This recipe for old-fashioned peanut butter cake comes to us from the Mennonite settlement outside of Jessup, Georgia in the heart of peanut country. The Mennonite woman who shared it with me said she came up with the recipe as a way to incorporate locally grown peanut products, and that the cake is a prize-winner (she didn't say what prize) and it is also her daughter's favorite cake for birthdays.
🥜 Peanut Butter and the Amish
Peanut butter, historically, wasn't something that was found in Amish kitchens much. Peanuts were not generally grown in areas where the Amish were most populous (Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, for instance). So peanut butter just wasn't found much in Amish kitchens. But as the 20th century moved along, peanut butter made its way into Amish bulk food stores. It's shelf-stability, longevity, and versatility quickly won over the Amish.
Today, some Amish, when and where they can, do grow their own peanuts and will make their own homemade peanut butter.
🥄 How Do The Amish Use Peanut Butter?
Most Amish use peanut butter the way anyone else does, here are some favorite ways:
Sandwiches: Of course! But you'll often find unique flavors of PB&J, like PB and rhubarb jam sandwiches or dandelion jelly.
Desserts: Cakes and cookies can often be sweetened up with the addition of delicious peanut butter. And who doesn't like peanut butter pie?
Stir-fry meals: Peanut sauces can liven up veggies.
Coffeecakes: breakfast is a better with a peanut butter coffeecake!
French toast: slather a little peanut butter on french toast and drizzle some syrup.
🥪 Amish Peanut Butter Church Spread
Of course, one of the ways in which peanut butter quickly - and early - caught on among the Amish was in their creation of this "church spread", a confection of peanut butter, corn syrup, and marshmallow creme. This become a favorite among the Amish sometime in the early 20th century and has stuck around. It is great spread on homemade bread, but some Amish spread it as a topping on meat sandwiches (no thanks).
📋 Step-by-Step Amish Peanut Butter Cake
This recipe has been around Amish365.com for a long time. And, I have to say, if you like peanut butter, you will LOVE this cake. I mean, what is there not to like? I do love pure peanut butter. There is a Mennonite bakery near me, for instance, that makes these amazing peanut butter whoopie pies which are essentially two peanut butter cookies with a layer of whipped peanut butter frosting between the two peanut butter cookies. That is pure peanut butter bliss.
You will use some dishes in this recipe. But you can use disposable paper bowls. I'd not begrudge you for that. Clean-up is never fun. For me, the more peanutty the better. I'd be tempted next time to use a crunchy peanut butter.
The cake part of this is really easy. You are essentially making three layer cakes and if you stick with the recipe below, you'll do fine. Just spoon or pour the batter into three prepared layer cake pans so you can have a great peanut butter layer cake Of course, as always, you can make additions and substitutions. For instance, if you don't have buttermilk for the batter, sour milk would also work.
For the frosting, for instance, you'll need powdered sugar. But I think some brown sugar in the frosting makes a nice touch and balance to the peanut butter.
This prize-winning peanut butter lovers cake is a triple layer cake. Now, if it were just me eating the cake, I'd go thicker on the layers of frosting than what you see in the picture. I mean, the cake part of this cake is GOOD, but the frosting, THAT is the star of the show, so I want more of that!
You also could skip the layer cakes and just do one large peanut butter sheet cake.
We mixed the frosting with a hand-held paddle as you can see above, but you can also use an electric mixer.
A little melted chocolate could be added to the frosting or the cake. Experiment. This recipe is tough to mess up!
Either way, whether you decide on a thinner or a thicker layer of frosting, this cake is packed with peanutty goodness. If you are the type of person, like I am, that can't get enough peanut butter (I dip my Reese's Cups in peanut butter), this cake is for you! My grandma loved this kind of cake.
Frost cake when it is cool. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Or if you like your cake cold (like me), you can store it in the refrigerator.
🥜 More Amish Peanut Recipes
Peanuts are an important part of the Amish culinary landscape and are used in many recipes, here are some favorites!
Delicious!
Mennonite Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Another perfect peanutty dessert!
After-Church Peanut Butter Spread
This is an Amish classic, spread on some bread and enjoy!
Classic!
🖨️ Peanut Butter Lovers Cake Recipe
Amish Peanut Butter Cake (with peanut butter frosting)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup shortening
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 eggs separated
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 ½ cups powedered sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅓ cup peanuts chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350
- Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans.
- Separate eggs (room temperature). Whip whites until stiff, set aside.
- Cream shortening and sugar. Add butter, egg yolks, and vanilla.
- Mix well. Sift flour, soda, and salt and add alternately with buttermilk.
- Fold egg whites into the batter. Divide into 3 pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350 or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting
- Whip everything together (except peanuts) until ingredients are thoroughly combined and spreadable
- Spread between layers and on top and sides.
- Sprinkle with peanuts.
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