If you are looking for a dessert to take to a picnic for the 4th of July celebration, I have just the thing for you—Peanut Butter Fudge Cake. It’s super easy to make and so rich you’ll want to go easy on the serving size. It’s part candy, part cake and works whether you are a “You got peanut butter on my chocolate” or a “You got chocolate in my peanut butter sort of person.”
(For you young people who weren’t around in the 1970’s and 80’s to know what I’m talking about, that pop culture reference is based on some of Gen X’s favorite television commercials. If they were on the airwaves today, y’all would be making memes out of them. Christina, this version’s for you.)
Without further ado, I’ll get right to the recipe. Stephen asked for this cake for his birthday a few weeks ago, so I’ve got some photos to go along with the recipe this time.
You start with your favorite box brownie mix. If you want to make this in a 13 x 9 inch pan, you’ll want to use two boxes for a nice, thick brownie base. Make the brownies according to the package directions except add an additional egg. This makes the brownies more cake-like and less fudgy. Once the brownies are done, you cool them for about five minutes—no longer—and put dollops of your favorite peanut butter on top. Creamy or crunchy? That’s between you and your taste buds. Like garlic, peanut butter should be measured with your heart or as the spirit leads you. I use about a cup or so for a 9 x 9 inch pan and a cup and a half to two cups for a 13 x 9 inch pan.
You want to put the peanut butter on a warm pan of brownies so the heat can soften and melt the peanut butter, making it easy to spread. Then you leave it to cool completely.
The final step is to top it with a fudge frosting, also known as a chocolate pan frosting. For Stephen’s birthday cake, I took a chance on Grandmother Mason’s Fudge Icing, and it turned out perfect. I’m not proficient enough with the recipe to share it with you yet, but I’m getting close. One thing I did learn this time was a full recipe of this frosting was too much for this size cake. You can see in the first photo that it set up beautifully, but delicious as this batch was, it threw off the chocolate to peanut butter ratio too much. Next time, I’ll use about 2/3 - 3/4 of the icing recipe for the cake and let the rest set up as fudge candy.
You can use your own cooked fudge frosting to top this or use a can of chocolate frosting from the baking aisle at the grocery store. Store bought frosting will give you a different texture for the frosting layer, but it is every bit as delicious. I’ve used the Chocolate Pan Frosting recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook in the past, and I’ve put that recipe below.
I’m not kidding about the cake being so rich you’ll want smaller portions. This was still a lot of cake for the two of us, so I froze the rest in single serving portions, and they have been delicious thawed from the freezer.
Peanut Butter Fudge Cake
1 - 2 boxes of Brownie Mix (depending on final cake size)
1 - 1 1/2 cups Peanut Butter
Fudge Frosting
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, except add an extra egg to the batter. Bake and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
Place dollops of peanut butter on the still warm cake and allow the peanut butter to warm up and melt a bit. Spread evenly over the brownie pan and cool completely. Everything must be completely cool for the fudge frosting to set up properly.
Make your frosting of choice and spread over the peanut butter. Allow the fudge frosting to cool and set.
Chocolate Pan Frosting
From The Cake Mix Doctor
8 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup whole milk
4 cups confectioners sugar
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and add in cocoa and milk. Increase the heat a bit and let the mixture come to a boil. You’ll want to stir this pretty much the whole time. As it gets hotter, the butter and chocolate will separate a bit, but that’s OK.
As soon as it starts boiling, remove it from the heat and stir in the confectioners sugar until it is thick and smooth.
Pour the frosting over the cake and spread evenly across the top. Work quickly because the frosting will set up faster than you think. Let the frosting cool completely, and it will set up like fudge candy.
I hope you all have a lovely July 4th holiday!
Until next time,
Karla
Yes! I actually remember that specific commercial! This cake looks amazing. Holy peanut butter and chocolate, Batman.