If you love peanut butter, this is the birthday cake for you! Mini Peanut Butter Cake is a 3 layer 4 inch peanut butter cake with homemade peanut butter frosting. Made in mini springform pans.
Today is my birthday. Happy birthday to me! (cue the confetti and horns).
However, it’s not just *any* birthday. It’s a milestone. It’s my big 3-0. Officially an adult (although I’ve been adulting quite hard the past few years).
That age where my metabolism slows down and I need to eat more salads.
Remind me why we look forward to growing up again?
This month is pretty busy for me, so I won’t actually celebrate it with friend(s) until the end of the month where I have plans at a cat cafe drinking wine. Yup, this is 30 alright.
Of course every birthday needs cake (or birthday pies). My favorite is probably small chocolate cake recipe because it’s a moist chocolate cake.
My mom would make it for me (albeit from a box) growing up (also this photo will never get old).
Since I already posted that, what other kind of cake could I make? I’ve also done chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.
How about a peanut butter cake? And since it’s my birthday and I don’t want to share/need to watch that pesky metabolism, I opted for a Mini Peanut Butter Cake with the dreamiest peanut butter frosting.
You don’t even need to have killer decorating skills because all you need to do is stick a peanut butter cup into the top. Voila – instant cake topper.
Peanut butter cake isn’t something you see often. Usually if there’s peanut butter involved, it’s a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and/or peanut butter cups.
I knew I wanted the cake batter to be full of peanut butter flavor.
The small batch peanut butter frosting is my favorite.
It’s a light and fluffy buttercream frosting. Make sure you beat it long enough to make it airy.
If you love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, you can also fill the cake with Small Batch Chocolate Frosting.
For those crazy people who don’t like chocolate, leave off the peanut butter cups for the ideal birthday cake. You can even decorate it with peanut butter chips on top.
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Mini Peanut Butter Cake
If you love peanut butter, this is the birthday cake for you! Mini Peanut Butter Layer Cake is a 3 layer 4 inch peanut butter cake with homemade peanut butter frosting.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
- Peanut butter cups, for garnish
Frosting Options (Pick One)
- Small Batch Peanut Butter Frosting (get recipe here)
- Small Batch Chocolate Frosting (get recipe here)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease three 4 inch springform pans and wrap the bottoms in aluminum foil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with dry ingredients). Stir in the peanut butter chips.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, make the peanut butter frosting (get instructions here).
- Remove the cakes from the pan. If the cakes are round on top, cut the tops of the cake so they are flat for stacking. Place one cake layer on cake stand or plate. Add some of the frosting then top with another cake layer. Repeat with the remaining frosting and cake. Garnish with peanut butter cups.
Notes
- Loved this recipe? Then you'll also love my Mini Chocolate Guinness Cake and Mini German Chocolate Cake.
- Want a different frosting? Check out my full list of Small Batch Frosting Recipes.
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Leslie Gagne says
Happy birthday to you!
Carla says
Thank you!
Karen A Oliver says
Can I double this recipe to make 8 inch cake.
Carla says
I haven’t made it in an 8 inch pan, but if I had to guess: One 4 inch springform pan holds 1 1/4 cups. Three pans = 3 3/4 cups. A 8 x 1/2 inch round pan is 4 cups. Based on that, I would guess you wouldn’t need to double it. It would probably be a little on the thin side.
Teresa says
Happy birthday to you! I was able to print this out and I can’t wait to make it!!!
Carla says
Thank you! And enjoy
Wilma Manasse says
Thanks for the mini cake recipe. Those are 2 of my favorite flavors. As soon as I finish the Pecan Pie I made yesterday, I’ll make this cake.
Don’t know how to do pictures on the computer, but I’ll tell you if I liked it. How can you ruin those flavor’s though.
Carla says
Yes, please let me know how you enjoy it!
Sandy says
That is a cute cake – done in 4 inch tins too! Happy belated birthday to you!
Carla says
Thank you! I knew I didn’t want a big cake plus there’s the cuteness factor ;)
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
ahhhhhh that peanut butter frosting DOES look dreamy!!!
Carla says
Makes you want to dive right in :) Thanks, Kayle!
C says
can this be made in 2 6in pans?
Carla says
The batter will fill up one 6 inch pan, so if you’d like a layer cake, you’ll have to double the recipe.
pigman1986 says
how long does this take to make?
Carla says
The times are listed in the recipe card under the recipe title.
Kim says
Hi! Could I add chocolate chips to this recipe? If so, is there a specific type that you would recommend?
Thanks,
Kim
Carla says
Yes absolutely! You can either fully replace the peanut butter chips or use half peanut butter, half chocolate. My go-to is semisweet, but dark and milk would work as well.
Maggie says
Would this work in a mini bunt pan (4 x 1.75 inches)?
Carla says
I don’t have a mini bundt pan to test it. What I do know is a 4 inch springform pan holds roughly 1 1/2 cups batter if you fill it to the very top, so probably 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup to keep the cake batter from overflowing. You’d have to measure how much batter your pan would hold then go from there. My guess is you’ll need more than one mini bundt pan.
kim says
Hi! This looks amazing! Can the cake be made in advance (if so, what would be the best way to store it)? Or is it best to make it day of? Thanks!
Carla says
Yes, you can! If it’s only a few days, you can store it at room temperature. Unfrosted you can wrap each layer in plastic wrap. Frosted you can put in an airtight container. You can also refrigerate it if you think you need more time, like up to a week or so. Let it sit at room temperature about 15-30 minutes before cutting so it “warms” up a bit (cake tastes better at room temperature than cold straight from the fridge). Anything longer, I’d freeze the cake layers then frost on the day of.
Kim says
Thank you SO much for responding to me so quickly. Timing was perfect as I an trying to make the cake tonight :)
Tiffany says
Can you omit the peanut butter chips?
Carla says
Yes