Double Peanut Butter Cake

Creamy peanut butter in the batter. Chunky peanut butter in the frosting. That’s the double hit that gives this cake its name, and it earns every bit of it.

The cake itself is dense and tender with a rich, roasted peanut flavor running through the crumb. Alternating the dry ingredients with milk while mixing keeps the batter smooth and prevents the peanut butter from seizing up into clumps.

The frosting is where things get interesting. Chunky peanut butter adds those little peanut pieces that give each bite some texture against the smooth powdered sugar base. It spreads thick and creamy, almost like a peanut butter fudge sitting on top of the cake.

Kitchen Tips

• Cream the peanut butter and butter together thoroughly before adding sugar. This builds the structure and keeps the cake from being too dense.
• Use the toothpick test at 30 minutes. The high fat content from peanut butter can make the center look underdone when it’s actually set.
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting. Warm cake will melt the frosting into a greasy mess.
• Room temperature eggs blend in more smoothly than cold ones.

Variations

• Drizzle chocolate ganache over the peanut butter frosting for a PB-and-chocolate combo.
• Add a layer of grape or strawberry jam between the cake and frosting for a PB&J twist.
• Use crunchy peanut butter in both the cake and frosting if you want maximum peanut texture.