Peanut Butter Cake
Peanut butter lovers, this cake is for you! Peanut butter cake layers studded with peanut butter chips covered in a peanut butter Swiss meringue buttercream.
- Prep time
- 2 hr
- Cook time
- 45 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 2+1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2+1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1+1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered peanut butter
- 1 cup milk (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup mini peanut butter chips (tossed in 1 Tbsp flour)
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cup dark brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 2 cup unsalted butter (softened but still cold, cubed)
- 1/2 cup powdered peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts (salted or unsalted) (plus more for top)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- 2
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside. In a measuring cup, whisk milk and powdered peanut butter, set aside.
- 3
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, oil, and peanut butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (3mins).
- 4
Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- 5
Alternate adding flour mixture and peanut butter milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- 6
Fold in peanut butter chips (that have been tossed in 1 Tbsp flour) and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- 7
Bake for 40-45 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- 8
Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack. Allow cakes to cool completely.
- 9
Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- 10
Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (3mins)
- 11
Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- 12
Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- 13
Add powdered peanut butter 1 Tbsp at a time & vanilla. Whip until smooth.**
- 14
Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 3/4 cup of buttercream, sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped peanuts. Repeat with remaining layers and crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- 15
Frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining buttercream. I started by spreading a generous amount of buttercream on the top and letting it overhang on the sides. Then I used a flat spatula to add buttercream to the sides of the cake and to smooth the which created a top lip with the overlapping buttercream.
- 16
Add a small dollop of buttercream into the top center and spread roughly. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on the top and along the bottom if desired.