Weekends in my house are always time for baking and cake. I love to have a good cake in the house at the weekend, and this lush Peanut Butter Sheet Cake is a really lovely one to have in!
The recipe is for a largish, 9 by 13 inch sheet cake, which cuts into 12 squares. Having said that you could cut the cake in half and freeze half for a later date if you don't think you will eat it all in one go.
The frosting is a lovely almost Mousse-like Peanut Butter frosting. The cake itself is vanilla flavored. The peanut butter flavor is all in that frosting! And what a frosting it is!
I adapted the recipe from one I found in a magazine publication by Hoffman Media, called 13 X 9 Cakes. I got my copy at the grocery store. It is filled with 75 recipes for cakes that can be baked in a sheet pan. (A 13 by 9 inch pan.)
If you don't have a 13 by 9-inch baking tin you can also substitute two 9 inch-round pans, or one 9-inch round and one 8-inch round pan, or two 8-inch round tins. Do note that the bake time will vary according to the depth of your batter.
Generally speaking your cake layers are done when you lightly touch them and they spring back and if a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This peanut butter sheet cake recipe was the first one I flagged in the magazine. I love peanut butter cakes, and whilst there is no peanut butter in the actual cake, that frosting sounded to die for! Rich and fluffy! And not too sweet! I often find myself scraping the frosting off of cakes because I find it to be too sweet.
I did add the optional peanut garnish, but only a small amount. I always think for things like this, a little goes a long way.
I hope you will be inspired to bake this cake. I think it is a cake your family will fall in love with. Even if you don't make the peanut butter frosting, you can just make the cake and frost it with something else. Its an excellent vanilla cake!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE
Simple every day ingredients, except for maybe the whipping cream!
For the cake:
- 2/3 cup (151.5 g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large free range eggs (in the U.K. medium)
- 2 1/4 cups (282g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (360g) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- 1 TBS butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- a small quantity of chopped salted peanuts to decorate(optional)
I like to bake with butter. I have stopped using white vegetable shortening altogether, or margarine, unless it is absolutely necessary and integral to a recipe. They just aren't good for you at all, however much cheaper than butter they might be. My health is worth the real thing.
Apparently eggs in the U.K. are larger. I do believe that to be true when I think about it. Our large eggs are the equivalent of a U.K. medium egg.
Eggs in the U.K. are not normally refrigerated. You will see them right out on the counter at the shops. Here in North America our eggs are super washed and this removes the protective coating. In the U.K. eggs still have that protective coating which makes refrigeration unnecessary.
Having said that, I always kept my eggs in the refrigerator when I got them home. Your home is not as chilled as a grocery store and it just makes sense.
The recipe does require the use of full fat or whole milk. The flour is all purpose plain, NOT self raising. I like to use pure vanilla extract.
For the frosting do be sure to use a good supermarket creamy style peanut butter. In Canada I use Kraft. In the U.K. I would use Skippy. It sounds like a lot, 2 cups, but it works just fine.
Do use full fat heavy whipping cream. In for a penny, in for a pound. There is no need to sift the icing sugar, unless it is extremely lumpy.
The peanut topping is optional but does dress it up a bit!
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE
This is really a simple cake to make. You know me, at this stage in life I don't do complicated if I can possibly help it!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking tin and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides occasionally.Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.Sift the flour and baking powder together. Stir in the salt. Add this to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Use a low speed on the mixer to do this. Beat in the vanilla.
Spoon into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top.Bake for 30 minutes or until risen, and the top bounces back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean. (Mine too about 10 minutes longer.)Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before proceeding.
In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the cream, vanilla and salt, and continue to beat until thickened. Use immediately.
This was a really moist and tender cake with a beautiful crumb and lovely flavor. That peanut butter frosting is A-MAZE-ING! You could eat it with a spoon, its so good. Lush and rich with spot on peanut butter flavors!
If you wanted to you could turn this into a layer cake, but cutting the cake in half and sandwiching it together with some of that peanut butter frosting in the center and then spreading the remaining on top. This does need to be refrigerated because of the cream in the frosting. Bring to room temperature before serving.
We love a good cake at the weekend, and especially if we are having company. Here are some other cake recipes which we have baked and enjoyed that you might also enjoy!
SPANISH CAKE - This is my all time, absolute favorite cake. So much so that I also recreated it in asmall batch version. This cake is so good that I once baked it about three times in one week! It has a lovely moist crumb, flavored with cinnamon and that brown sugar penuche frosting is to die for. It is the absolute best!
BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE - This buttermilk chocolate cake is the best of the best! This recipe is four generations old. It is fabulously old fashioned one-bowl chocolate cake, and perfect for family celebrations! Moist and delicious as one would expect with a lush chocolate frosting! This is the best chocolate cake you could ever bake and is perfect for celebrations or just because!
Yield: 12 servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 MinA moist vanilla sheet cake with a lush peanut butter mousse-like topping/frosting. This is quite simply fabulous. A great party cake!Ingredients
For the cake:- 2/3 cup (151.5 g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large free range eggs (in the U.K. medium)
- 2 1/4 cups (282g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (360g) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- 1 TBS butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- a small quantity of chopped salted peanuts to decorate(optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking tin and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides occasionally.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Sift the flour and baking powder together. Stir in the salt. Add this to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Use a low speed on the mixer to do this. Beat in the vanilla.
- Spoon into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until risen, and the top bounces back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean. (Mine too about 10 minutes longer.)
- Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before proceeding.
- In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the cream, vanilla and salt, and continue to beat until thickened. Use immediately.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake. Garnish with chopped peanuts if desired.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
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