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.
This is probably a silly question but I would hate to mess up this delicious recipe with a rookie mistake. I want make it a day in advance so do I need to keep it in the fridge or will the cake be fine on the counter?
It will be fine on the counter.
I just made this cake and found the same issues. Took quite a bit longer to bake (hour and 45 minutes maybe?). The outside is very crispy although not burnt at all. I put foil on it after about 40 minutes. And the batter was MUCH more like cookie dough than it was like cake batter. It almost felt like some ingredient was missing. But I went with it anyway. Also, the cake rose up instead of staying flat like in your picture. Haven’t tasted it yet and I’m hoping for the best bc it smells delicious!! I’m bringing it to Easter dinner.
I hope it turned out for you!
Hi – i LOVE this recipe, the flavor is just delicious. However, after baking it countless times over the last couple of years, in 4 different homes (so i know it’s not a problem with the stove) it has NEVER been done in 1hr 20min. What am I doing wrong? I follow directions exactly as written with exact equipment you say. Should I try a higher temp? How long does it take for you… surely more than an hour twenty! I could use any advice you have to give. Thank you!
I’m afraid I don’t have any advice- I baked the recipe as written and all turned out fine for me (at sea level).
This looks so yummy, but I don’t have a tub pan. Would it work okay in bread loaf pans if the timing was adjusted? I wouldn’t want to ruin it, but really want to make it!
I’ve not tried it in loaf pan so I’m not sure!
I’m honestly not sure why it’s turning out like that for some people!
This cake looks amazing!!! Going to make it as soon as I can get to the store for milk chocolate mini chips. thanks for sharing.
Nothing better than a moist, dense pound cake! And this one has my very favorite flavor combination too! I agree, the word drizzle is awesome; I wouldn’t think of leaving any pound cake plain. The glaze just makes it, in my opinion. Thanks, Lori, for this awesome recipe.
Deb
I don’t have a bundt pan… will this work in a 9×13? I sure hope so, cause that is all I have and I want to make this!
Thanks!!!!!
Hmmm, I’m not sure. It’s a pound cake, and it’s extremely dense. It may seem strange baked in a 9×13, but let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
I am going to try and make this gluten free as it looks AWESOME but I can’t have regular flour. Will let you know how it turns out!!
WHOA! This looks AMAZING! hoping to make a gluten free version of this!!