Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
This peanut butter sheet cake is packed with as much peanut butter as possible for a truly phenomenal taste and texture!
Alright, guys. I’m done.
My kid was at summer camp all last week and look. The first few days I binged television shows and ate crap food and enjoyed the solitude. It didn’t take long for me to start missing her, though.
Sure, my teenager was still home, but let’s be real. He’s 17 and he basically ignores me all the time. My 12 year old still hangs out with me, so when she’s gone? It’s a little lonely.
She’s home now, thank goodness. I was seriously starting to get concerned with myself. I mean, I homeschool my kids. I obviously really like them and stuff, but I also really like breaks from them. I generally enjoy alone time and I don’t miss them when they stay overnight with friends. I just don’t, I’m sorry, that’s terrible to admit.
But a whole week?
I missed my kid. I’m glad she’s home.
She requested this peanut butter sheet cake as a little homecoming dessert and I don’t blame her. This thing is GOOD.
I started with a recipe I found in one of my mama’s old Gooseberry Patch books and I just doctored it up a bit to include 4 times as much peanut butter, swapped the water for milk for extra richness, and then I used a chocolate peanut butter frosting, because why not?
First of all, adding 4 times as much peanut butter to a recipe is a bit ballsy. I mean, baking cake is a science and messing with the fat to flour ratio can be tricky, but I am so glad I was brave enough to tinker with this one. This cake is just bursting with peanut butter and it’s so rich and moist. Seriously just amazing.
The chocolate peanut butter frosting is super easy and I love that you just pour it right over the top of the cake and wait for it to set. So easy and the crackly frosting looks so pretty when you cut into it.
Go forth and eat all the peanut butter, friends.
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a rimmed half sheet pan.
- Add the sugars, flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add 1 cup of milk, peanut butter, and butter to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring often.
- Remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes to cool. Add to the bowl with the flour and sugar.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, vanilla, and eggs to the mixer and turn to low speed. Mix until just combined.
- Spread cake batter into prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely.
- To make the frosting, add the sugar, butter, and milk to a small sauce pan and stir well. Bring to a boil and boil for exactly 60 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips until smooth and melted.
- Pour warm frosting over the cooled cake and spread with a spatula. Frosting will harden as it cools.
- Cut and serve once frosting has cooled and set.
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 528kcal Calories from fat 279 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 31g | 48% |
| Saturated Fat 14g | 70% |
| Transfat 1g | |
| Cholesterol 63mg | 21% |
| Sodium 252mg | 11% |
| Carbohydrate 58g | 19% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 8% |
| Sugars 43g | |
| Protein 9g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
Step #4 in the directions has me confused. Do you immediately pour the mixture over the dry ingredients or do you cool for 5 minutes before pouring over?
This looks so good……….I want to make it but I don’t want to mess it up!!
Sorry about! Edited the recipe for clarity. You let cool for 5 minutes and then pour over the dry ingredients. 🙂
I’m a chocolate PB lover and these look delightfully naughty!
Loved reading your story… You sound like a great Mom. Recipe sounds delicious.. Love Peanut butter and chocolate, can’t wait to try. Thanks
I;m sorry – what size is a half rimmed sheet pan? I want to try this but wasn’t sure what size pan – is that a jelly roll size pan?
It’s 18×13. 🙂
I hear you about the kids. I’m the same way. When he has a sleepover I’m happy because that means date night for me and my hubby but then it feels too quiet in my house. I love this recipe! I totally crave peanut butter. What is it about that stuff? I like that this is a cake. Can’t wait to try it!
This reads like a cake my mom used to make, “Poor Man’s Cake”. I have searched for the recipe for years. I remember thinking, as a young baker, how weird it was to use the stove top to make a cake. Love this technique for Coca-Cola cakes. I cannot wait to try this weekend!!
It is a weird recipe, but it’s soooo good! Hope you love it!
Holy moly this looks amazing!!
Oh my goodness! This peanut butter sheet cake look absolutely delicious! Bookmarking to try soon.
This looks and sounds so good!! Everyone in my house loves peanut butter and chocolate so I definitely need to make this soon.
I like how you roll, my friend! Four times the peanut butter sounds about right :). And that frosting? Ummmmmm. Yes, yes, a million times yes!
Always add extra peanut butter is my motto. 🙂
Can you believe that for years I hated peanut butter?!?!?! I have some serious time to make up starting with this cake!
I can’t imagine hating peanut butter!!
Oh boy … this cake knows my first name and it’s calling me! What a perfect dessert and beautiful too!
I love cakes and this is so delicious! I gave it a try last night and it is now one of my fave cakes. Thanks so much for sharing.
That’s great to hear! 🙂
It was okay, and easy to make, but we didn’t care for it. I guess I was expecting the cake part to really pop like a Reeces Cup type taste. It had a strange texture and it was pretty bland. Glad we tried it. It made a heck of a lot. But my husband whom usually does the deserts did not want to give it away as it wasn’t up to his usual fare. It does taste good with an ice cream topping.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this one. The texture is supposed to be very moist and a bit fudgy, like a cross between a cake and brownie. Sorry to hear you found it bland – we thought it was really popping with peanut butter flavor.
The TEXTURE on this cake. It looks absolutely perfect! Makes me think of the “snack cakes” my mom would make for after school snacks.
It’s got a great fudgy texture! 🙂
can i use crunchy PB?
I haven’t tried it. I think it might make the cake texture a bit strange.
I LOVE the combination on peanut butter and chocolate – this cake sounds amazing!
This looks phenomenal!! But then again, I may be a little biased, since I’m pretty sure 99% of my food cravings are for chocolate peanut butter things. I’ve actually never made a sheet cake, but I’m thinking I should start making up for lost time…
What size did you use for the sheet pan?
A half sheet pan is 18×13. 🙂
Excuse my stupidity. I have never made a cake from scratch. Judging by the ingredient quantity, I don’t see why this cannot be made in a 10″ x 13″ x 3″ pan. Its not worth it for me to buy a half sheet pan just for one recipe. Comments please?
looks a little underdone at 15 minutes, and very shiny on top, is this the way? just baked it a couple more minutes, and it is looking more done, also, the baking soda was listed , but couldn’t find anywhere to add it in directions,, so added with salt and flour? did I miss something? will let you know when I get home from funeral tomorrow, if it was well liked.
Yes, if it’s not quite finished, go ahead and bake until done. Every oven is different, so it may take a bit longer.
The baking soda gets added with the flour. 🙂
Made the cake for a funeral, and made just like the receipe, and everyone loved it. My only addition was a half a cup of finely chopped salted peanuts I added to the frosting. I liked the texture, and everyone loved the favor and the strong smell of the peanut butter! Also baked my favorite chocolate sheet cake, but everyone preferred the Peanut Butter cake. It was the first dessert gone, not one slice to take home. Will bake and take again, for my next potluck, family dinner or holiday!!! And thank you for the great recipe.
Making this again for a potluck at church tomorrow afternoon, hope it turns out as well as the first. Will have to run to the store for peanuts for the frosting. I just buy the snack size, sold at convenience stores and that gives me my about 1/2 cup chopped peanuts for the frosting. Hope this one is as good as the first.
Linda Gray
I just bought a Half Sheet pan and my pan is 12x17x1 I guess that will be ok???? I really want to use my new pan and this recipe looks amazing.
Yes, that should be just fine. Enjoy!