Peanut Butter and Jelly Snacking Cake
Growing up, I was allergic to peanuts (as well as chocolate, but that’s a story for another day), so the childhood staple of PBJ sandwiches was sadly out of reach for me. Thank god I outgrew the allergy because I now consume peanut butter almost weekly—and often times I’ll have a spoonful as a little snack treat. This snacking cake is possibly pay back for all the PBJ’s I didn’t get to eat as a kid—but truly it’s just a delicious moist tender cake with the perfect amount of peanut-y goodness topped with a sworl of luscious peanut butter frosting and strawberry preserves. So yes, this really is peanut butter and jelly in cake form, and in my opinion there’s nothing wrong with that. To speed things up, you can make the cake a day in advance, let it cool completely, then wrap it in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Note: It’s worth getting a good quality jar of strawberry preserves (or make your own if you feel ambitious), I prefer Bonne Maman.
Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS
1¼ cup AP flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup whole milk
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more butter for the pan
1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting and Topping
1 cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup whole milk
½ cup strawberry preserves
¼ cup salted roasted peanuts
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and parchment line a 9” baking pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer or a whisk to beat together brown sugar, eggs, milk, peanut butter, melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Spread batter into the baking pan, smooth top and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and continue to cool on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
To make the frosting, add peanut butter, unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar and milk to a bowl. Use an electric mixer to mix until smooth and creamy. Frost the cake, using a knife to create generous swirls and a slight raised border. Spread the strawberry preserves within the border, then sprinkle with peanuts.