Question—have you ever realized that you had all of these quirky habits as a child and then one day, as an adult, you’re like well what happened to them?! When did I become this semi-normal grownup?
WELL, my sweet baking friends, that happened to me the other day and I just couldn’t get it out of my head!
I woke up the other day simply craving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. All I wanted the entire day was my simple PB&J&C. We will get back to the C shortly. Sadly, as a sort of adult, I don’t usually make myself a good old childhood sandwich—I’m constantly thinking about what the best nutrients for my body are, how I can fuel myself each day so I’m not falling asleep by noon or waking up with a stomach ache from too much ice cream.
Adulting is way too hard.
Back to my ever so important craving.
I used to come home most days after school as a child to either an empty house, or my stepdad working, aka Katie makes her own snack time. Now, Roberto will make fun of me until the end of my life for this—but here it is, out in the open for the world to see—the two top afterschool snacks I would make myself.
1. Either about half of a box of noodles with butter and cheese,
Or 2. A toasted peanut butter, jelly, and chocolate chip sandwich.
Carbs and I were, and still are, BFF’s. Just picture this though, warm, toasty bread, melty peanut butter and chocolate chips with cold jelly…I mean come on! It doesn’t get much better than that does it?!
Lately though, I have just been needing one of those sandwiches, which is where the inspiration for this cake came about! So, I give you an ever so rich peanut butter cake matched with even more moist and delightfully light strawberry cake, all sandwiched together with smooth dark chocolate buttercream.
It’s my childhood dream of a cake! …I will still take that sandwich though…
While maybe some days we aren’t feeling young enough to pack up this old favorite in a little baggy, cut into cute triangles with a side of sliced apples, this cake is my more adult version. I swear, put it out for your friends, kids, families, young, old—all will like it, my 25 year old self guarantees it!
peanut butter cake ingredients
Butter, room temperature—2 oz, or 4 TBL
Peanut Butter—3 oz, or ¼ C + 2 TBL
Sugar—8 oz, or 1 C
Eggs—2
Vanilla—2 tsp
Flour—12 oz, or 2 C
Baking Powder—2 ½ tsp
Salt—½ tsp
Milk—8 oz, or 1 C
process
Preheat your oven to 350˚ F.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugar.
Once smooth, add in the eggs, one at a time; and then the vanilla.
Scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Alternating with the milk, slowly add this to your mixer while it is on low.
Once all of the ingredients have been added, scrape down one final time to make sure that all has been incorporated evenly.
Prepare an 8” cake pan by spraying with nonstick spray and then either lining the bottom with parchment paper or sprinkling a light coat of flour on it.
Pour the cake batter into your pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until the top springs back when touched.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before assembly!
strawberry cake ingredients
Butter, room temperature—4 oz, or ½ C
Sugar—8 oz, or 1 C
Eggs—2
Vanilla—2 tsp
Flour—12 oz, or 2 C
Baking Powder—2 ½ tsp
Salt—½ tsp
Milk—6 oz, or ¾ C
Strawberries, cut—5.5 oz, or ½ C
process
Preheat your oven to 350˚ F.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.
Once smooth, add in the eggs, one at a time; and then the vanilla.
Scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate cup, combine the milk and strawberries.
Whether you want to use an immersion blender or regular blender to combine the fruit and milk is up to you—this will make sure that the berries are added evenly by blending them!
*If you do not have a blender, very finely chopping the strawberries will work just as well!*
Alternating with the strawberry-milk, slowly add this to your mixer while it is on low.
Once all of the ingredients have been added, scrape down one final time to make sure that all has been incorporated evenly.
Prepare an 8” cake pan by spraying with nonstick spray and then either lining the bottom with parchment paper or sprinkling a light coat of flour on it.
Pour the cake batter into your pan and bake for 40 minutes until the top springs back when touched.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before assembly!
chocolate buttercream ingredients
Butter, room temperature—8 oz, or 1 C
Confectioner’s Sugar—15.5 oz, or 3 ½ C
Cocoa Powder—2.5 oz, or 1 ½ C + 2 TBL
Vanilla—2 tsp
Milk—2.5 oz, or 5 TBL
process
In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter until very smooth and light.
Scrape down the sides of your bowl and the paddle.
Sift together the sugar and cocoa powder.
When the butter is ready, slowly add in your sifted ingredients.
Add in the vanilla and the milk.
Once everything has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
Turn the mixer on high for about 5-10 seconds, just to get a nicely whipped and smooth buttercream.
Now it is ready for assembly!
assembly
This cake can be assembled in oh so many ways, or just slather on a bunch of butterceam onto an entire cake and eat it that way—but I have decided to do checkerboard.
To do this it is simple.
First, cut off the tops of each of your cakes to make sure that they are even and flat.
Next, cut each cake in half—giving you 4 layers total (between both cakes).
To make the checkerboard, use a large circle cutter—or I used a 6” cake pan—to cut out the center of each cake.
Next, using a smaller cutter, cut the center out of the larger circle you just cut out.
Now you should have cut each layer into 3 sections.
To put back together, take a larger circle of one flavor, the middle sized circle of another flavor and then the smaller circle to match the outside flavor.
Example—large PB cake, medium strawberry cake, smallest PB cake.
Do this with each layer, although it is easiest to assemble when you are frosting each layer.
Next, coat the bottom layer with buttercream, spread evenly and put the next layer of checkerboard cake on top.
Do this until you have used all of the cake layers.
For the top and sides, I have left this cake a little messier than usual—because it is a peanut butter and jelly cake and we all make ours a little differently!
Once assembled how you would like, cut a nice large slice for yourself and enjoy.
Bon Appétit!