This peanut butter Texas sheet cake recipe is packed with peanut butter flavor from the soft cake and gooey peanut butter glaze. Similar to the chocolate Texas sheet cake, this huge and tasty peanut butter version comes together in just 30 minutes. Bring it to a party of peanut butter lovers and the entire cake will disappear!
This really is the easiest cake you could make because there's no special decorating required and you can serve it right out of the pan. My favorite part of this cake is when the glaze sets up and almost becomes like a peanut butter fudge on top of the cake. You could also get fancy and do chocolate icing or cream cheese frosting on top of the peanut butter cake.
Table of contents
Ingredients
Sugar: Adding both brown sugar and granulated sugar to the dry ingredients adds extra moisture to this cake. I love how the richness of the brown sugar brings out the true peanut butter flavor.
Buttermilk: The tanginess from the acidity of the buttermilk is crucial to the moisture and flavor of this cake. Check out my buttermilk substitutes blog post for alternatives, or replace the buttermilk with equal parts of sour cream.
Peanut butter: Creamy, salted peanut butter will work best for this recipe. If you're using unsalted, just add another ½ teaspoon of salt to the cake.
Making a Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
The trick to this cake is the timing of making the glaze. You want to start making the glaze while the cake is in the oven so that the cake rests for 5 minutes and you pour warm glaze onto the warm cake. If you make your glaze too quickly, you can keep whisking it over low heat to keep it liquid.
The Peanut Butter Cake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a large sheet pan with cake goop or pan spray and parchment paper. A 12×17 jellyroll sheet will work well.
- Combine eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk in a separate mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt, in a large mixing bowl.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the peanut butter and milk and bring it to a simmer, then remove it from the heat and set it aside.
- Add the hot peanut butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir until completely combined.
- Next, add the egg mixture to the batter and mix until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 15 minutes until the center of the cake springs back when touched. Pro-Tip: Make the frosting while the cake is baking.
- The frosting will spread best over a warm cake, so let it cool for only 5 minutes before adding the glaze.
The Frosting
- Combine butter, buttermilk, and peanut butter in a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until combined and the sugar is dissolved. Pro-Tip: If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time. If it's too runny, add ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
- Spread peanut butter icing onto the warm cake with a spatula. The glaze should be at an easy-spreading consistency and will be set up when it cools.
- Serve the whole cake directly on the sheet pan and store leftovers at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
FAQ
Not technically, but if you're going to continue to serve it for longer than four days, or if you live in a hot area, it will stay fresher in the refrigerator.
Yes! It's the same process, just take out the peanut butter and add cocoa powder. The traditional Texas sheet cake is usually a delicious chocolate cake topped with nuts and chocolate frosting. Both this and the chocolate are incredibly moist and tender cakes.
It is unclear whether or not the Texas sheet cake originated in Texas. Some say the recipe first showed up in a Texas newspaper, others say it gets its name from being big like the size of Texas. Either way, this recipe is a real crowd-pleaser and is widely known as a symbol of friendship and hospitality.
A half sheet pan is typically about 13″ wide by 18″ long and is about 2″ tall. You can also use a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan as long as it has sides. You may have to slightly adjust your batter recipe and baking time, or bake leftover batter as cupcakes if you’re using a smaller pan.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Hand mixer optional
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cake
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
Peanut Butter Glaze
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup peanuts optional, for decoration
Instructions
The Peanut Butter Cake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a large sheet pan with cake goop or pan spray and parchment paper. A 12×17 jellyroll sheet will work well.
- Combine eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk in a separate mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt, in a large mixing bowl.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the peanut butter and milk and bring it to a simmer, then remove it from the heat and set it aside.
- Add the hot peanut butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir until completely combined.
- Next, add the egg mixture to the batter and mix until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 15 minutes until the center of the cake springs back when touched. Pro-Tip: Make the frosting while the cake is baking.
- The frosting will spread best over a warm cake, so let it cool for only 5 minutes before adding the glaze.
The Peanut Butter Glaze
- Combine butter, buttermilk, and peanut butter in a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until combined and the sugar is dissolved. Pro-Tip: If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time. If it's too runny, add ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
- Spread peanut butter icing onto the warm cake with a spatula. The glaze should be at an easy-spreading consistency and will be set up when it cools.
- Serve the whole cake directly on the sheet pan and store leftovers at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Cake goop on its own will release your cake from the pan with no problems. If you're using another type of pan release, you may want to have a layer of parchment paper for protection.
- A half sheet pan is typically about 13″ wide by 18″ long and is about 2″ tall. You can also use a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan as long as it has sides. You may have to slightly adjust your batter recipe and baking time, or bake leftover batter as cupcakes if you’re using a smaller pan.
- If your glaze is too thick, you can add 1-2 Tablespoons of water to thin it out to the desired consistency.
- If your glaze is too runny, add ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
- Feel free to add toasted peanuts to your Texas sheet cake
- If you don’t have a sheet pan you can use any kind of cake pan, cupcake, or even a loaf pan.
Sheila Angel says
The Best Peanut Butter Cake Ever!!!