Meet my new favorite flavor combination: peanut butter and brown butter. I don’t think brown butter makes a huge difference in several chocolate desserts (cocoa typically dominates) but is more noticeable in the right flavor combinations. I was making a monster cookie a few weeks back and browned my butter before I used it. And then I couldn’t stop eating the dough! I knew this would be a great combination.

It turns out that in the way that brown butter is “nutty” it not only complements but really brings out the taste of peanut butter in the most delicious way possible. I am now on a mission to create all things pb/bb! First up, this buttercream and cake!

I don’t know why they call them snacking cakes but I am super into the idea of snacks being cake with a one inch high buttercream… you know as opposed to a small bowl of tasteless crackers. I bet you’d agree.

A One Bowl Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

A few years back, I had developed a basic pb cake recipe which I planned to add to a little baking book I’m writing for my daughter(s). But I like to make things a bit more interesting here, hence the browned butter and chocolate.

So here’s the deal with this cake: it’s fussy in only asking you to brown the butter. Other than that, it is one bowl, you’ll use a whisk to mix it (no fancy machinery) and it’s got no fancy ingredients. Pantry-style. I hope you have eggs and flour! You’ll pour it into a square pan and have a two-toned, soft and yummy cake.

A note about browned butter buttercream

The buttercream: you will need to let the browned butter for this one harden so you can do this first and set it in the fridge while everything else comes together.

Recipe Ingredients

Butter: unsalted, cold is fine (except for the buttercream – you’ll want that butter at room temperature so you can whip it).

Peanut butter: use a commercial brand that isn’t impossible to stir together. I use Skippy or JIF natural creamy.

Flour: all purpose flour.

Sugar: fine granulated sugar.

Eggs: large eggs, best if they are at room temperature.

Oil: anything flavorless. If you really want it peanut forward, use peanut oil.

Buttermilk: low or full-fat. Kefir (plain) works too.

Cocoa: dutch process cocoa, for a chocolate peanut butter cake batter.

Water: this may seem like a strange one but water is there because there’s so much fat in the peanut butter, but not enough loose liquid. Water lightens the cake’s crumb.

Steps to make the cake

Before you begin: prep a square cake pan with parchment paper (or butter & flour).

Brown the butter, set aside to cool:

Whip the sugar and eggs until they are several shades lighter: it should be very light and fluffy

Slowly pour in the brown butter (scrape up all those brown bits) and then the oil, beat to combine, then add the peanut butter and beat:

Add the flour and beat while pouring in the buttermilk and water, stop when the batter is smooth:

Set half of the cake batter in the pan. To the half left in the bowl, add the cocoa and water.

Pour the cocoa peanut butter batter over the peanut butter batter and swirl:

Bake until a cake tester comes out clean:

How to make the brown butter peanut butter frosting

It’s important you have your browned butter and regular butter at room temperature. So brown the butter and leave it to solidify again (you can see min ein the bowl between the peanut butter and powdered sugar):

Beat the butters (regular, brown, and peanut) together until light and well combined, you can add the salt and vanilla as you beat:

Add the powdered sugar and beat, you may need to add a few tablespoons of milk to make it creamy:

When the cake is cool, you can frost it:

Recipe Notes

• There are two steps of browning butter. Potentially you could brown a full cup of butter and divide it in two; setting one in the fridge to harden for the buttercream, and another to use right away for the cake. But when you do divide it make sure that each half gets half of those tiny brown bits at the bottom – they are the best part!
• This makes a very decent amount of buttercream, I was going for a nearly 1:1 ratio of cake to buttercream here. If you feel it’s too much and want a slimmer layer, halve it.
• Potentially you could skip the cocoa/milk and swirling part. I like it here because it breaks up the peanut butter between the cake and buttercream (both in taste and look.)

Recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Brown Butter Buttercream

Brown Butter Peanut Butter Buttercream with Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

A moist peanut butter chocolate swirl cake topped with a luscious peanut butter buttercream, baked snack cake style.

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Yields: 10

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Brown Butter Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cake

• 113g or ½ cup butter to be browned
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 200g or 1 cup fine granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 50g or ¼ cup avocado or canola oil
• 130g or ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 190g or 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
• 180g or ¾ cup cup buttermilk or plain kefir
• 60g or ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder

Peanut Butter Brown Butter Buttercream

• ½ cup butter for browning
• ¼ cup butter softened
• ⅓ cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 ¼ cup organic powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Method

To make the cake

• Preheat oven to 325 F and grease and line an 8×8 square inch pan with parchment paper.
• Over medium heat in a saucepan, melt the butter. Continue to cook while the butter sputters, bubbles and foams. Once it goes silent and turns brown, immediately remove from heat and pour into a bowl, scraping up the tiny brown bits from the pan. Let cool completely.
• In a large bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy - about 3-4 minutes. Add the salt and vanilla as you beat.
• With the beaters on, slowly pour in the oil and the cooled brown butter. Scrape up all the brown butter bits into the bowl (those are the tasty parts!). Beat to combine then add the peanut butter and beat.
• Add the flour and baking powder, and with the mixer on add the buttermilk and water. Stop beating once the batter is well mixed.
• Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. To the other half of the batter add the cocoa and a tablespoon of water, and stir to fully combine. Then pour the now chocolate batter over the peanut butter, and use the offset spatula or a butterknife to swirl the two batters.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean of any wet crumbs.

To make the buttercream

• Brown 1/2 cup butter: Over medium heat in a saucepan, melt the butter. Continue to cook while the butter sputters, bubbles and foams. Once it goes silent and turns brown, immediately remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl, scraping up the tiny brown bits from the pan. Let it cool at room temperature and then set it in the fridge for a couple of hours, stirring now and then until it has solidified and is soft and creamy (like the texture of coconut oil). You can speed this up by doing it in the freezer but you’ll need to keep a closer eye on it.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the brown butter and softened butter until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, vanilla and salt and beat to combine. Add the powdered sugar and beat. The mixture is going to look thick and not-spreadable, don’t worry, we are about to fix it.
• Add the heavy cream and beat until the buttercream is light and fluffy, as pictured. If it’s still not smooth, add another TB of heavy cream. Once the cake is cool, spread the buttercream over the cake.

Did you make this recipe?

Share & tag me on instagram @buttermilkbysam

16 comments