Peanut-Butter Wafer Cake Recipe (2024)

Recipe from Katherine Yang

Adapted by Gabrielle Hamilton

Peanut-Butter Wafer Cake Recipe (1)

Total Time
35 minutes, plus chilling and drying
Rating
4(483)
Notes
Read community notes

This towering trifecta of flavor and texture — crisp wafer, creamy peanut butter and glossy dark chocolate — comes together quickly and easily. The hidden star here is Katherine Yang’s utterly delicious peanut butter cream, which binds the layers. It’s savory and nutty, silken and not too sweet. Wafer sheets come in standard 8½-inch rounds, so tempering the chocolate in a 10-inch-wide, shallow pan is the simple trick to easy dipping. You can use an offset spatula to spread the filling, or for a more impressive presentation, use a star tip, and pipe swirls, rosettes or scallops. The cake should be eaten soon after assembly, as the filling will eventually start to soften the wafer’s crispness. —Gabrielle Hamilton

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 12 servings

    For the Peanut-butter Pastry Cream

    • cups/360 milliliters whole milk
    • ½cup/120 milliliters heavy cream
    • 1large egg plus 1 large yolk
    • cup/67 grams granulated sugar
    • 1tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • ½cup/133 grams smooth, commercial peanut butter (preferably Skippy)
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt

    For the Cake Layers

    • 8ounces/225 grams high-quality bittersweet chocolate shards/chips (1⅓ cups)
    • 1tablespoon shortening
    • Heaping ⅓ cup/60 grams dry-roasted salted peanuts
    • 1teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
    • 4(8½-inch-round) plain or cocoa wafer sheets

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

352 calories; 25 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 159 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Peanut-Butter Wafer Cake Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Bring milk and cream to simmer in a heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat.

  2. Step

    2

    Whisk egg and yolk in a medium bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch and flour, and whisk until very well incorporated and almost fluffy.

  3. Step

    3

    Whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture. Return mixture to saucepan, and return heat to medium. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly, or until thickened. Remove from heat. Whisk peanut butter into hot pastry cream.

  4. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, stir in salt, then cover with plastic wrap directly on cream to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 3 hours, or overnight.

  5. Step

    5

    Prepare the cake layers: Bring a wide pot of shallow water to a very gentle simmer over low heat.

  6. Step

    6

    Place ⅔ of chocolate shards plus solid shortening in a clean 10-inch skillet set over the gently simmering water, and melt slowly. Bring the mixture to 110 degrees, and stir well to create a glossy, uniform consistency. Seed in remaining chocolate shards, and stir until completely melted and glossy, and chocolate tempers to 91 degrees. Remove from heat or turn off simmering water (or both).

  7. Step

    7

    Pulse peanuts in food processor until they’re a coarse meal. Remove, and stir in confectioners’ sugar.

  8. Step

    8

    Drop one wafer sheet into chocolate, giving it a tiny swirl to make sure the entire surface underneath is coated. Retrieve the wafer with tongs, tweezers or two forks, and hover it over the chocolate until dripping stops, then invert wafer, chocolate face down, on a baker’s rack set over parchment to “drain.” You want a film of chocolate to glaze the waffling, but you don’t want to fill the holes enough to pave them over entirely. Repeat with remaining wafer sheets, tempering the chocolate if needed. While chocolate is still tacky, turn wafers chocolate-side up to finish cooling. (Use an offset spatula if needed to gently release wafer from rack.) Before chocolate sets fully, heavily ring edges of two of the chocolate-dipped wafer sheets by sprinkling the prepared peanut mixture in a 1-inch rim. Allow to cool and harden in a cool, dry place.

  9. Step

    9

    To assemble: Pipe or spread ⅓ of the peanut-butter pastry cream uniformly among three of the wafer sheets (on the chocolate-filmed side to prevent sogginess later), reserving one of the peanut-edged sheets as the topper.

  10. Step

    10

    Refrigerate until ready to serve.

  11. Step

    11

    When ready to serve, stack the sheets chocolate-side up, using the peanut-crusted sheet on the bottom, the other two plain sheets in between, and top with the last peanut-crusted chocolate wafer sheet.

