Peanut Butter Cake

 

I haven't blogged in so long, it's really a wonder anyone still comes here to check for new posts.  You'll be glad you did this time, though, because you'll want to try this delicious peanut butter cake.

I had the wrong first impression of this cake when I read the recipe.   Needing something simple that didn't require chocolate, I found this one in an old Newcomer's Club of Decatur, Alabama cook book.  I pictured a pea-nutty flavored cake with pea-nutty icing, and honestly, I wasn't sure if that was what I was going for.  But pressed for time with dinner guests arriving in a couple hours, I decided to go with it since I had all the ingredients.

Surprisingly, it has no peanut butter at all in the cake part and only a smallish amount in the boiled, brown sugar icing.  Nevertheless, the combination of rich, moist cake with an almost fudge-like icing was perfect.  One of the guests remarked, "I'm going to have to have this recipe!"

Unlike many cakes which dry out over time, this one just gets better the longer it sits.  For real.  I made it on Monday afternoon, and here it is Friday.  Still as yummy as it was the day I made it.  Not that I've slivered away at it all week long.

Who does that, anyway?

Certainly not me.

So here you go.  Thanks to Kelsey and Katherine, who both gave it rave reviews, I offer it now for your baking pleasure.

 Start with four eggs and two cups of sugar.

 Mix until well blended.

 Add flour and baking powder.

 Melt butter in milk on top of stove.

 Add butter and milk to bowl and mix well. 

 Pour into greased 9X13" pan.

 Bake until golden brown~ about 25-30 minutes.  (Wow, my kitchen lighting is terrible.)

 

 This picture of the icing ingredients is as far as I got with the photography.  You'll boil this for about 10-12 minutes, until it reaches soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer or until a small amount of the liquid forms a soft, pliable ball in a dish of cold water.  Just like your grandma used to.

Peanut Butter Cake

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 stick butter 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  

Beat eggs and sugar until well blended.  Mix flour with baking powder and add to egg mixture.  Melt butter in milk and then gradually add to flour mixture.  Bake in 9X13", greased baking pan at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Icing

• 1 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 stick butter 
• 4 Tablespoons peanut butter 

Mix all the ingredients and cook on top of the stove over medium heat until it reaches the soft ball stage.  (I use a candy thermometer and cook till it reaches the "soft ball" line.)  Cool completely, then ice the cake.

Have yourself a great weekend!  

Love,