Peanut Butter Cake

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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 on spatula

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.

Uncut peanut butter cake

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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.

Peanut butter cake with fork

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.

Piece of peanut butter cake

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.

Peanut butter cake ingredients

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

Buttering pan for peanut butter cake

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.

Whisking peanut butter cake ingredients

Mixing peanut butter cake ingredients

Heating peanut butter cake ingredients

Blending peanut butter cake ingredients

Mixed peanut butter cake ingredients

Making peanut butter frosting

Mixing peanut butter frosting

Peanut butter cake cooling

Homemade peanut butter cake on a plate

Peanut butter cake with fork on a plate

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.

Long image of peanut butter cake

Peanut butter cake collage.

4.90 from 67 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
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 pieces

Ingredients 

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!

About Jen Cincyshopper

A lover of food and frugal living. A wife to a wonderful hubby, momma to 5 fun kiddos. Welcome to my blog. You will find REAL TASTY RECIPES. Be sure to subscribe to my email list and follow me on social media, to never miss a recipe.

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132 Comments

  1. Sounds delicious, cannot wait to make. Several people have asked, but I do not see a response. Salted or unsalted butter in the cake and the frosting?

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe is amazing!!! The cake itself is so full of flavor and not dry at all! No need for frosting. I made 24 cupcakes, 2/3 cup full and baked at 350 for 16 minutes. Thank you!!

    1. Hi Cat! So happy you enjoyed the Peanut Butter Cake recipe. I think I am going to make some cupcakes to have for tomorrow night:) My family LOVES this cake so, I am sure they will love them as cupcakes too!

  3. 5 stars
    If someone had showed me all these posts yesterday, I would have accused Jen of writing them herself or paying someone to do so. Way over-the-top praise for a simple cake recipe and not a cure for cancer. Some people, Huh? Well, count me as one of those people that now consider Jen as a personal best friend of mine whom I trust with my life and will never question or doubt a single word that comes from her mouth even though we’ve never met or have spoken to each other. What’s more shocking about how deliciously moist and incredibly tasting this cake is, is that I’ve been a sorta decent cook in mostly nursing homes for over 25 years now and until 2 hours ago, I’ve never heard of a PB cake. EVER!! THANKS JEN! Now try your hand at a cure for cancer, you know I believe you could do it Bestie.

  4. Hi can you explain what type of flour are you using.Is it plain or self raising flour?

    I’m from the uk so it is a bit different.

  5. I made this cake yesterday and it was great. Very flavorful and really moist. However I did make some changes. I added a tsp of baking powder used salted butter in the cake and used unsalted In the frosting. I also cut back on the powdered sugar and added a bit more milk. Still ample amounts of frosting.

  6. Hello Jen! Thank you for this recipe. I’m very excited to try this cake on Sunday my only doubt is if I should use salted or unsalted butter for the cake as well as the frosting.. please let me know . Thank you cheers!!!

  7. 5 stars
    Best cake ever!! My go to cake now. Be sure to refrigerate so you get an amazing peanut fudge frosting! Tastes exactly like fudge! Can’t say enough awesome things about this!!!!