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5 from 11 votes

Peanut Butter Cake

Easy to make peanut butter cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 637kcal
Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (394 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup (120 mL) buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240 mL) water
  • ½ cup (113 g, 1 stick) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (120 mL) vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup (203 g) smooth peanut butter (not natural)

For the frosting:

  • 8 oz. (227 grams) cream cheese
  • 8 tbsp. (113 grams, 1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 cups (340 grams) confectioners’ (powdered, icing) sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (270 g) smooth peanut butter

Instructions

To make the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
  • Whisk flour, white sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
  • In a second bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until smooth.
  • Stir together water, butter, vegetable oil, and peanut butter together in a saucepan over medium heat until smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir peanut butter mixture into flour mixture until batter is just combined. Do not overmix. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.

To make the frosting:

  • Cream the butter until smooth. Add in the cream cheese.
  • Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.
  • Mix in the vanilla extract. Add in a pinch of salt.
  • Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.
  • Frost the cake with an offset spatula when it’s cooled.

Notes

  • Tools: 9x13 baking pan | Saucepan | Whisk | Stand mixer
  • Storage/Make Ahead:  You can make this cake 2 days ahead of time and store at room temperature. Just make sure to keep it covered. If it's frosted I would store it in the fridge, covered for up to 3 days. You can also freeze individual portions as well up to 2 months.
  • Metal vs. Glass: If you're baking this in a glass pan, you may need to add an additional 5 minutes of bake time.
  • Peanut butter: I used regular smooth peanut butter. I haven't tried it with chunky peanut butter but I think in the cake it would work fine. I would be careful using a natural peanut butter that you need to stir the oil in, it might not work (but I haven't tested it with it).
  • Frosting: You might also like this cake with my regular peanut butter frosting or chocolate buttercream.  And if you don't want to use it all to frost your cake with you can always store your buttercream (but I like a thick layer!)
  • Adapted from Allrecipes

Nutrition

Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 598IU | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg