PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM CAKE

Peanut Butter and Jam Cake image

This cake is a riff on my great-aunt Lorena's 1-2-3-4 cake, a classic confection dating back to at least the mid-1800s, made with one cup butter, two cups sugar, three cups flour, and four eggs. It's a simple cake, perfect for the likes of Aunt Lorena, who was better known for her prowess as a drama teacher than for her ability in the kitchen. (The auditorium in the Grapeland, Texas, high school where she taught for many years is named after her.) My favorite story about Aunt Lorena comes from Uncle Jack, Lorena's middle son, who says he was in high school history class before he discovered the South did not win the Civil War. As he tells it, his mom was so proud of her grandfather, William Burroughs Wright, who fought in the war alongside his brother and his brother-in-law, that she managed to brush over the fact that the North won.

Yield serves 12 to 14

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
1 (10-ounce) bag peanut butter chips
1 cup high-quality strawberry jam, for filling
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped salted peanuts, for decorating

Steps:

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Place 1 oven rack in the top third of the oven and the second in the bottom third. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds, grease with butter or cooking spray, dust the pans with flour, and knock out the excess.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 1 cup butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs all at once and beat on medium speed until combined. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the 2 teaspoons vanilla into the milk. Add the flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, beginning and ending with flour. After each addition, mix on low speed just to combine the ingredients. Stir in the peanut butter chips.
Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Set 2 layers on the top rack and the third on the lower rack. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Bake until the cake is golden, firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Monitor the layers carefully for doneness; each one may be done at a different time. Cool the layers in their pans about 10 minutes; unmold onto wire racks to cool completely.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING: Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, cream, and the 2 teaspoons vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and spread the top with half of the jam. Repeat with a second layer. Stack the final cake layer on top of the first 2 and cover the cake's top and sides with frosting. Press the chopped peanuts around the sides of the frosted cake.