Peanut Butter Brittle Cake Recipe
Peanut Butter Brittle Cake Recipe
When I was a kid one of the only foods I would eat was peanut butter. In a sandwich. Peanut butter and honey or peanut butter and crab apple jelly. Every single day for years and years and years. And times haven’t changed much. I still LOVE peanut butter and when I see a recipe for a peanut butter cake or cookies or pie or ice cream you can guarantee that I am going to make it. My family started off being enthusiastic about my peanut butter creations but are starting to get tired of them LOL. Not me, and too bad for them. THIS cake, OMG. There is peanut butter AND cream cheese in the frosting. OMG. OMG. Plus peanut brittle on the outside of the cake all over that peanut butter and cream cheese frosting. And it is to die for. And, and, there are hidden chunks of chocolate inside the cake that you won’t even know about it until you cut into it! Well, YOU will know because you made it. But no one else will! Don’t be scared of making peanut brittle, it’s really really easy – the trick is to just moisten the sugar with a tiny bit of water and leave it alone, just gently swirl the pan occasionally so it cooks evenly and just be prepared in advance with your baking paper lined tray cause as soon as it colours (around the shade of beer you’re looking for) you need to quickly mix in the peanuts and pour it out. Easy. Done. The rest is ummm, a piece of cake.
Cake
250g unsalted butter, softened
155g (3/4 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
340g (2 1/4 cups) self-raising flour
115 (3/4 cup) plain flour
pinch of salt
250g sour cream
60ml (1/4 cup) milk
150g dark chocolate, finely chopped
Peanut Brittle
270g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
1/4 cup water
150g (1 cup) roasted salted peanuts
Peanut Butter Frosting
500g cream cheese, softened
425g (2 3/4 cups) icing sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced/350F. Line base and sides of two round baking pans.
Cakes: With electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flours, salt, sour cream and milk and mix until just combined. Fold through the chocolate and divide into the two pans, smoothing the surfaces. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (melted chocolate on it doesn’t count). These cakes can take up to 50 minutes so keep checking every 5 minutes after 35 minutes. Leave in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool.
Peanut Brittle: Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Have your peanuts and a metal spoon on hand. In a medium size saucepan (preferably a stainless steel one so you can see the colour of the sugar water), combine the sugar and water and set over high heat. Do not stir but gently swirl from time to time trying to keep the sides of the pan as clean as possible. When the mixture turns golden (think the colour of beer) take off the heat, stir through the peanuts quickly and then pour evenly over the lined tray spreading as thinly as possible. Leave to cool.
Frosting: Beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add in the icing sugar until combined, then the peanut butter. Depending on your taste preference you may want a little less or a little more so taste often until you’re happy with the intensity of the flavour.
When the cakes are completely cool, use a large serrated knife to cut horizontally into two layers. Line a cake platter with four pieces of baking paper so you can slide them out when you’re finished decorating.
Place the first layer on the platter and layer with frosting and repeat with all the other layers and frost the sides and top of the cake.
Don’t worry too much about the appearance of the sides because you don’t really see them with the peanut brittle. Smash the peanut brittle up with the back of a heavy knife handle and decorate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- Cake
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 155g (3/4 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
- 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 340g (2 1/4 cups) self-raising flour
- 115 (3/4 cup) plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 250g sour cream
- 60ml (1/4 cup) milk
- 150g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- Peanut Brittle
- 270g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 150g (1 cup) roasted salted peanuts
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- 500g cream cheese, softened
- 425g (2 3/4 cups) icing sugar
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced/350F. Line base and sides of two round baking pans.
- Cakes: With electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flours, salt, sour cream and milk and mix until just combined. Fold through the chocolate and divide into the two pans, smoothing the surfaces. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (melted chocolate on it doesn’t count). These cakes can take up to 50 minutes so keep checking every 5 minutes after 35 minutes. Leave in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool.
- Peanut Brittle: Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Have your peanuts and a metal spoon on hand. In a medium size saucepan (preferably a stainless steel one so you can see the colour of the sugar water), combine the sugar and water and set over high heat. Do not stir but gently swirl from time to time trying to keep the sides of the pan as clean as possible. When the mixture turns golden (think the colour of beer) take off the heat, stir through the peanuts quickly and then pour evenly over the lined tray spreading as thinly as possible. Leave to cool.
- Frosting: Beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add in the icing sugar until combined, then the peanut butter. Depending on your taste preference you may want a little less or a little more so taste often until you’re happy with the intensity of the flavour.
- When the cakes are completely cool, use a large serrated knife to cut horizontally into two layers. Line a cake platter with four pieces of baking paper so you can slide them out when you’re finished decorating.
- Place the first layer on the platter and layer with frosting and repeat with all the other layers and frost the sides and top of the cake.
- Don’t worry too much about the appearance of the sides because you don’t really see them with the peanut brittle. Smash the peanut brittle up with the back of a heavy knife handle and decorate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Carolyn Murphy
Carolyn Murphy is a married mother of three and regularly provides us with recipes and strange but true stories about her life. When she’s not here, she can also be found on her website pinkpostitnote.com where all her other recipes are located!
