Nothing is cozier than Apple Peanut Butter Cake! This easy 9×13 cake features sweet chunks of apple throughout with a fluffy peanut butter frosting on top. The perfect after-school snack or fall treat to keep on your countertop just because!
Apple Peanut Butter Cake
Calling all peanut butter lovers! There’s a lot of peanut buttery goodness in this cake, both in the batter itself and the fluffy frosting on top. Tender bites of baked apples throughout the cake help to break up that flavor with pops of freshness. This is one of my favorite fall cake recipes, especially for parties! Since it’s a 9×13 cake recipe, it yields a lot of servings. Make this for Thanksgiving and get ready to receive a ton of compliments! It’s also a great make-ahead recipe, which is ideal for party/holiday prepping.
Check out more of my favorite easy fall cake recipes like chai spiced pear breakfast cake, perfect pumpkin cake, and classic apple cake.
What kind of apples work best for this cake?
Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, and Granny Smith all work well. You can also combine a sweeter apple with a tart Granny Smith for a more balanced flavor! This recipe is versatile, so you can really use whatever apples you already have on hand.
How to Make Apple Peanut Butter Cake
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch dish.
- Whisk dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Whip wet ingredients. Whip the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Add the peanut butter and whip again untiil fluffy. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then whip in the vanilla, and follow with the milk until smooth.
- Mix the dry and wet. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.
- Add apples. Fold in the chopped apples, then spread evenly into the pan.
- Bake. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Whip the butter in a large bowl, add peanut butter, and whip again until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt and mix. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and stir to combine. Beat a tablespoon of milk in at a time until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Whip for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Frost and garnish the cake. Evenly spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Garnish with thinly sliced apples, peanut butter drizzle, and crushed peanuts.
Storing
Stored covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days. I recommend waiting to garnish it with fresh apples until you’re ready to serve! Apples release liquid, so you don’t want a wet mess on top of your cake if you’re making it ahead of time. Garnish just before serving.
Ingredient Notes
For the cake:
- Flour – Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level it with the back of a butter knife. If you dunk the measuring cup straight into the bag, you’ll end up packing it. Packed flour is too much flour.
- Baking Powder – Always make sure this isn’t expired! If it’s outdated, it won’t be potent enough to make your cake rise.
- Cinnamon – There’s just enough cinnamon to create a warm fall flavor without overpowering the peanut butter.
- Salt – A pinch will enhance all of the other ingredients without making anything taste salty.
- Salted Butter – It needs to be softened to room temperature. Don’t forget to leave it on the counter for an hour before using it!
- Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar – You need both. Brown sugar adds a warmer flavor while granulated sugar adds sweetness without weighing down the cake with too much moisture.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – I recommend regular peanut butter for this recipe. Natural peanut butter can separate and may affect the consistency of both the cake batter and frosting.
- Eggs – Letting them adjust to room temperature before using will help them more easily incorporate into the batter.
- Vanilla Extract – There’s just enough to add depth.
- Milk – Any kind of milk will get the job done.
- Apples – Make sure to peel the apples and finely dice them. If you leave the peels, it disrupts the texture of the cake by adding a chewy element.
For the icing:
- Salted Butter – This also needs to be fully softened so you don’t end up with chunks of butter in your frosting.
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar – This cannot be swapped with any other sugar.
- Milk – Add more or less to reach the desired consistency for your frosting.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Apple Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 1/2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Salted butter softened
- 1 Cup Packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup Granulated sugar
- 3/4 Cup Creamy peanut butter
- 3 Large eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 2 Cups Peeled and finely chopped apples
For the frosting:
- 1/2 Cup Salted butter softened
- 1/2 Cup Creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 3 Cups Powdered sugar
- 3-5 Tbsp Milk if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Whip the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined.
- Add the peanut butter and whip again untiil fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs until smooth, then whip in the vanilla, and follow with the milk until smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.
- Fold in the chopped apples, then spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs on it.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- In the meantime, whip the butter in a large bowl, add peanut butter, and whip again until smooth.
- Add the vanilla and salt and mix.
- Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and stir to combine.
- Beat a tablespoon of milk in at a time until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Whip for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Evenly spread the frosting on the cooled cake.
- Garnish with thinly sliced apples, peanut butter drizzle, and crushed peanuts if desired before slicing and serving.
Notes
This apple peanut butter cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge covered tightly for up to 5 days. If storing right away, wait to garnish with the apples as they turn brown and release a lot of water the longer they sit.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
