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Sure you can fill your cake with frosting, but what you should actually do is fill it with Peanut Butter Cake Filling! This is an easy recipe you can use for cakes, cupcakes, or sandwich cookies!
BEST Peanut Butter Filling for Cake
My recipe for peanut butter cake filling will take your tastebuds to PB heaven. After all, the only thing better than peanut butter straight out of the jar is peanut butter sandwiched between four layers of moist yellow cake! Sweet, salty, creamy, and oh-so-peanut-buttery, this filling makes for the perfect addition to countless cakes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
With only four ingredients, peanut butter cake filling is as simple as it is delicious. What’s not to love?
4 Ingredients Needed
- Peanut butter – creamy, no-stir peanut butter is best.
- Powdered sugar – For sweetness
- Vanilla extract – Always buy pure vanilla
- Heavy whipping cream – No substitutions
How to Make Peanut Butter Cake Filling
- Combine ingredients: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the peanut butter and one cup of powdered sugar. Mix in the second cup of powdered sugar (yes, it’s supposed to be crumbly!).
- Add vanilla and ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream, mixing until smooth, then adding another ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream. Slowly, add the rest of the heavy whipping cream, beating the mixture as you gradually add to it. It should slowly become smoother and thinner as you mix, turning into that perfect frosting texture.
- Frost cake: On a serving plate, set the bottom cake layer. Top this layer with the peanut butter frosting, repeating with as many layers as you have. You can get as creative or as simple as you’d like with this step!
Expert Tip
- While this cake is served best at room temperature, I recommend that you store it in the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature right before you serve it.
- Any brand of peanut butter can be used for this recipe, as long as it isn’t the kind you have to stir.
FAQs
Yes! In fact, using jam between cake layers can help a cake to retain its moisture.
This filling can be made up to one day ahead. It will stay good for four to five days.
You can freeze cake filling made with heavy whipping cream on it’s own, but once the cake is frosted, it’s not recommended that you freeze it. If you choose to freeze the filling, you’ll likely have to whip it up again with a mixer to get it back to the desired consistency.
Peanut Butter Cake Filling Recipe
Ingredients
- Yellow Cake (baked and cooled)
- 1 cup (268g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups (226g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (177ml) heavy whipping cream
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- This recipe is written to fill a four layer cake, so torte your layers (cut each of the 2 layers in half). If you're only filling a 2 layer cake you can cut the recipe in half.
- Beat peanut butter with 1 cup of powdered sugar (using a hand or a stand mixer). Add the second cup of powdered sugar and mix, the mixture will be crumbly. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Mix until smooth.
- Add another 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and mix until smooth. Add the rest of the heavy whipping cream a little bit at a time and beat until the mixture becomes a frosting like texture. (You’ll notice a change – it will go from thick like a peanut butter cup to smooth like frosting during that last addition of the cream.)
- Place the bottom cake layer on serving plate. Divide your filling and fill between each layer. Frost cake as desired.
Recipe Notes
- Use any brand peanut butter as long as it’s a no-stir peanut butter.
- Use any flavor cake – chocolate cake would be good too.
- Use any flavor frosting!
- The cake is best served at room temperature but I would store it in the refrigerator if you make it ahead of time, then let it come to room temperature before serving. Can be made up to 1 day ahead.
I actually used dairy-free heavy cream (Country Crock brand) to make this and I have to say, this was the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time! I have leftover filling in the fridge and am having to resist taking spoonfulls randomly throughout the day.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Yum! Great recipe, Dorothy! Who needs a cake?
Made this for my husband’s birthday, and he loved it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Hi Dorothy! Stumbled upon this recipe in searching for a yellow cake recipe for my uncle’s birthday and he loves peanut butter so figured this would be perfect! My question is that instead of torting the cake could I divide it into four smaller cake pans? Thanks!
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