Peanut Butter Cake
This is a delicious, moist cake I like to add some chocolate chips to the top after its frosted YUM
This is a delicious, moist cake I like to add some chocolate chips to the top after its frosted YUM
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup salted peanuts
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup crisco
- frosting ingredients
- 2 capfuls vanilla extract
- Carbohydrate 49.9238903124278 g
- Cholesterol 139.942444457965 mg
- Fat 35.7526739057994 g
- Fiber 2.16284722301082 g
- Protein 11.1066808358953 g
- Saturated Fat 13.8035593120149 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (162g)
- Sodium 2021.22207952874 mg
- Sugar 47.7610430894169 g
- Trans Fat 2.25852266748558 g
- Calories 544 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375(F) for a metal pan, or 325(F) for glass.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, shortening, milk and vanilla.
- Beat on low until moist and then medium for 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute.
- Bake in a greased 9" x 13" pan for 30-35 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 1 minute.
- Cool slightly.
- With the handle of a wooden spoon, poke a few holes in the cake and pour the warm frosting over it.
Temperature Adjustments for Pan Material
Metal pans conduct heat rapidly, which requires setting the oven 50 degrees higher than when using glass to ensure proper crumb set. Glass retains thermal energy longer, so dropping the oven to 325 degrees prevents outer scorching before the center finishes baking. Creaming fats thoroughly with dry ingredients traps microscopic air pockets that expand during these thermal shifts, creating a tender structure despite the heavy presence of peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs. Because thermal mass varies widely between aluminum and borosilicate dishes, monitoring the 30-to-35-minute baking window with a wooden skewer remains essential for avoiding an underbaked center.
Balancing Richness on the Plate
Serving a dense, fat-heavy dessert requires sharp acid or bitterness to cut through the coating film left on the palate by heavy cream and shortening. Unsweetened black coffee or a crisp, tannin-forward cold brew provides the necessary astringency to reset the taste buds between bites. Strong chicory coffee offers a woody bitterness that stands up to the intense sweetness of powdered sugar and peanut butter without requiring extra additions to the table.
Sequencing Kitchen Workflow
Timing the warm cooked frosting dictates the entire preparation schedule because pouring the mixture into holes requires the cake to be warm enough to absorb the liquid without dissolving its crumb structure. Whisking the saucepan ingredients while the baked goods cool for 15 minutes ensures the frosting reaches the correct pouring viscosity just as the wooden spoon holes are poked. Efficient spatial management during this overlap prevents hurried movements in a tight kitchen workspace.