Ratings

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out of 5

483

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Amy M

Looks delicious but where do you get the wafers? I have searched at markets and on line and only find small wafers.

Angie

I agree with Amy—this looks delicious, but I don’t recall having seen wafer sheets in my local stores. It would be nice if there was a good substitute posted along with this recipe, even if it was a thin waffle batter.

Maria

I have never baked with wafer sheets. My 20 second Google search was easy and I found several sources on where to purchase them. So... maybe less dramatic helplessness and more of doing the obvious... Googling it? Seriously - people will find anything to complain about

jill

I usually find wafers in Russian, Eastern European (Parrot Cafe in Queens), and some Asian markets, but yeah, they should have included a link. Maybe a bakery supply house like NY Cake and Bakery has?

Branko

Here's link to wafers I grew up with: https://balkanfresh.com/collections/all-snack/products/oblatne-tort-wafers (I suspect that there are many other on line stores that sell these).

MSN

If you search for Veselka Tort Wafers, you will find online sources for round chocolate wafers that look exactly like the ones in the picture.

Sally R

Does any one else think this would be perfect with matzah ( and substitute matzah meal for the 1 T flour) for Passover?

Minmin

Regarding wafer sheets: while I can purchase them in my neighborhood easily, a quick internet search revealed they are readily available on line, and even at Western Beef. A lot of recipes using tort wafers are Eastern European, so if you have a Polish deli or similar, you might just find them.

Kristin D.

I was able to find wafer sheets online at Walmart, oddly enough. But I’m wondering how easy it will be to store four separate layers in the refrigerator until ready to assemble; sometimes these recipes can really challenge the home cook on issues of space management. But I do want to try this; it sounds delicious and intriguing.

Donna Gay

How do you serve it? It seems like it wouldn’t hold together well when sliced.

SHNYC

I easily found plain wafer sheets on Amazon.

KellyC

Try stroopwafel.

TW

Wafer sheets are found at Eastern European grocers or purchased online. I remember seeing them and not knowing what to do with them when I shopped at one in the Chicago area. Now that I do with them, I'll have to order online.

Kirsty

Looks like you can get the wafers on Amazon

mxwing

I'd never heard of wafer sheets either, but I had zero trouble finding them online.

BajjyMD

Has anyone tried putting chocolate on both sides of the wafer to offset the sogginess?

Michellio

I just made this for my son’s 16th bday yesterday. It is delicious. I don’t see a way to make the wafers not get soggy in or out of the fridge, but it made the cake sliceable. Everyone loved it. It was quite a bit of work-I took others’ advice and painted the chocolate on the wafers—but the end result was really pretty and the cream was delicious. I think an espresso or strawberry pastry cream may have made this even better. The peanut butter is a little subtle but it still comes through.

Marilyn

Is the sieving really necessary? Why? I just read Nicole's note, helpful, after I already ordered the wafers from Amazon! Anyone enjoy the finished product? Good to know I can substitute butter for shortening and brush on the chocolate. It looks beautiful & also appreciate the low sugar as I'm serving it with Easter chocolates.

Nancy

The amount of chocolate called for in my 10 inch pan was not adequate for dipping. My disks (Amazon) were very delicate, would have been difficult to remove w/out breaking so I took a previous suggestion to paint w/a silicon brush. I thought the peanut butter pastry cream lacked flavor and as w/others, the disks never had a chance to be crisp. I put it together, refrigerated it for 10 minutes then cut. Awkward to eat and a disappointment but it was a fun try.

iancas

Why "kosher" salt?

joan Klosterman

I found the wafer sheets easily. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/pack-Tort-Wafers-Chocolate-each/dp/B07HPCZ5GT

Sarah

Made this, was good, easier than I thought. Next time will try with hazelnut butter and crushed hazelnuts. I used 12 oz chocolate for dipping the wafer layers. 8 oz wouldn't have been enough. Hardly any drained off.

Judy M

I made this. The peanut butter cream was delicious. The wafers got soggy very quickly. The wafers had chocolate on one side and moist peanut butter cream on the other, so really, there was no possibility of crispness. A recipe designed to disappoint.

Judy M

I made this, and the peanut butter custard was delicious. But the wafers lost their crispness a mere 30 minutes in.

