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My Grandmother’s Frosted Peanut Squares

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Ingredients

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup light cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups chopped salted peanuts
1 recipe Creamy Buttercream Frosting

My Grandmother’s Frosted Peanut Squares

You will not believe how delicious these little frosted cake squares are. The tender cake is enveloped in smooth frosting and rolled in crunchy peanuts.

  • Serves 24
  • Medium

About This Recipe

My Grandmother’s Frosted Peanut Squares is a classic old-fashioned recipe that comes from my grandmother Matha. My mom remembers her making them for picnics. Just think – with everything involved in a picnic decades ago, Matha made these little cakes from scratch!

The tender cake is cut into squares, frosted on all sides, then rolled in chopped peanuts. Use my Creamy Buttercream Frosting; it’s the best.

It’s kind of messy to frost the little cakes. Here’s how I do it: frost the top, then the sides. Have the bowl of chopped peanuts ready. Turn the little cake upside down and plop it into the peanuts, then frost the bottom of the cake. Then roll it around in the peanuts.

This recipe is a bit of work, but it’s not difficult – it just takes some time. So put some tunes on, and settle in.

Every bite will be worth it.

Tips for the best My Grandmother’s Frosted Peanut Squares:

  • Measure the flour accurately! I know I say that for every baking recipe but it’s so true. Too much flour will make the cake heavy and tough.
  • The cake is done when it is light golden brown and the top springs back when you lightly touch it with your finger. Do not overbake the cake.
  • Don’t cut all the squares at once. Cut each square as you are ready to frost it so the cake doesn’t dry out.

Why this recipe works:

  • The cake is not quite as tender as a typical yellow cake; that way it stands up to the rich frosting and the crunchy peanuts. It has less fat than most yellow cakes.
  • The cake doesn’t rise much in the oven. That’s okay; a fluffy cake would be more difficult to frost and handle.
  • And this cake isn’t as sweet as most. That’s because there’s almost as much frosting as cake!
  • The saltiness of the peanuts is so good with the sweet frosting and cake.

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Steps

1
Done

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make sure that the baking rack is in the center of the oven. Spray a 13" x 9" baking pan with nonstick baking spray.

2
Done

Put the eggs into a large bowl and beat until combined. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy.

3
Done

Add the milk, light cream, melted butter, and vanilla to the egg mixture until combined.

4
Done

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Spread the batter into the pan.

5
Done

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until the cake is light golden brown and the surface springs back when you lightly touch it with a fingertip. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack.

6
Done

Make the Creamy Buttercream Frosting.

7
Done

Cut the cake into 2-1/4" squares. Frost on all sides with the frosting, then coat with the peanuts. Pat the peanuts into the frosting and shape the little cakes with the palms of your hands so they are uniform. Store the cakes at room temperature in a covered container.

lindaBest

Linda is a bestselling cookbook author and home economist who has written 54 books (53 cookbooks and Medical Ethics for Dummies) since 2005. She has worked for Pillsbury since 1988, on the Bake-Off and other projects. Linda has been a web presence since 2002, developing recipes and teaching people how to cook.

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