Lately, I’ve been trying to be more prompt about making recipes I find in the obscene number of magazines I receive every month. Most of the recipes I want to make get filed away for future reference, but there always seems to be a few that are just crying out to be made as soon as possible. This cake from Taste of the South is one of those recipes.
This cake only has 1/2 cup of peanut butter, but somehow that translates into a lovely peanut butter flavor. The swirled peanut butter and chocolate chips add a little extra peanut butter while adding a touch of chocolate. And, really, few things are better to me than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
When baking a pound cake, I always worry that it won’t have the characteristic pound cake texture. I love the way the crispy crust forms around soft cake. This cake did not let me down. It really turned out beautifully.
It seems that I have been baking all things chocolate lately, so I thought a little break from that would be nice for variety’s sake. Of course, there is just a smidgen of chocolate in this pound cake, but really it’s all about the peanut butter. Then again, a little chocolate sauce on top of a slice of this pound cake is not a bad idea.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 10 ounces swirled milk chocolate and peanut butter morsels
- confectioners sugar for dusting
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
Beat butter, sugars, and peanut butter at medium speed until fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to butter/sugar mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes, until done. If necessary, cover top of cake with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Garnish, if desired, with confectioners sugar.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Taste of the South.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:41 am
All chocolate all the time is not a bad thing! I’m also taking a little, and I emphasize little, break from baking with chocolate. The PB pound cake looks great! I like your chocolate sauce on top idea… damn it, I’m on a break!
January 31st, 2008 at 3:03 am
i reckon that there cookbook is chock full of some dang good recipes.
tastes like home (but no, i don’t actually talk like that…)!
January 31st, 2008 at 6:22 am
Mmm, peanut butter pound cake. What a great idea! I was also thinking a chocolate glaze on the top would make me happy.
January 31st, 2008 at 6:48 am
I’m addicted to peanut butter, so your pound cake really makes me tummy rumble! Gorgeous looking!
Cheers,
Rosa
January 31st, 2008 at 7:01 am
Peanut Butter? Yumm!
January 31st, 2008 at 7:44 am
You know, I have this strange love for pound cakes and bundts – there is something so very old-fashioned, comforting and satisfying about them, that I can rarely resist! This looks like a lovely one, the chocolate glaze idea sounds fantastic.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:06 am
I’ve actually never seen a peanut butter pound cake, but it sounds like the perfect comfort food.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:42 am
There is definitely a lack of peanut butter cakes around, as I spent all night looking for one to make for a birthday party this weekend. And I’m not sure why, peanut butter is the best thing since sliced bread. Maybe next time, instead of the chocolate chips, I’ll toss in some nutellla. If you are gonna go, might as well go big, right?
January 31st, 2008 at 10:27 am
This sounds delicious!
January 31st, 2008 at 11:28 am
Chuck, I agree. I personally don’t need a break from chocolate. It’s just nice to offer something else every once in a while.
LOL, a grace! They actually have lots of wonderful recipes.
Leslie, it’s really good without the glaze, but the glaze just pushes it over the top.
Thanks, Rosa! This is certainly for you if you’re a peanut butter fan.
Tarah, that’s exactly how I feel about peanut butter.
Tara, I love Bundt cakes, too. I usually attribute that to my terrible frosting skills.
Alicia, I pretty sure this is the first peanut butter pound cake I’ve seen.
Amanda, recipes that prominently feature peanut butter can be hard to find. I have searched for many over the years because I have a father and a brother-in-law who love peanut butter. Whenever I find them, I am always sure to hang on to them. I actually had the same exact thought about the Nutella. I was thinking of substituting it for the peanut butter, then maybe adding chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Yum!
Deborah, it is very, very good!
January 31st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I am never disappointment when I stop by your blog—just the most amazing photos & perfect recipes for a person who is all about dessert (that’s me!)! Of, course I take a gander at your additional related recipes–oh my–a peanut butter & chocolate cheesecake–is that legal?
January 31st, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Well, well, well. Looks like pound cake just got a whole lot better. Damn!
January 31st, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Thanks, JEP! I’m glad you enjoy the site. As for that cheesecake, I think it’s legal, but just barely.
LOL, Cakespy. This is some pound cake.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:31 pm
This cake makes me absolutely salivate.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:53 am
This sounds like the first pound cake I’m going to make!!:) Swirls of peanut butter are what make it for me I guess…
Thanks!
February 1st, 2008 at 10:13 am
This looks awesome, I need to get my bundt pan back so I can give it a try!
February 1st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Thanks, giz, Evelin, and Brilynn!
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:08 am
My husband loves chocolate chip pound cake….but he’s also a peanut butter nut!! So I’m thinking he really gonna love it. Thanks for the recipe and your pictures are gorgeous!!! Do you use a tripod on your food pics?
http://www.burningkitchen.blogspot.com
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
Thanks, Terri! I hope you and your husband enjoy the cake. To answer your question, we use a tripod always with natural light and sometimes with a flash.
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Good luck with the magazine recipe thing. I just made a new recipe – from 1996! The pound cake looks deelish.
February 2nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Oooh, the texture of the inside looks to-die-for. Gorgeous!
By the way – I’ve tagged you for a meme on my blog. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but the link’s here:
http://happylovestrawberry.blogspot.com/2008/02/expression-of-affection-and-meme.html
Thanks!
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I’m always looking for new ways to use my bundt pan. Who can resist chocolate and peanut butter together?
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Tracy, I’ve got “to-make” recipes from years back. I think it’s unavoidable. I am trying, though!
Thanks, Indigo!
Carla, I certainly can’t resist that combination!
February 9th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Ooo peanut butter pound cake! Sounds delicious. I’m always intrigued by baked goods with peanut butter.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Thankyou this cake was so yummy! I’m rom England and we don’t have chocolate and peanut butter morsels so as a substitute I used a concoction of a chopped up milk chocolate bar and a couple of big spoonfuls each of nutella and crunchy peant butter.
I also added chocolate icing which literally topped it off!
Before I made it I wasn’t totally sure that peanut butter would go in a cake but had to make it for my friend’s birthday cake as she loves pb, and it definitely worked, I’ll be making this again!
June 12th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Hatti, I’m glad you liked it! The addition of Nutella sounds delicious.
June 21st, 2008 at 4:20 am
Hi Jennifer, just wanted to let you know that I made this cake this morning and the smells in my kitchen are making me salvitate! This is the first pound cake I’ve ever made and something tells me I’m not going to be disappointed. Thank you for a great recipe
June 21st, 2008 at 9:52 am
nickki, that’s good to hear. Enjoy!