This Peanut Butter Pound Cake is studded with plenty of chocolate chips, and it’s topped with a decadent peanut butter glaze and more chocolate chips! The cake has a dense, moist texture, and the exterior of the cake is crisp and crusty. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy peanut butter cake, this isn’t for you. But if you’re a chocolate-peanut butter lover like me, you’re likely to think this recipe is a keeper.
We are big fans of pound cake around here as evidenced by the fifteen pound cake recipes on our website. They’re all pretty amazing, but my favorites are the lemon pound cake, blueberry lime pound cake and pumpkin- ginger pound cake.
Peanut butter lovers will really love this mouth-watering cake since it has a solid, old fashioned peanut butter cake base and glaze. The chocolate is an added bonus! If you love all things chocolate and peanut butter (a delicious combination), then this indulgent treat is for you.
You might also love to try peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread, chocolate chip peanut butter bars and peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes.
Ingredients Needed:
- The Basics: All purpose flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, eggs, salt and vanilla extract.
- Peanut Butter: I like to use creamy peanut butter for the cake and the glaze. You can choose to use crunchy peanut butter, if you’d like. Whatever type you choose, make sure it’s not a “natural” peanut butter. You really need to use a Jif or Skippy type peanut butter for the best results.
- Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chocolate chips are my choice. Use whatever chocolate chips you’d like.
- Powdered Sugar: Since this is for the glaze, you want it to be nice and smooth. If your powdered sugar is lumpy, run it through a sifter or sieve to remove the lumps.
- Milk: The milk is used for the glaze. Feel free to use any kind of milk (nonfat, 2% milk, whole milk or almond milk). You can even use half and half, if you’d like.
How to make Peanut Butter Pound Cake:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of the post. Here’s a brief overview.
- Preheat the oven and grease the pan.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and peanut butter. Then add the sugar, and cream that mixture by beating for 5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients a little at a time until mixed in. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for one hour and 30 minutes. Then let cool and flip onto a wire rack.
- When the cake is cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients and then drizzle it onto the cake. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Recipe Tips
- Read through the recipe completely before you start making the recipe.
- Don’t try to make a layer cake with this recipe. It won’t work. You need a 12 cup pan- either a bundt pan or a tube pan. If you’re not sure how many cups your pan will hold, use cups of water to figure it out.
- Coat the pan well with baking spray (or oil and flour) to prevent sticking.
- Don’t over-fill the pan with batter. A good rule of thumb is to leave 2 inches from the top of the batter to the top of the pan. Place a baking sheet on the rack underneath just to be safe (in case there is any spilling of batter).
- Make sure the eggs and butter are at room temperature. The ingredients will combine more easily at room temperature.
- In the directions, you’ll notice that you are instructed to beat the peanut butter, butter and sugar for 5 minutes. The long beating time allows these ingredients to end up as light and fluffy. That’s what you want.
- When adding the dry ingredients, just mix until combined. Don’t over mix.
- When your pound cake is done, the sides will pull away from the pan, and a cake tester or toothpick will come out with just a few crumbs attached.
- Since this is a dense pound cake with a crispy exterior crust, use a serrated knife to get the cleanest slices.
Suggested Change-Ups:
- For the major peanut butter lover, use peanuts in place of chocolate chips.
- Bake a plain peanut butter pound cake, add the glaze and top it with chopped Reeses peanut butter cups. Or bake some Reeses inside the pound cake too!
- Add a chocolate glaze instead of a peanut butter glaze: Combine 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the cream is hot, about 30 seconds. Add the salt and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cake.
How to store a Peanut Butter Pound Cake:
This cake may be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to use a round cake carrier. It also freezes well. Wrap the cake while it’s still warm, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Alternately, you can freeze slices of cake. Wrap them well, and them drop them into a large freezer zip baggie.
What You’ll Love About This Peanut Butter Pound Cake Recipe:
- It’s super easy to make. You just need to be patient since it has a long baking time. It’s worth the wait!
- Everyone will love this cake- it’s kind of like heaven on a plate.
- It might just become a family favorite in your house.
Peanut Butter Pound Cake
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (don't use natural)
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated white sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups chocolate chips
GLAZE:
- 1½ cups sifted powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
PREPARE THE CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Spray 10-cup tube pan generously with nonstick spray (I like the Pam Baking Spray).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the peanut butter and butter. Add the sugar and beat an additional 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan a couple of times on the counter to shake out any hidden air pockets.
- Bake 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes, checking on the cake at 1 hour to make sure it's not browning too quickly on top. If browning too quickly, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan. When a toothpick is inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean, your cake is done. Let cool for 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.
PREPARE THE GLAZE:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. The glaze will set eventually- if you'd like to quicken the setting process, just place it into the refrigerator for a bit.
- This pound cake is very dense and turns out a crispy exterior crust. Use a serrated knife to cut slices.
Notes
- *Might be nice to chop a bunch of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and swirl those into the cake instead of the chocolate chips. Then you can add chunks on top as well!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this (except I put it in loaf pans) and blogged about them today! Thanks for sharing-it was delicious 🙂 I am particularly addicted to the glaze!
I so love you for forming this amazing masterpiece for Peanut Butter lovers!!!!
Hello!
I’ve made this cake many times – my fiance and i LOVE it. However, after letting it cool for 20-30 minutes, i take it out, and the ‘crust’ on top sort of breaks, and sinks a bit. It seems like there were air pockets between the top of the cake and the crust, and i can’t get it to stay, i guess solid would be the word. Any tips? Thanks!
Holly
I know I’m kinda late here, but I bookmarked this recipe ages ago and finally made it. Delicious! Got rave reviews on this cake. It was also really easy to make, definitely going on my favorites list.
Thanks!
Oh lord I made this today and it is fantastic! I had a 13 cup tube pan and it came out perfect. The glaze is a winner!
Wow, this looks so awesome! I’m not sure, but I think I could hurt myself with this cake!
By the way, FYI. I always thought dark chocolate had less fat than semi sweet, not true.
There is a peanut butter that I saw on hungry girl. It’s a powder that has all of the fat removed and you add water for the desired consistency.
I don’t know if that would work or substituting fat free cream cheese with 1/2 the peanut butter? As far as eggs go, I usually use egg whites in place of eggs or egg beaters. And when oil is called for I use applesauce. Sometime, if u sacrifice a few fattening ingredients that can be changed out for non fat, then u can justify the ones that u cant change. I may experiment and let u all know what happens.
Just wondering as Madeja did above why natural PB cannot be substituted? I prefer the taste and don’t like all the additives in the traditional PBs.
If you have a natural peanut butter that is a no-stir type, that tends to be more creamy than the natural peanut butters that I’ve tried… it might work. The mainstream peanut butter has a texture that works well in cakes- must be the extra oils. If you give it a go w/ the natural sort, please do come back and let us know if it worked out!
Yumo! Sounds awesome ! Wondering how many fat grams! Wonder if anyone maybe able to come up with lighter version?
My family and I are on 30 fat grams a day and successfully loosing weight.
Son and I are down 13 lbs and husband 40.
This may be the weekly cheat! I would Fast all
Day for this.
uh oh, this cake is probably not for those counting fat grams, lol! What a great feat though to have lost all of those pounds. I need to get in that healthy mindset soon!