosting is blended to the right consistency.
Spread frosting over cooled cake.

Tips for Making Peanut Cake

I always heavily butter my baking dish. I also add a dusting of flour. This always keeps the cake from sticking.
Bake for long enough for your center to be baked thoroughly. Ovens and baking time can vary from oven to oven. Just use the toothpick trick. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done.
Be sure to use softened butter for your peanut butter frosting. It will blend much better with the peanut butter and make the texture of your frosting creamier. Add a couple more drops of milk if you would like your frosting thinner.
Toss your cake in the refrigerator, it tastes amazing chilled too.
If storing your cake at room temperature, cover it to keep fresh.
Enjoy with a large glass of milk. Milk with this cake is amazing.

4.91 from 71 votes

Peanut Butter Cake

By: Jen CIncyshopper

My homemade Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting is an old school recipe that will quickly become a family favorite. You will find the moist cake loaded with peanut butter flavor. Then we top it with the best peanut butter frosting.

Prep: 45 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12 pieces

SaveSaved Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

CAKE

• ▢ 2 cup Flour
• ▢ 2 cup Sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp Baking Soda
• ▢ 1/2 cup Milk
• ▢ 2 Eggs
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla
• ▢ 1 cup Water
• ▢ 1/2 cup Butter
• ▢ 3/4 cup Peanut Butter

FROSTING

• ▢ 1/2 cup softened Butter
• ▢ 1 cup Peanut Butter
• ▢ 3 tbsp Milk
• ▢ 2 cup Powdered Sugar

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter. Dust with flour to prevent sticking.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl.
• Add milk, eggs, and vanilla to bowl.
• Beat mixture at low speed until blended.
• Add water butter and peanut butter to a saucepan.
• Heat over medium heat stirring frequently until blended (about 5 minutes).
• Add peanut butter mixture into flour mixture.
• Stir until batter is well mixed and pour into prepared dish.
• Bake about 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Allow to cool.
• Cream together the butter and peanut butter.
• Slowly add in the sugar, if it gets too thick then add a little milk to thin.
• Continue until all of the sugar is in and the frosting is blended to the right consistency.
• Spread frosting over cooled cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 659kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 431mg, Potassium: 295mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 57g, Vitamin A: 535IU, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 2mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!