About
Some people think peanut butter and jelly is the perfect food combination. That's a pretty good guess, but as the Perfect Pair Sheet Cake proves, it's actually peanut butter and chocolate. The nutty creaminess of peanut butter in the thick and fluffy frosting is a match made in heaven with the moist chocolate cake. It really can't get much better than with the Perfect Pair Sheet Cake!
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-processed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- For the peanut butter frosting:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter, melted
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more, to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- Optional, for topping:
- 1 cup peanut butter cups, chopped
- caramel syrup or ice cream topping, to taste
- creamy peanut butter, to taste, melted
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 -Generously coat a 12x17-inch half sheet pan or jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
Step 3 -In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 2 sticks of the unsalted butter, the water, and the cocoa powder and cook, while whisking, until the butter is melted.
Step 4 -In a large bowl, add the flour, the baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and whisk to combine.
Step 5 -Pour the warm butter mixture into the flour mixture and slowly whisk to combine until a very thick batter forms.
Step 6 -In a medium bowl, add the eggs, the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar and whisk to combine. The egg mixture will be thick.
Step 7 -Add 2 teaspoons of the vanilla to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
Step 8 -Add the egg mixture to the batter and whisk until combined.
Step 9 -Add the buttermilk to the batter and whisk to combine.
Step 10 -Add the batter to the prepared sheet pan and spread it out evenly.
Step 11 -Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 12 -Transfer the cake pan from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely. You can also chill the cake in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
Step 13 -In a large bowl, add the remaining softened butter and 1 1/2 cups of the melted peanut butter and use an electric handheld mixer on medium-high speed to beat until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Step 14 -Add 3 cups of the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, the remaining vanilla, and the extra salt to the peanut butter mixture and beat on low speed for about 20 seconds.
Step 15 -Gradually increase the mixing speed to high and beat on high speed until a fluffy frosting forms, about 1 minute.
Step 16 -Taste the frosting for seasoning and add more of the extra salt, as needed.
Step 17 -If the frosting is too thick, add the extra heavy cream, a little at a time. If the frosting is too thin, add the extra confectioners' sugar, a little at a time.
Step 18 -Spread the peanut butter frosting over the cooled cake.
Step 19 -Sprinkle the cake with the chopped peanut butter cups.
Step 20 -Drizzle the cake with the caramel syrup and the extra melted peanut butter.
Step 21 -Slice and serve.
