Peanut Butter Honey Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate-Peanut Butter Streusel is tender, moist, and buttery, thanks to the buttermilk, butter, and peanut butter. The streusel layer is chock full of peanut butter flavor and is bursting with chocolate chips. Best of all, the cake is made in one bowl in 5 minutes. No one has to know how fast and easy it is to make.
A few weeks ago I went to Big Potluck and was assigned to bring a cake to share. It was, after all, a potluck.
This was my contribution.
I was stumped about what kind of cake to make. I thought and thought about it. And thought some more. I read recipes on blogs, Pinterest, Foodgawker, and more. Cooking for an event where fellow bloggers, cookbook authors, and a Food Network TV show host may eat it was adding just a wee bit of pressure.
I opted to go with peanut butter and chocolate. Shocking, I know. Since my cookbook is about peanut butter, I thought that I may as well represent. The cake isn’t in my book, but I wish it was.
It’s a fast and easy cake to make, and only one bowl is dirtied. There’s no long creaming of ingredients, or separating eggs, or anything fussy or complicated.
The batter comes together in 5 minutes, it bakes for about 25 minutes, so it’s literally a 30 minute cake.
There’s no granulated or brown sugar in the cake layer, and instead it’s sweetened with honey. I love honey and had never made a cake exclusively sweetened with it until now.
It’s a more delicate and mellow sweetness, rendering the cake just sweet enough, and it won’t leave you with a toothache.
The other bonus to this cake is that it doesn’t need to be frosted because of the streusel. I love eating frosting, but I don’t like the act of frosting cakes or cupcakes. I prefer glazes, drizzles, or ganaches that can be poured over without much fuss. Even better is streusel.
It was a miracle I didn’t pick it all off, but wanted to.
The photo shoot was so hard because I wanted to tear into the cake so badly, but refrained. It was worth the wait when I was finally able to eat a piece of my own cake at the potluck.
Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of my own cake. I was too busy with wine.
The cake itself is soft, tender, and springy. It loosely reminds me a yellow cake mix cake, but better. Anything spiked with buttermilk, honey, and peanut butter is destined to be moist and bouncy.
It’s surprisingly lighter than you’d imagine given the list of ingredients. Buttermilk has a way of moisturizing and tenderizing anything it touches, while also keeping things lighter and fluffier.
The streusel topping with brown sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate chips is so tempting. I wanted to pluck those golden crumbs right off the cake and into my mouth.
Chocolate and peanut butter are always a match made in heaven, and those big nuggets add a boost of bold peanut butter and chocolate flavor.
Streusel topping with peanut butter and chocolate in a one-bowl fast and easy cake.
It’s my idea of a good cake and a good time, for sure.
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Peanut Butter Honey Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate-Peanut Butter Streusel
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, softened
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Streusel
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- For the Cake – Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and optional salt.
- Add the eggs, honey, buttermilk, butter, 1/3 cup peanut butter, vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer on medium-low for about 1 minute. Stop, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat for 1 more minute.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan; set aside.
- For the Streusel – In the same mixing bowl (no need to wash it), combine brown sugar, 1/2 cup peanut butter, flour, and stir with a spoon until sandy pebbles form.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle streusel evenly over cake batter.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow cake to cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Lift cake out using foil overhang, slice and serve. Cake is best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thanks for the entries in the Kitchen Aid 5-Quart Stand Mixer Giveaway!
Since my blog makeover, I’ve been told that my comment replies are going into spam. Please check your spam folder and un-spam them if necessary. Thanks!
Do you have a favorite cake recipe?
What’s your go-to recipe to bring to a potluck?
Love the new look girl!
I need to get a re-do and soon.
Fabulous looking cake too!
That streusel should be sold to the masses as is! Tasty!
Thanks – blog makeovers are one of those things that you feel so good about when they’re DONE! :)
My blog is going to soon become a “let me make all of Averie’s amazing recipes” blog, lol. I want to make everything you feature, including this beautiful, simple and homey cake. You had me at “one bowl” ;) The flavour profile can’t be beat – I love peanut butter too and those big crumbs on top are calling my name.
You’re so sweet, Nancy! Thanks for the nice words and all your support and wish I could have shared this with you!
Your cake is gorgeous Averie and the crumb looks fab. I love the chocolate and peanut butter streusel!
It reminds me of yours that you posted! This is the one I told you about that I had made for Potluck when you posted yours! (mine really was already made..we probably made them the same weekend :))
Oh wow! You have done it again!
I love anything with peanut butter.
Just beautiful to look at girl!
Hope to make it and SOON!
This looks amazing, and I really want to try making it! Just one thing… what temperature do I set the oven at? I’ve looked over this post several times and can’t seem to find any mention of baking temperature…
Sorry about that! 350F. Just updated the post! If you try the cake, LMK! :)
Remember how I saying that I need to cut back on the cookies/bars/breads? I don’t think I can continue to read your blog if I do that. Now….to make pb choco chip cookies or something like this? Or just the streusel?
I WANT that streusel.
(trying the other email in that field…)
And just had a different comment plug-in installed so hopefully you get it!
The streusel was it’s own beautiful thing on this cake :)
Averie, oh my goodness! Not only do I wish I went to the big potluck to have met you, but I would have LOVED to taste this cake! Sweetened with only honey, huh? I am so intrigued! You are right, I’ve never seen a recipe like that on your website before – it’s fun to test around with different sweeteners! You know what would be so good? Maybe a maple-buttermilk cake like this. Yum! I’m digging all the buttermilk I see in your baked goods. I just got into it and am loving it! PB with chocolate + buttermilk + honey = great way to represent the book, girl. :)
PS: pinned!
Thanks for the pin!
And yes a maple-buttermilk cake like this…well don’t you know, I happen to have made a few things like this recently :) Just haven’t blogged about them. Great minds think alike!
And one day, we HAVE to meet!! :)
I’m having a late-afternoon sugar rush, and this post just kicked it into high gear! Amazing, as always, Averie!
Glad I can help out :)
Sounds perfect! I made a honey-sweetened cake not too long ago, and it was really refreshing just how mellow it was! I love that you could totally get away with serving it for breakfast too ;)
And yes, peanut butter and chocolate are the perfect toppings. Love this!
totally could get away with it as breakfast food :)
Wow, that is stunning! Will be putting this on my to-bake list. Pinning! Lovely post…
Thanks for pinning!
This looks amazing Averie! I love your new blog logo as well :-)
Thanks – it was a whole makeover too with tons of new functionality! I explained it all here https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/05/weekend-things-6.html Will make things easier for readers!
Hi Averie
What type of honey did you use in this recipe.
Just an average honey from Trader Joe’s…nothing fancy. Clover honer. Nothing like a Manuka or ‘high grade’ honey; just very basic.
Yum! I’ve made a similar cake before and it was spectacular. I might have to try this one for comparison now.
Great logic :)
This cake looks packed with PB and chocolate goodness – love it!!
This cake looks wonderful! I love how you added honey to the batter instead of sugar.
This looks amazing and I wish I had a slice for dessert right now! And I love that pretty floral plate…
Super lucky find at the thrift store about a year ago!