Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake with Peanut Butter and Jelly Glaze

I consider this "next level" peanut butter and jelly. I mean c'mon, it's a Bundt cake, but the flavors of the classic sandwich resonate in every moist bite. It's like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich evolved into a pound cake, and then someone frosted it. Oh wait, that someone is me. And I'm glad I did.

I'm not 100% sure how I came up with this cake. My boys love PB & J. And my boys love cake. Do you know anyone that doesn't feel the same way (peanut allergies aside)? Right, that's what I thought. So I turned the comfort-food-sandwich into a more comforting cake.

And the batter couldn't be easier to make. Yes, you need your electric mixer for this one (I know, I brag when you need just a whisk), but creaming the butter and sugar together is key to creating the fluffy base. After that, you just add ingredients to the same mixing bowl. Easy breezy.

About the fruit preserves: I used seedless strawberry jam for the cake and the glaze. You can use any preserve you want - including the classic grape. And while I used strawberry jam in the glaze, I debated using raspberry. Feel free to experiment - use the same fruit in the cake and the glaze, or use two different flavors.

Why did I use milk AND yogurt? I love the way Greek yogurt performs in cakes - it's denser than milk, so I can use it to replace some of the fat in the batter. But yogurt also adds a little tang (as does buttermilk). That's fine, but I wanted a slighter sweeter cake. I used just enough yogurt to counter the sweetness of the peanut butter and jelly without completely compromising their sweet addition to the batter. That's why I used half yogurt and half milk. You could easily use ALL yogurt, or ALL milk. The silky batter remains the same.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake with Peanut Butter and Jelly Glaze 

For the cake: 
Cooking spray
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup seedless fruit preserves, such as grape or strawberry
For the peanut butter glaze:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
For the fruit glaze: 
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon seedless fruit preserves, such as grape or strawberry

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray.
To make the cake, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together until blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Beat in the peanut butter and yogurt. Beat in the flour mixture and milk, alternating each and beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Drop small spoonfuls of the fruit preserves over the batter. Spread out as evenly as possible (the preserves will continue to spread out as the cake bakes, so just try to get an even layer, there will be some empty spots).  Top with the remaining batter and smooth the surface.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it.
Cool the cake in the pan, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn the cake over onto a serving plate or cake plate. Cool completely before coating with the glaze.
To make the peanut butter glaze, whisk together all the ingredients until blended and smooth. To make the fruit glaze, whisk together all the ingredients until blended and smooth.
Drizzle both of the glazes over the cake, alternating each, before slicing and serving. Store leftover cake in an airtight container.

Serves 12-16