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This moist peanut butter cake is exploding with peanut butter flavor! It’s a soft peanut butter sheet cake frosted with the dreamiest peanut butter frosting, finished with a sprinkle of chocolate peanut butter candy. Perfect for birthdays and sharing!
If you love the flavors in this easy peanut butter cake, be sure to try these incredible peanut butter cheesecake brownies and this no-bake peanut butter cream pie, too!
Table of Contents
This peanut butter cake is one for the books! It’s a moist peanut butter-infused cake finished with a thick layer of the creamiest peanut butter frosting. It’s the ultimate dessert, especially if you add Reese’s candies and chopped peanut butter cups like I did. I can’t get enough of how melt-in-your-mouth this cake turned out. I’ll definitely be making it again ASAP!
Why I Love This Peanut Butter Cake Recipe
- Packed with flavor. There’s peanut butter in every bite of this cake, from the super-soft crumb to the rich and creamy peanut butter frosting. If you’re a peanut butter lover like I am, prepare to be obsessed with this dessert!
- So easy. The ingredients are super simple and the cake batter comes together in minutes. I bake this cake in a 9×13” pan, which keeps things easy since there’s no stacking or layering.
- Great for sharing. This peanut butter sheet cake is the perfect dessert for a crowd. I love that it’s easy to make and decorate, and yields plenty of slices– enough to feed a whole party (or to have lots of leftovers!).
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are some notes on the easy ingredients you’ll need to make this peanut butter cake from scratch. Scroll to the printable recipe card for a complete list with amounts.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter, but salted works, too.
- Peanut Butter – I recommend using creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter tends to have a lot of excess oil that can separate. See below.
- Flour
- Sugar – I use both granulated sugar and brown sugar in this cake.
- Baking Soda – Not to be confused with baking powder, which isn’t the same thing.
- Milk – This can be whole milk, 2% milk, or any dairy or non-dairy milk you’d like.
- Eggs
- Vanilla – For the best flavor, use real vanilla extract.
- Frosting – I include the recipe for my favorite homemade peanut butter frosting. You can decorate your peanut butter cake with any frosting you’d like (see below for more ideas).
- Toppings – Reese’s pieces or chopped peanut butter cups are optional garnishes, but recommended! I’ll chop up homemade peanut butter cups when I have some on hand.
Use the Right Peanut Butter
For the best peanut butter cake, I recommend using shelf-stable, creamy peanut butter, like the kind from Jif or Skippy. It can be sweetened or unsweetened (just note that sweetened peanut butter will give you a sweeter cake). I don’t recommend natural peanut butter or the kind that needs mixing. The oils may separate even after they’re thoroughly mixed, which will impact the cake’s texture.
How to Make a Peanut Butter Cake
This is one of the easiest cake recipes you’ll ever make, and it’s ready to bake in 10 minutes. Follow the steps below, and scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Melt the peanut butter. You’ll start by heating butter and peanut butter with a little water in a saucepan, whisking until it’s melted and smooth. Be careful not to let it come to a boil.
- Make the cake batter. Next, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, followed by the wet ingredients. Mix in the melted peanut butter. Finally, pour the batter into a 9×13” baking pan.
- Bake. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden and the center is baked through. Let the cake cool before you frost it.
- Decorate. Whip up a quick batch of frosting (see below) and once the cake is cool, spread the frosting generously over the cake. Garnish with Reese’s candies, and dig in!
Peanut Butter Frosting
We’re a little peanut butter obsessed in my house, so peanut butter frosting was the obvious choice for decorating this peanut butter cake! I love this easy frosting recipe and use it on everything from cakes to chocolate cupcakes. To make the peanut butter frosting:
- Cream butter and peanut butter together, then add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
- Beat until that’s well combined and fluffy.
For a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar, and to thin out frosting that’s too thick, add more milk. You can also refer to the printable recipe card for details.
Recipe Tips
- For easy clean-up, line the pan with parchment paper. At the very least, give it a good greasing so that the cake doesn’t stick.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Too much mixing after adding the dry ingredients prevents the cake from rising properly, leading to a dense, tough cake. Be careful to mix only until the batter is combined.
- Test the cake for doneness. Stick a toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, your cake is done. You can also gently press the top of the cake with your finger. It should spring back, indicating that the cake is ready.
- Cool the cake completely. Make sure that you budget enough time for the peanut butter cake to cool completely to room temperature before you frost it. Otherwise, the frosting will slide right off the warm cake!
Easy Variations
- Chocolate and peanut butter cake. Garnish this cake with peanut butter cups, and chopped chocolate, or drizzle the top with chocolate sauce. You can also stir ½-1 cup of chocolate chips right into the cake batter.
- Different frosting. This cake also tastes delicious frosted with homemade vanilla frosting, or you can make a peanut butter cake with chocolate frosting.
- Add-ins. Add mini chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or white chocolate chips to the cake batter, or sprinkle them over the finished cake.
Serving Suggestions
A slice of soft peanut butter cake goes great with a scoop of chocolate ice cream or Nutella ice cream. It’s delicious as an after-dinner treat with coffee or hot chocolate (or cozy, spiced hot buttered rum) and it makes an easy birthday cake or dessert for a special occasion. Just add sprinkles! Serve it with more party foods like crescent roll pizza, chips dipped in bacon cheddar ranch dip, and party punch.
How to Store
- Storing. This frosted peanut butter cake stores well at room temperature for 1-2 days, but after that I’ll keep it in the fridge to extend the shelf life. Store the cake tightly wrapped, or in an airtight container.
- Freezing. I recommend freezing the baked cake before adding the frosting. Store the cooled cake airtight, whole or in slices, and add the frosting after thawing. Defrost at room temperature for best results.
More Peanut Butter Desserts
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Bars
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 whole large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- ¾ cup butter
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk, may need a little more to get desired consistency
- 1/2 cup Reese’s pieces or chopped peanut butter cups, optional
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour a 13×9 inch baking dish very well, or line with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan, melt together water, butter and creamy peanut butter. Whisk until the mixture is nice and smooth. Do not boil.
- Using a hand mixer or an electric stand mixer combine flour, both sugars, and baking soda until blended. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix until well incorporated and smooth.
- Pour in the melted peanut butter mixture and mix until everything is well combined.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean. Then you gently press the top of the cake it should spring back.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting
- To make the frosting cream together the butter and peanut butter until well combined and smooth.
- Add in powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Beat until a spreadable consistency. You can adjust the milk and powdered sugar to make the frosting thinner or thicker.
- Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting in an even layer and decorate with candy if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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