Perfect for parties, pot lucks, and other gatherings, this peanut butter cake is a crowd-pleaser! Easy to make and even easier to serve, you can make this cake ahead of time without breaking a sweat. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and nutty without being overwhelming that everyone will reach for more.
Once you take your first bite of this cake, you’ll see why this melt-in-your-mouth sheet pan is a household favorite. The crumb is not only extremely moist but tender. It’s also slightly dense without being overly heavy. It’s such a simple but delicious recipe! For another peanut butter dessert recipe everyone will love, try my easy peanut butter cookie recipe, peanut butter bars recipe, or my peanut butter brownies recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Butter — use unsalted butter to avoid the cake becoming too salty as the recipe has salt added. While the portion of the butter you melt for the batter can be straight from the fridge, the butter for the frosting will need to be at room temperature so it creams smoothly.
Flour — for the best results, use all-purpose flour. The peanut butter is heavy, so a lighter flour such as cake flour will be too heavy, and bread flour will lead the cake to be too chewy.
Peanut butter — you need to use smooth peanut butter for the cake for a smooth batter and frosting. I don’t recommend using all-natural peanut butter as it can be runny and oily, changing the texture of the batter and frosting. Use a shelf-stable peanut butter like Jif or Skippy instead.
Milk — I recommend using full-fat milk for the best flavor. Milk also added moisture and sweetness to the batter.
Powdered sugar — you need powdered sugar to make the frosting, another sugar will not yield a smooth, non-gritty frosting. If you cannot find powdered sugar, here’s my guide on how to make powdered sugar.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cake
1. In a small saucepan, bring water, butter, and peanut butter to a simmer over medium heat, constantly whisking, until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
4. Beat in the peanut butter mixture until smooth.
5. Pour the peanut butter cake batter into a prepared 9×13-inch cake pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
6. In a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla until just combined.
7. Gradually add the sugar while beating until smooth. Once incorporated, increase the speed to high, and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
8. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to a heavy peanut butter flavored cake.
- Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and level out the batter in the pan for an even bake.
- Careful not to overmix the batter, or you’ll overdevelop the gluten, and you’ll end up with a tough cake.
- For a fun topping idea, try garnishing with some chopped roasted peanuts, Reese’s chocolate, or a chocolate ganache.
- For the eggs to easily incorporate evenly into your batter without overmixing, bring them to room temperature beforehand. If you forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you could quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- An offset spatula is perfect for frosting the cake.
- I like using real vanilla extract over artificial extract for the best flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store this sheet cake?
The cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. This peanut butter cake also tastes delicious when chilled, so you can also keep the cake in the fridge.
Can I freeze this cake?
You can! To freeze, allow the cake to cool to room temperature, then flash freeze the cake until frozen before wrapping it. Doing so will help keep the frosting from being squished into the plastic wrap.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Peanut Butter Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Equipment
- 9x13" cake pan
- Electric mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup water (240 mL)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (198g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk (120mL)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (264g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (240g)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch cake pan with baking spray.
- In a small saucepan, bring water, butter, and peanut butter to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the peanut butter mixture until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Peanut Butter Frosting:
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla until just combined.
- Gradually add the sugar while beating until smooth. Once incorporated, increase the speed to high, and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. The cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to a heavy peanut butter flavored cake.
- Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and level out the batter in the pan for an even bake.
- Careful not to overmix the batter, or you’ll overdevelop the gluten, and you’ll end up with a tough cake.
- For a fun topping idea, try garnishing with some chopped roasted peanuts, Reese’s chocolate, or a chocolate ganache.
- For the eggs to easily incorporate evenly into your batter without overmixing, bring them to room temperature beforehand. If you forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you could quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- An offset spatula is perfect for frosting the cake.
- I like using real vanilla extract over artificial extract for the best flavor.
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