If you grew up eating school lunches in the 1970s or 1980s, you may remember the school cafeteria peanut butter cake. At my school in San Antonio, I recall it being served on the same day they served chili -- Manager's Choice day, perhaps? Anyhow, the cake was baked in a big sheet pan, covered with a smooth peanut butter frosting and sliced into thin rectangles. That cake was the inspiration for this one.
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
The school cafeteria cakes were basic peanut butter sheet cakes, and I'm sure they were a little different from district to district. This one is a peanut butter sheet cake adapted from a recipe that is similar to Texas Sheet Cake but entirely peanut butter flavor. The cake is a moist and tender brown peanut butter cake with a hint of cinnamon. The frosting is a pour over peanut butter flavored frosting that spreads into a smooth, shiny layer and sets up soft. It's not quite the same as Texas Sheet Cake icing and definitely not a buttercream.
Peanut Butter Powder Dusted Pan
This is an excellent serve right out of the pan type cake, and you don't even need to use parchment paper. I usually grease pans with butter then dust with flour, but since this cake is peanut butter flavored and I have a huge package of peanut powder, I dusted the pan with peanut butter powder. The cake came out of the pan easily and the peanut powder mixed with the butter added flavor and a little more moisture. Not that this cake needed it.
Storing and Serving
This cake is a great freezer cake! In fact, I felt like the frozen thawed version was even better because the freezing process tightens up the crumb a bit. You can slice it while frozen, then arrange the sliced pieces in the pan or on a platter for serving. Freezing also helped set the frosting.
Small Batch Version
This cake is versatile. You can make it as a 15x10 inch jellyroll size cake or use two 7x11 inch "brownie pans". I like the 7x11 inch versions because they're easier to deal with in terms of cutting, slicing, storing, etc. If you just want to make a small sheet cake, you can use half the ingredients and make it in one 7x11 inch pan. The full batch recipe is in the card and the small batch sheet cake recipe is below.
- 1 cup flour (130 grams)
- 1 cup sugar (200 g)
- 1small pinch cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅜ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter (84 grams)
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (64 grams) -- Skippy, Jif, Peter Pan
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (50 grams)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup buttermilk (60 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Pour Over Peanut Butter Frosting
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- ½ tablespoons butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup marshmallows
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour a 7x11 inch pan. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the peanut butter, oil and water. Stir over lowest heat until smooth, then pour over dry ingredients. Stir by hand to mix, then stir in the milk and the egg. Beat by hand just until smooth, then pour in the pan and bake for about 28 minutes.
To make the frosting, you can use the same saucepan you used for the cake. Wipe it out and add the sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Heat over medium until boiling, then do a very controlled boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add peanut butter, marshmallows and vanilla and stir until smooth. Pour the smooth and creamy mixture over the warm cake and let it cool completely. If it doesn't set completely when cool, throw it in the freezer or refrigerator. This will set the top and tighten the crumb a bit if needed. It's a very moist cake!
Recipe
School Cafeteria Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (260 grams)
- 2 cups sugar (385 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (170 grams)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter, sweetened type (130 grams)
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup sugar (198 grams)
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon butter (14 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup marshmallows (25 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease a 15 ½ by 10 ½ inch pan (jellyroll pan).
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour two 7x11 inch pan or one 15 ½ by 10 ½ inch jelly roll pan.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the peanut butter, oil and water. Stir over lowest heat until smooth, then pour over dry ingredients. Stir by hand to mix, then stir in the milk and the egg.
- Beat by hand just until smooth, then pour in the pan and bake for about 28 minutes. Could take a little longer. This cake is so moist that even if you overbake by a few minutes it will most likely still be awesome.
- To make the frosting, you can use the same saucepan you used for the cake. Wipe it out and add the sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt.
- Heat over medium until boiling, then do a very controlled boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, add peanut butter, marshmallows and vanilla and stir until smooth.
- Pour the smooth and creamy mixture over the warm cake and let it cool completely. If it doesn't set completely when cool, throw it in the freezer or refrigerator. This will set the top and tighten the crumb a bit if needed.
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