Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake (2024)

Ingredients

For the Peanut Butter Cake:

• 2 ¼ cup cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Brown Sugar Peanut Butter Frosting:

• ¾ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

For the Assembly:

• seedless strawberry jelly
• chopped peanuts, optional

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Make the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and mix on medium for about 3 minutes.
4. Decrease the speed to low and add in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5. With the mixer on low, add in half of the flour mixture. Stream in the milk and mix until incorporated. Add in the remaining flour and mix until combined.
6. Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for about 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.

Make the Frosting:

1. Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.
2. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Whisking constantly, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160 degrees on acandy thermometer. Carefully transfer the bowl onto the stand mixer.
3. Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch and the meringue is fluffy, glossy and holds a stiff peak.
4. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-low, add in the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, and mix until incorporated. Add in the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and mix until silky smooth.
5. Add in the peanut butter and mix to combine. At any point does the buttercream appear curdled, just keep mixing. If the buttercream appears soupy, try placing it in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes then mixing again.

Assemble the Cake:

1. Place one layer of cake onto serving plate or cake stand. Pipe a ring of buttercream to create a frosting “dam” to prevent the jam filling from leaking (seethis postif you’ve never created a buttercream dam before). Spread a layer of strawberry jam within the dam. Repeat with second cake layer, another dam, more strawberry jam and then the last layer of cake. Crumb coat and frost cake with remaining buttercream.
2. Pipe a ring of icing around the top edge using an open star tip. Fill center with more strawberry jam and smooth. Decorate with chopped peanuts around bottom edge, if desired.
3. Store in refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

• This recipe was made with creamy peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy, not the natural types.
• Cake recipe may be baked in two 8-inch pans. Adjust bake time accordingly and be sure to test doneness by inserting a toothpick in to the center of the cakes. If it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, it is done.