How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting Cake
OFTEN REQUESTED BY READERS OF SHAW POINT, I AM SHARING THE RECIPE FOR JOSEPHINE’S PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING CAKE… ENJOY!
During the time of the Great War, many household items were rationed, including flour. However, families would often reserve some of these limited items to create treats for times of celebration.
After moving to a rural area outside of Chatham, Virginia, Martha celebrates the first Christmas with neighbors. Josephine prepares her special Peanut Butter frosting cake to the delight of everyone.
At the time of publishing, I decided to NOT include the recipe for Josephine’s famous cake. It has often been requested by readers of SHAW POINT and so I’m sharing the recipe with you all below. Enjoy!
Josephine’s Peanut Butter Frosting Cake
Frosting
Yield: about 24 cupcakes or 8-inch 2 layer round cake
Ingredients:
1 C unsalted butter, room temperature/soft
1 C peanut butter, smooth*
3-4 C powdered sugar, sifted
4-5 T heavy cream (not half-and-half)
Instructions:
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add powdered sugar by ½ cups, gradually mixing into the butter/peanut butter mixture along with 1 tablespoon of cream at a time. Continue to whip together until you obtain the desired fluffy consistency you prefer for icing. May be stored in a refrigerator in a sealed container for up to one week. Also once used to frost any cake, requires refrigeration of leftovers (heavy cream and butter need to remain chilled)
*Josephine’s would have been simply ground peanuts with salt which may need to be stirred well if separated*
Yellow Cake:
Ingredients at room temperature work best. Do not over mix your batter, this results in a cake that may not rise. Do not attempt to frost cake until completely cool. Finally, if you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can create it by adding 1 T of vinegar to 1 C of fresh milk.
Prep: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prep two 8 inch round pans by lightly greasing and dusting with flour.
Yield: 2 8 inch round cakes
Ingredients:
½ C unsalted butter softened
½ C Oil
1 ½ C granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 t Vanilla extract
1 ¼ C Buttermilk (see the note above)
3 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
¼ t baking soda
Instructions:
Using a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk and mix just until smooth. Set Aside. In a separate smaller mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Now add this dry mixture into your wet ingredients folding together gently to combine. It is important to not over mix! Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when cooked. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. When cakes are cool, place one layer onto a cake plate or stand and spread frosting on top and around the sides. Place the second layer on top of the first and press gently to assure cakes are sticking together (you don’t want it to slide off when you start to frost the second layer!). Proceed to frost the top and sides of the top layer.
The entire cake should be covered in frosting. Store uneaten cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered. I welcome your comments and questions. You can reach out to me by using my Contact Page. Thanks so much to a reader from Australia, Looney (not their real name) for encouraging me to share the recipe with readers everywhere.