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Peanut Butter Cake Bars

I made peanut butter cake bars for a Tilford-family birthday Saturday. Peanut-butter cake batter baked in a 9-by-13, frosted with a peanut-butter-cream-cheese frosting. Reimbursement $30 tip $20.

The recipe is below.

Peanut Butter Cake Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 16

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional, for topping)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 350°F and grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan or a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Heat the wet base. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, and peanut butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.
  4. Combine. Pour the hot peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract, and mix until the batter is smooth.
  5. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Make the frosting. About five minutes before the cake is done, combine the butter, peanut butter, and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla until creamy.
  7. Frost while warm. Pour the frosting over the warm cake and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired.
  8. Cool and cut. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Carbs: 56g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 290mg

Kaylee Turner
About the cook who shared this
Kaylee Turner
Week 332 of Kaylee’s 30-year story · Tulsa, Oklahoma
Kaylee is twenty-five, married with three kids under six, and the youngest mom on the RecipeSpinoff team. She got her GED at twenty, married at nineteen, and feeds her family on whatever she can find at Dollar General and the Tulsa grocery outlet. She survived a tornado that took the roof off her apartment and discovered that you can make surprisingly good dinners with canned goods and determination. Don't underestimate her. She doesn't underestimate herself.

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