For our 5th Birthday, we knew we had to make the Ultimate Peanut Butter Lover's Cake - and who better to help us than the cake master himself, our friend Liam Charles. Liam helped us adapt his "Salted Nutter" cake to make the birthday cake of our dreams. Made with peanut butter and vanilla sponges, and peanut butter, chocolate, and salted caramel buttercream (with a few cheeky Nut Butter Cups in the mix) this truly is the Ultimate Nut Butter Lover's Cake. Find the full recipe below - and check out this video to see Pip & Liam whip up this epic creation.
The Ultimate Peanut Butter Lover's Cake (aka Liam Charles' "Salted Nutter")
Recipe from the Cheeky Treats Cookbook by Liam Charles
Serves: 16-24
INGREDIENTS
Peanut Butter Sponge
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g Pip & Nut Smooth Peanut Butter
- 250g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 250g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 60ml whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Sponge
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g muscovado sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 250g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 60ml whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 450g unsalted butter, softened
- 975g icing sugar
- 90ml whole milk
- 4 tbsp salted caramel
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 60g Pip & Nut Smooth Peanut Butter
- 325g icing sugar
- 45ml whole milk
Chocolate Buttercream
- 140g unsalted butter, softened
- 215g icing sugar
- 60g cocoa powder
- 75ml whole milk
Décor and Filling
- 200g shop-bought or homemade brownies, chopped into 1cm squares
- 6 x store bought chocolate chip cookies (we subbed our Nut Butter Cups), broken/chopped into pieces
- cocoa powder, to sprinkle
You will need: 4 x 20cm cake tins and a stand mixer (we used a SMEG one)
METHOD
Peanut Butter Sponge
Cream your butter, smooth peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl, using a hand-held or free-standing mixer, until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, until well incorporated.
Turn the speed down very low and add your flour and baking powder. Add the milk and vanilla to loosen the mixture, and continue to mix on low speed. You may want to scrape down the sides of the bowl just to make sure everything is mixed in.
Divide the mixture evenly between two of the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave them to cool in their tins for about 10-15 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Vanilla Sponge
Cream your butter and both sugars in a large bowl, using a hand-held or free-standing mixer, until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, until well incorporated.
Turn the speed down very low and add your flour and baking powder.Add the milk and vanilla to loosen the mixture, and continue to mix on low speed. You may want to scrape down the sides of the bowl just to make sure everything is mixed in.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two remaining tins and bake for 20–25 minutes, until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave them to cool in their tins for about 10–15 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Salted Caramel Buttercream
Beat your butter in a large bowl with your hand-held or free-standing mixer, until light and pale.
Sift your icing sugar into a separate bowl, then add it to the butter mixture in 3 stages, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add your milk, salted caramel and vanilla to loosen the buttercream and beat again.
Assemble
Use a cake leveller or sharp knife to trim the top off all the cakes so they are level. Spread a small amount of buttercream on a board that is slightly bigger than your sponges and place your first peanut butter sponge on top. Place that board on a turntable, if you have one.
Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the sponge and stick a couple of pieces of brownie and cookie on top (we subbed cookies for our Nut Butter Cups). Top with a vanilla sponge, then repeat the buttercream. Continue to stack, alternating the sponges and sticking brownies and Nut Butter Cups in between each layer, making sure your last sponge is placed upside down on the top.
Using a palette knife, cake scraper and a turntable, coat the sides and top of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream until it’s covered.
Place your cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
Chocolate Buttercream
Beat your butter in a large bowl with your hand-held or free-standing mixer until light and pale. Sift your icing sugar and cocoa powder into a separate bowl, then add it to the butter mixture in 3 stages, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add your milk to loosen the buttercream and mix again.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
Beat your butter and smooth peanut butter in a large bowl with your hand-held or free-standing mixer, until light and pale. Sift your icing sugar into a separate bowl, then add it to the butter mixture in 3 stages, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add your milk to loosen the buttercream and mix again.
Place both buttercreams into individual piping bags.
Flurry Effect
Snip the ends off the piping bags and take your cake out of the fridge. Place your cake on a turntable and pipe streaks of buttercream, alternating the different flavours, until the whole cake is covered. Using a palette knife, smooth the sides and top for a salted nutter flurry effect.
Finish
Sprinkle with cocoa powder and leftover Nut Butter Cups and brownies. Place them on the cake in any way you want. CREATE ART! 
p.s check out this note from Pip on our 5th birthday
