This PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE is to die for! It’s a rich, moist cake topped with creamy peanut butter frosting. Absolutely THE BEST CAKE for peanut butter lovers!
Hello lovelies!!!! You know what time of year it is? It’s Vintage Kitty’s blogiversary! Which means CAKE!!! You know I always reward you with an original cake recipe. Year one was chocolate chip cookie cake, year two was snickerdoodle cupcakes and last year was blueberry lemon cake.
This year… drum roll… it’s PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE!!!!!
It’s time to celebrate all of the triumphs of the last four years…you know… the recipes, the craft projects, the successes and even the failures that helped me learn and grow.
But mostly I’m celebrating the friendships. I’ve had the awesome opportunity to connect with you, the readers and collaborate with some really fun brands and bloggers along the way.
In a time when the internet can be super divisive (and sometimes downright ugly), I feel that Vintage Kitty is a place we can all meet on common ground. We all love homemade food right? I LOVE that we can all sit down at this virtual table together.
We all want our house to be filled with made from scratch, DIY memories. That’s what makes it a home! So, I’m fulfilling my purpose by sharing my love of homemaking and the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years.
I’m kind of an emotional person and I get teary just thinking about how much has been accomplished over these last four years. But there’s still so much more to come! I have an endless list of ideas to make your home life more fun and fulfilling!
As a solopreneur, I’m looking forward to growing the blog so I can outsource some of the technical tasks (Search Engine Optimization I’m looking at you!) allowing me more time to create more great content. As a gift to Vintage Kitty, please share this post. Tell your friends about Vintage Kitty so we can grow together! After all, a rising tide lifts all ships!
Now on to this delicious peanut butter cake recipe! As always, each cake recipe is a labor of love. That’s because creating a cake recipe isn’t an easy task. It takes recipe test after recipe test to create a scratch cake recipe that works.
Change one ingredient or the baking method and the whole recipe might flop. This is definitely true of peanut butter. It’s an ingredient that tastes so good but is also tricky because it’s oily, heavy and each brand varies in it’s sugar to peanut ratio.
But after trial and error, I’m tickled pink with this sheet cake!
HOW TO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BIRTHDAY CAKE
The first thing I’ll say is that I used Jiff Natural Peanut Butter in all but one test. I personally love this peanut butter because it’s super creamy and doesn’t separate as much as other natural peanut butter brands.
During testing I ran out of peanut butter and Kevin bought a conventional, store brand peanut butter. Well, the cake didn’t rise and it browned unevenly. After baking the cake we did a peanut butter taste test. Despite similar calories, sugar and fat content on the labels, the Jiff Natural tasted like peanuts while the store brand was overwhelmingly sweet.
Sugar is a liquid and cakes are a delicate science. Needless to say, I went back to the natural peanut butter I had created the recipe with. If you can find this peanut butter, for consistency, I’d suggest using it. If you can’t, go with a natural peanut butter that is creamy (not granular) and mix it really well before measuring.
The next tip is that temperature matters. I started testing this recipe during the last throws of winter. If you’re a regular reader you know that my fixer-upper house is cold when it’s cold and hot when it’s hot.
I thought I had a perfectly tested recipe! Then when the photoshoot came around it was quite warm. So, you’ll see in these pictures that the cake fell a bit.
I was afraid that I let my butter get too warm and I was right. If the butter gets too warm, there will be less air bubbles which means less rise. It was still delicious and beautiful but I’m a perfectionist. A sunken cake is subpar.
Naturally, I retested the recipe. This time I made sure to not let my butter (or the buttermilk and eggs for that matter) get above room temp (68-72F) and all was well. Perfect rise and results!
Believe it or not, before creating this recipe I didn’t have a proper sheet cake pan, so testing started in a glass lasagna pan. Not a good choice because the outside of the cake got done so much faster than the inside. The result was a dry cake with an over-baked exterior.
So, I did a ton of research and decided to buy this Calphalon 9×13 pan. I liked the square corners and the fact that it came with a lid for travel and storage. It’s a GREAT pan that produces an even bake and I’m so happy I bought it.
PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE BAKING TIPS
- Weigh your ingredients. This is super important for flour and in this case brown sugar. It will achieve more consistent results.
- Measure first, then make your batter.
- Always use fresh eggs, not egg carton eggs!
- Sift, baby sift! This is especially true in humid climates!
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh.
- Don’t over mix! This can be true of fluffing butter and adding in the flour mixture. Less is more!
- NEVER EVER level cake batter by smacking it on the counter. Your cake does not need to be burped! Level thick batters with an offset spatula.
- Bake the cake in the middle of the oven.
- Leave the cake alone until it’s almost done! Opening the door before the cake has risen can make it fall.
To those new or casual bakers out there, YOU CAN DO THIS! I just like to explain the science of baking a cake so you get the best results possible! Even when my own results were not perfect, my taste testers loved the cake.
This cake has a beautiful, moist crumb but is similar in texture to a pound cake. It’s dense and very rich. Which is why I paired it with a peanut butter buttercream that is sweet but not overwhelmingly peanut butter flavored.
The frosting is fluffy and creamy to complement the rich flavor of the cake. And if I do say so myself, the total package is an A+. It’s decadent, not too fussy but has that all-American appeal.
It’s the kind of sheet cake that can feed a crowd. The 9×13 cake pan made 15 generous pieces of cake. Given the richness of the cake, you could cut those piece in half and serve the cake with ice cream for picnics, office birthdays, Labor Day or any occasion where you NEED TO EAT CAKE but must also feed a crowd.
Like blogiversaries! Unfortunately I have to serve each of you a virtual piece of cake but this recipe is my gift to you! From the bottom of my heart I thank you for reading and being a part of this fantastic journey.
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour (13.5 ounces) , sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 12 tablespoons salted butter , room temperature
- 2-1/2 cups light brown sugar (17.5 ounces)
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 1-1/3 cup buttermilk , room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 12 tablespoons salted butter , room temperature
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar , sifted
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
Optional Garnish
- cocktail peanuts
- grated white chocolate
Instructions
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
- Measure out all ingredients and let them come to room temperature before beginning. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in one bowl. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in another.
- Preheat oven to 350F then grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch cake pan.
- Whip butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy then add peanut butter and mix to combine.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, beating each just to combine.
- With mixer running, pour in oil in a slow steady stream.
- Add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk mixture in three intervals, beginning and ending with the flour. With the last addition of flour, be careful to not overmix. A little unmixed flour is okay!
- Spread batter into prepared cake pan and transfer to preheated oven. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cake cool at least 15 minutes before turning out cake (if desired). Let cake cool completely before frosting.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Cream butter with peanut butter then add in vanilla extract.
- Slowly add in sifted powdered sugar, whipping between each addition.
- Add in heavy cream, 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing thouroughly each time.
- Once all the heavy cream has been added, whip buttercream until light and fluffy.
- With an offset spatula, frost cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts and grated white chocolate if desired.
Notes
- I found the Kitchen Aid whisk attachment was preferable to the paddle for this recipe.
- Peanut butter is sticky and heavy. Make sure to scrape the bottom of your bowl with a spatula between additions.
- See more tips in the blog post!
Nutrition
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Rachel says
I love cake and I love peanut butter but I’ve never put them together like this to make a peanut butter cake. So simple yet so unique and incredibly delicious. I’m definitely on #teampeanutbuttercake. Thanks for sharing!!!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Rachel! Im my family, peanut butter is a desset staple…in ice cream, cookies, cake, pie… welcome to the club!
Danielle Wolter says
now THIS is a cake! i am a peanut butter lover hard core. this looks just incredible. I hope you saved some for me LOL!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Danielle! All gone! This is not a cake that lasts!
Stefani says
This sounds like the perfect Easter dessert! Reminds me of the peanut butter eggs that we used to get as kids. Delicious!
