Peanut Butter Cake

Yield:  single-layer, 9" round cake, triple-layer 6" round cake or approx. 18cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ c. flour, all-purpose
• 2 t. baking powder
• ½ t. baking soda
• ½ t. salt
• ⅓ c. oil
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs, large
• ½ c. peanut butter
• 2 t. vanilla extract, dark
• 1 c. buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prepare cake rounds with non-stick cooking spray or line cupcake tin with paper cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, oil, and brown sugar. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until just combined.
4. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the peanut butter mixture, beating until just combined. Do not over-beat.  A few small lumps of flour is acceptable.
5. Pour batter into the pan.
6. Bake for approx 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out moist - not wet with batter but moist. 23 minutes for 6" pans, 18 minutes for cupcakes.
7. Let the cake sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Stack, fill, and frost.