The Best Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

This peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting reminds me of what my grandma used to make. It has that old-fashioned comfort feel but with a modern twist that makes the peanut butter flavor really pop. I made it last Sunday, and my husband keeps asking me to make it again.

Want to see exactly how I make this peanut butter cake? Check out the video below for all the steps, and if you enjoy it, please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more tasty recipes!

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What Makes This Cake Special

This cake stands out because it uses peanut butter in both the cake and the frosting, giving you that double hit of flavor.

Most peanut butter cakes can turn out dry, but adding yogurt to this recipe keeps it moist for days. The chocolate sprinkles add little bursts of sweetness throughout that break up the peanut butter flavor.

This cake is perfect for when you want something homemade but not too complicated – it uses basic ingredients most of us already have at home.

Equipment You’ll Need

Nothing complicated in the equipment department for this recipe. A loaf pan like the one below works better than a round cake pan for this particular cake.

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• 2-pound loaf pan (standard bread loaf size)
• Electric mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Fine mesh strainer for sieving flour
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Spatula
• Microwave-safe bowl for melting chocolate
• Cooling rack

Ingredients For The Cake

Here’s everything that goes into the cake part. You probably have most of these ingredients in your kitchen.

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• 3 eggs
• 150g sugar (¾ cup)
• 150g butter, melted (⅔ cup)
• 175g plain flour (1 cup + 3 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 50g smooth or crunchy natural peanut butter (¼ cup)
• 2-3 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles

Ingredients For The Frosting

• 100g white chocolate
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

How to Make a Perfect Peanut Butter Cake

Before getting started, let’s prep everything we need for a smooth baking experience.

First, preheat your oven to 170°C (338°F). This temperature is a bit lower than typical cake recipes because we want the cake to bake slowly and evenly.

Grab your loaf pan and either line it with parchment paper or grease it well with butter. I prefer using parchment paper because it makes removing the cake so much easier.

Top Tip: Take out your eggs about 30 minutes before you start baking. Room temperature eggs blend better with the sugar and create a fluffier cake texture.

Making The Cake Batter

The batter for this cake comes together quickly and doesn’t require any special techniques.

Step 1: Mix the base

Crack 3 eggs in a mixing bowl, then add 150 grams of sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat them together until the mixture becomes fluffy and pale yellow. This usually takes about 3 minutes at medium to high speed. Room temperature eggs blend much better with the sugar and create a smoother batter.

Step 2: Add butter

Next, add 150 grams of melted butter to the egg mixture. Mix again with an electric mixer until everything is completely combined. The butter should be melted but not too hot—I let mine cool for a few minutes after melting so it doesn’t cook the eggs.

Note: If your butter is too hot when you add it, it might cook parts of the egg mixture, leaving you with scrambled egg bits in your cake batter!

Step 3: Add dry ingredients

Next, add 175 grams of flour and then add 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Sieve the flour through a fine mesh strainer directly into the bowl to prevent any lumps from forming in your batter.

Gently fold the sieved flour and baking powder into the wet mixture until no dry streaks remain, being careful not to overmix.

Did You Know? Over-mixing cake batter develops the gluten in the flour, which can make your cake tough and rubbery instead of soft and tender.

Step 4: Prepare peanut butter mixture

In a separate mixing bowl, add 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt, then add 50 grams of peanut butter, and mix them together until smooth and well combined.

I used creamy peanut butter for this recipe, although my grandma always used the crunchy kind because she liked the little bits of peanuts throughout the cake. Either type works fine—it really just depends on what texture you prefer in your finished cake.

Step 5: Combine everything

Add the yogurt and peanut butter mixture to the main bowl with your batter. Then, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and give the cake batter a quick stir with a spatula. You don’t need to mix it too much – just enough to combine everything.

Step 6: Add chocolate sprinkles

Add about 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate sprinkles to the batter. The chocolate sprinkles leave really nice streaks in the cake, as you’ll see in a minute. When you cut into the finished cake, you get these pretty swirls of chocolate running through the peanut butter batter.

Baking The Peanut Butter Cake

Now that your batter is ready, it’s time to get it in the oven.

Pour the cake batter into the loaf pan. Make sure to spread it evenly so it bakes up nicely and at a level.

