PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

CAKE:

2 cups sugar

2 cups self-rising flour, recipe below

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup homemade unsalted butter

1 cup homemade peanut butter

1 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk, recipe below

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9 inch cake pans and dust the inside with flour and tap out excess. Line the bottom of the pans with wax or parchment paper. Put the cake pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Mix sugar and self-rising flour; set aside.

Bring to a rapid boil 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of peanut butter, and 1 cup of water.

Pour over dry ingredients. Add to that 1/2 cup buttermilk, eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and then mix with mixer.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or when a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up. (These cooled cakes may be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months.)

SELF-RISING FLOUR

For every cup of all purpose flour, you have to add 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. These measurements are perfect and any variations may affect the texture of the end product.

Thoroughly mix the ingredients and your self rising flour substitute is ready. You may also sieve the flour, two to three times, so that the baking powder and salt gets mixed up uniformly. This gives an uniform texture to the baked product. So for this recipe you will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Not only for this quick dessert recipe, keep this handy for other recipes.

BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE:

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar 

Let sit for 15 minutes and it's ready for the recipe.

Not only for this quick dessert recipe, I use this Peanut Butter Frosting on cupcakes and so much more.

FLUFFY PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

This frosting is amazing--it balances flavor against sweetness well, and the texture is perfect: creamy, fluffy, not oily at all. If you use my homemade peanut butter recipe for this frosting and cake - you will be begged (beaten and left for dead) for this recipe.

Do not use margarine; use butter. Butter will give you beautiful, fluffy icing (and that's what you want). I always use this recipe with my peanut butter cake recipe. 

1-1/4 cups homemade peanut butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 TBS heavy cream, at room temperature

Beat the peanut butter and butter for at least 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix well after each addition. Pour in the heavy cream and beat for 3 to 4 more minutes. Frost the cake.

NOTE:

For my peanut butter cake recipe (see photo above) I frost it, and then I cut up Reese's peanut butter cups and sprinkled over the top of the cake. Then it is drizzled with homemade chocolate sauce. Delish. Out of this world good. Now on to more quick dessert recipes.