Peanut Butter Snack Cake

If you're a peanut butter fan, meet your new best friend. This snacking cake is moist, loaded with peanut butter, and (because adding peanut butter wasn't amazing enough), it's studded with peanut butter chips.

I called this a snacking cake because it's great for any time of day. Not overly sweet, not heavy and guaranteed to cure snack attacks and sweet cravings. If you want something more like a rich dessert, slather the cooled cake with chocolate icing. How awesome does that sound?

You might want to sit down for this suggestion: Serve toasted slices of the cake with jam, jelly or fruit preserves. Like peanut butter and jelly cake. I know, right?

About heating the milk: This is a very simple culinary tip - scalding the milk (until it's just bubbling) adds a richness you don't get from cold milk. Just imagine drinking cold milk versus hot. See what I mean?  It's a basic technique, but it does wonders to cake and quickbread batters.

For a gluten-free version: Substitute gluten-free baking mix for the flour, reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon and eliminate the baking soda.

Peanut Butter Snack Cake

Cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used whole milk, but any variety works)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Beat in the peanut butter. Beat in the flour mixture and milk, alternating each and beginning and ending with the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Fold in the peanut butter chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it.
Cool the cake, in the pan, before cutting into squares.

Serves 10-12