Description
This nostalgic PB&J cake is a whimsical nod to the lunchbox favorite. The “bread” of this towering dessert sandwich is a tender white cake baked in square pans and sliced horizontally into four layers. Trimming away the top golden-brown crust of the cake gives it the appearance of white sandwich bread. If you’d prefer, you could use a box cake mix in place of the homemade cake–just be aware that your layers may not be as thick. The peanut butter-cream cheese filling is incredibly easy to mix up, and you can use whatever flavor jam or jelly that you prefer!
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk, at room temperature
- 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk, or more as needed
- 1 ¼ cups strawberry jelly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 8-inch square baking pans with baking spray. Line the bottom of each pan with a square piece of parchment paper. Spray parchment with baking spray
- then flour each parchment-lined pan
- shaking away any excess flour.
- Whisk cake flour
- baking powder
- and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Combine sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl; beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy
- 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture
- alternately with the milk
- with the mixer running on low speed
- beginning and ending with the flour.
- Beat egg whites in a clean mixing bowl at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes tests clean
- 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto the wire rack. Remove parchment paper and cool completely
- about 1 hour.
- Working on one at a time
- transfer cakes to a large cutting board or work surface. Trim the golden brown
- rounded top off of each cake using a large serrated knife. Slice each cake in half horizontally to yield 4 slices.
- Prepare the filling: beat peanut butter
- cream cheese
- honey
- butter
- and salt together at medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup at a time
- until smooth. Beat in milk
- 1 tablespoon at a time
- until desired consistency is reached. The peanut butter mixture should be loose enough to be spreadable.
- Place jelly in a small mixing bowl and whisk to loosen.
- Carefully transfer one cake layer to a cake plate or serving platter. Gently spread 1/3 of the peanut butter mixture over the cake
- spreading all the way to the edges. Spread 1/3 of the jelly over the peanut butter layer. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat with peanut butter filling and jelly. Repeat with the third layer
- remaining filling and jelly. Place the final cake layer on top
- trimmed side up. Slice diagonally for a sandwich effect.
Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 12