Bake at 170°C (338°F) for 45-55 minutes. You can tell it’s done when:

• The top is golden brown
• A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs
• The sides start to pull away from the pan slightly
• Your kitchen smells absolutely amazing

Top Tip: Don’t open the oven door during the first 30 minutes of baking. This can cause your cake to sink in the middle.

Once it’s done, let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before moving it to a cooling rack. This short rest helps the cake set up enough to handle without breaking.

Making The Frosting

While your cake is cooling, it’s the perfect time to prepare the frosting.

This white chocolate peanut butter frosting is basically a simplified ganache that adds the perfect finishing touch to the cake.

Step 1: Melt the chocolate

Take 100 grams of white chocolate, and add 2 tablespoons of milk and microwave for 30 seconds to melt. Give the chocolate a quick mix and pour it into a mixing bowl.

Note: White chocolate burns easily, so if it’s not fully melted after 30 seconds, continue microwaving in 10-second intervals, stirring between each interval.

Step 2: Add peanut butter

Then add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and mix until everything is smooth and creamy. The white chocolate gives the frosting a sweet base while the peanut butter adds that nutty flavor.

If the mixture seems too thick, you can add a tiny bit more milk, just a teaspoon at a time.

Finishing The Cake

Once the cake has cooled down a bit, pour the peanut butter frosting over the top.

This cake tastes really good. It’s not too sweet, and you can really taste the peanut butter in every bite. The cake part is soft and a little moist, kind of like banana bread but with peanut butter flavor instead.

I love how the chocolate sprinkles give you these little sweet spots throughout – they add this hint of chocolate that goes so well with the peanut butter.

Top Tip: Let The Cake Cool Before Frosting. Make sure your cake is completely cool before adding the frosting. If it’s still warm, the frosting will just melt and run off the sides instead of staying on top.

If you liked this peanut butter cake, you have to try my Condensed Milk Cake next. It’s so ridiculously easy that it feels like cheating, but the results are incredibly moist and rich.

Storing This Peanut Butter Cake

This cake keeps well and actually gets better after a day or two as the flavors develop more.

Store your peanut butter cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also keep it in the fridge for up to a week, but I recommend bringing it back to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.

Peanut Butter Cake Recipe Variations

Don’t be afraid to make this recipe your own with some simple variations.

Chocolate Lovers Version

If you’re a chocolate fan, try adding ¼ cup of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. You’ll need to reduce the flour by the same amount to keep the proportions right. This gives you a chocolate peanut butter cake that’s kind of like a Reese’s in cake form.

Banana Addition

Sometimes I add a mashed ripe banana to the batter. It makes the cake even more moist and adds a subtle fruit flavor that works surprisingly well with the peanut butter. Just reduce the yogurt to 1 tablespoon if you do this.

Gluten-Free Option

I’ve made this with gluten-free flour blend, and it works pretty well. Just add ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum if your flour blend doesn’t already include it, and be extra careful not to overmix.

Troubleshooting Tips

Even experienced bakers run into problems sometimes. Here are solutions to common issues with this cake.

Cake Sinks in the Middle

If your cake sinks while cooling, it was likely underbaked. Next time, give it a few more minutes in the oven, and make sure your oven temperature is accurate with an oven thermometer.

Frosting is Too Runny

If your frosting won’t set properly, the white chocolate or the cake is probably too hot. That is my mistake in the video 🙁 Let it cool completely in the fridge, and if it’s still too thin, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar to thicken it up.

The cake is Too Dry

A dry cake usually means it’s been overbaked. Try reducing the baking time by 5 minutes next time, or add an extra tablespoon of yogurt to the batter for more moisture.

More Cake Recipes You Might Enjoy

If you liked this peanut butter cake, try some other unusual loaf cake recipes too. Loaf cakes are easy to make and always turn out good. 

• Best Apple Cake Recipe Ever – Moist, full of fresh apple chunks, and topped with a golden crust. It’s cozy, comforting, and smells amazing as it bakes.
• Bread Maker Fruit Loaf Recipe – A soft, lightly spiced loaf filled with juicy dried fruits. Made right in the bread maker for an easy, hands-off bake.
• Easy Matcha Pound Cake – Earthy, vibrant, and just the right amount of sweetness. This matcha loaf is a fun twist if you want something a little different.

Tried this peanut butter cake? Let me know how it turned out in the comments below! Do you have any questions about the recipe, or do you want to share your own twist? Drop a comment – I love to hear from you.