Vintage Kitty says
It would be! Peanut butter eggs would be a great way to decorate it ;-)
Holly says
I am guessing this cake disappeared in a hurry! What’s not to like? I will make the cake just as an excuse to eat WAY too much of the icing– it looks heavenly!
Vintage Kitty says
You’re an icing lover too! I never understand when people scrape it off!
Patti says
I had to laugh when you mentioned the sunken cake. Once, I took a perfect looking cake out of the oven, and when I took it out of the oven and set it on the cooling rack, it collapsed. Apparently, it needed to bake a bit longer. Extra frosting hid the defect. I love peanut butter desserts, too. This cake recipe is a definite keeper.
Vintage Kitty says
Yes that can happen too. Cake baking is tricky! But no one notices these things when thy’re eating it!
Dominique says
Oh my gosh! I love sheet cakes and this one looks oh so perfect! The frosting looks so thick and whipped and the cake looks moist. NOMMMMM
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Dominique!
Gloria says
I love peanut butter cake. What a GREAT dish to feed a crowd. Perfect for parties and potlucks. I know this would be a hit for the BBQ parties this summer.
Vintage Kitty says
It will feed a crowd!
Sarah says
Happy blogiverssary! This looks yummy, and I buy Jiff (all natural too!)
Do you have a store-bought egg recommendation if we can’t find fresh eggs?
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Sarah! By fresh eggs I mean a whole egg. I’ve had folks try to make my cakes with carton eggs, you know the kind that are precracked and in a carton? They don’t work for cakes. If I were to choose a brand, I really love Nellie’s but most often I buy organic eggs from Costco because I use so many in recipe testing.
kallee says
Oh my goodness, what deliciousness. I love peanut butter, especially in desserts.
Vintage Kitty says
Then you’ll love this Kallee!
Linda says
Happy blogiversary! I love the texture of peanuts on top of this cake and this looks amazing.
Vintage Kitty says
Yes the peanuts are so simple, but so pretty!
Kelly Anthony says
This sheet cake is quite literally all the things I want right NOW! Ha! Sounds absolutely and completely divine. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Vintage Kitty says
You and me both! I wish there was some leftover!
Jenni LeBaron says
Peanut butter is such a perfect flavor for cake and this one looks absolutely delicious! I really appreciate the notes about peanut butter. I prefer to use a natural peanut butter, so I love that this recipe was make perfectly for that! All I need is a glass of milk and the pan!
Vintage Kitty says
A glass of milk is kinda essential. That or coffee! Cuts the stickiness of the peanut butter for sure!
Leanne says
I am indeed a peanut butter lover, so this cake is perfect for me! Happy blogiversary! Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for this year!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Leanne!
Amy says
I think I might be in love! I’ve been known to eat peanut butter with a spoon — so any recipe with that delicious flavor is totally worth a try in my book! And, anyway — who ever said no to a cake of any kind? ;) This looks super delicious — thanks for sharing!
Vintage Kitty says
Right? Cake is life!
Anne says
Oh my goodness how I’d love to be a taste tester in your house! I’ve never seen a peanut butter cake, but it looks and sounds delicious!
Vintage Kitty says
You’re a peanut butter cake virgin? You’re in for a treat Anne!
Julie Menghini says
My Mother is a peanut butter fanatic so this is going to be her Mother’s Day cake this year and she’s going to LOVE it! I’ve come to the realization that my to-do list will never get done but I’m sure having a great time trying. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Vintage Kitty says
Best Mother’s Day gift ever!
Chef Markus Mueller says
Lol the sunken cake issue is one why I prefer cooking over baking. It’s not as much of a science and you can free hand it a lot more! That said your peanut butter cake looks awesome, and I would eat this up in no time. I’ll have to give it a go my next day off!
Vintage Kitty says
Certainly! With cooking you can fix things after the fact (to a certain extent). With baking you are at the mercy of EVERYTHING! Weather, ingredients, science. But when it works perfectly it’s amazing!
Karyl Henry says
I don’t bake very often, but you are so right…change one or even two things, and that can change (or kill) an entire recipe. And that is so frustrating. So thanks so much for sharing your failures and how you solved them!
Vintage Kitty says
You’re welcome Karyl. I’m far from a perfect baker. But the more you do it the more you realize how to fix or cover up mistakes. I guess there’s a post on that in my future!
GUNJAN C Dudani says
I am a complete peanut butter person. Its my favorite. I love all the ingredients of this sheet cake. I cannot wait to give it a try!
Vintage Kitty says
Peanut butter girls unite! Enjoy!
Dana says
Oh god oh god oh god. Peanut butter has been one of my must-haves throughout my pregnancy. And, lo and behold, I’ve also developed quite a sweet tooth. Which was basically non-existent before. So this recipe comes at a GREAT time! I have no plans for company to come over and no events in the near future. It’s ok if I make this and just eat it myself, right? ;)
Vintage Kitty says
First, congrats! Second, it’s sweet without being too sweet so think you’ll love it during and after the pregnancy. Third, you’re preggo, you can eat whatever you want girl!
Marisa F. Stewart says
Since I’m a peanut butter lover this is my ideal recipe. Looks so good and moist I would love to have a piece right now. That icing on the cake looks to die for — l’m glad you continued with the peanut butter on top.
Vintage Kitty says
I really struggled with the frosting choice. So glad you like the peanut butter on peanut peanut butter vibe!
Debra says
OMG……I wish it was closer to one of the kids birthdays. I may just have to make this “just because” it looks AH-mazing…and all our favorite flavors. Peanut Butter….and cake! In one. Can’t wait to try this.
Vintage Kitty says
Yes! Just because is a perfect reason!
Daniela says
Happy blogiversary! This peanut butter cake is definitely perfect for your celebration or just about any other other special occasion if you ask me. And thanks for recommending the Calphalon pan; I love everything they make, so I’ll definitely check it out.
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Daniela! The pan is so awesome. Cake just slides right out of it!
Amanda says
I love the styling you used in your photos for this post! The soft hues of the plates are so pretty and complement the cake so well. And this cake – sign me up for a slice (or two!). That peanut butter buttercream sounds absolutely divine. Happy Blogoversary, and here’s to many more delicious recipes!
Sean says
Happy Blogiversary! I love that you’re celebrating with such a fun and different cake. I love peanuts and peanut butter but I often find a lot of peanut desserts a little underwhelming. Perhaps that has to do with how specific the recipe needs to be (as you point out). I’m also pleased to see how you tied the peanuts in through the cake, buttercream, and garnish! So glad you included information about the brand and type of peanut butter, as well as the added information related to baking this. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say. Cheers, and thank you for sharing!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Sean! Yes, I think that there’s a HUGE difference between brands of peanut butter. Any peanut butter dessert needs the right balance of sugar and peanuts to be pleasing. Then of course there’s the oil factor!
Tracy says
Happy happy anniversary!! A peanut butter sheet cake, what a way to celebrate! That peanut butter buttercream – can I put that on EVERYTHING please?!?!
Vintage Kitty says
Yes you can Tracy! Chocolate cake, vanilla cake, berry cake… it’s hard to come up with a combo that won’t work with peanut butter buttercream!
Tina says
I love a sheet cake, but have never tried a peanut butter. Baking this up this weekend! I love the fact that you celebrate your blog’s anniversary with a new special recipe. I also like that you pointed out that you don’t have to ‘burp’ your cake batter on the counter, great tip!
Vintage Kitty says
Hope you love it Tina!
Trish Bozeman says
Happy Blogiversary! I agree that the blogging community is (most of the time) such a wonderful community to be a part of. So many talented people supporting each other and lifting each other up in our adventures. I’ll happily share a slice of this magical peanut butter cake to celebrate!
Vintage Kitty says
It is a great community! Bloggers are such nice people. xoxo Trish
Courtney says
Wow, this cake is dynamite! I love how easy it is to decorate. I added some chocolate candy to make it perfect for a birthday party. :)