Nicole Fitzhugh

1. Bought wafers on Amazon2. Substituted butter for the shortening on a rec from another note3. Dipping the wafers in the chocolate didn't work, but brushing the choc on with a silicone brush did.4. The pastry cream didn't set the first time. Added another 1/2 C peanut butter and reboiled with a 1T cornstarch/2T water slurry, thickened nicely5. Sliced cleanly out of the fridge but not as it warmed up6. After all that: not a hit. I didn't like the wafers, LOL. Won't make again.

Barbara H.

Has anyone tried this with freshly-ground, unsweetened peanut butter? If so, how did it turn out?

J

Amazon has several brands of wafers suitable for this recipe. SEARCH "Tort Wafers THICK for tort cakes, 150g, 5 sheets (3pack) Total 450g 15 sheetst" for one of them.

J

For those of you familiar with the Norwegian rolled up cookie called Krumkake made on a special griddle that cooks both sides at one & creates a design on both side of the 6" approx. cookie. Normally, the hot cookie is rolled into a cone that is very crisp when cooled. For this recipe, it would be appropriate to let it cool in the flat state, right from the griddle. The flavor is fantastic. Recipes abound on the Internet & the griddle is required, tho' I've never tried it on a flat griddle.

Robin K

I found the torte wafers at our local international grocery store in Charlotte, NC. They cost around $2 to $3 for a pack of 9 (plain) compared to $15-$18 on Amazon.

Matthew

Has anyone to share how the slicing process went? Would it help to stack them and chill versus as spelt out in the recipe to wait till before eating? My layers are on the fridge now so: wish me luck!

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Peanut-Butter Wafer Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you substitute peanut butter for oil in a cake mix? ›

Use an equal amount of nut butter to replace the oil in any recipe, measuring by volume. If the nut butter feels too hard to measure, microwave it in 10-second increments to slightly soften it.

What is a good substitute for cake flour? ›

Making a cake flour substitute is easy with the following two ingredients: all-purpose flour and either cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Start with one level cup of AP flour, remove two tablespoons of the flour, and add two tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder back in.

What's the difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour? ›

Super basic breakdown: Cake flour = low protein = less gluten = softest texture = great for vanilla cake and vanilla cupcakes. All-purpose flour = medium protein = moderate gluten = suitable for anything, from chocolate chip cookies to pizza dough.

How do you make cake flour? ›

How to make cake flour: Whisk together 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (105g) all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons (14g) cornstarch. Use in place of cake flour in a recipe, substituting by equal weight or volume.

How much butter do I use to substitute 1/2 cup of oil? ›

It couldn't be easier to substitute butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio. This should work with olive, canola, vegetable, and coconut oils. Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe. (If the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter.)

What if I don't have enough oil for my cake? ›

Butter is always the best substitute for oil in cake mix. Butter is high in fat and will make your cake mix rich and decadent. You may even like cake mix made with butter better than when it's made with oil! Be sure to replace the oil with the same amount of melted butter.

What is the best flour to use for homemade cakes? ›

Since its gluten proteins are very weak, cake flour is often used to make soft, tender baked goods like cakes, pastries, or biscuits. A chlorination process further breaks down cake flour's gluten, creating a flour that's even more delicate. All-purpose flour is made from a mixture of hard and soft wheat.

What is a substitute for 1 cup of cake flour? ›

If you only need 1 cup cake flour, put 2 Tbsp corn starch in bottom of 1 cup measure then fill with AP flour. Deborah D. I've never used a recipe before that called for cake flour so I was very thankful for this substitution when I decided to make a batch of brownies with cake flour as an ingredient.

Can you make a cake without cake flour? ›

You can make a cake flour substitute by mixing a few tablespoons of cornstarch (or a cornstarch substitute, but more on that later) into all-purpose flour, which will help inhibit gluten formation. The result? A cake that's just as tender as it would be if you used store-bought cake flour.

Does sifting flour make a difference? ›

Cakes with very fine crumbs or that rely on eggs or egg whites for lift, such as sponge or angel food cakes, benefit from sifted flour. You eliminate the risk of clumps and ensure that the flour can be stirred into the batter quicker and easier without knocking all the air out of your beaten eggs.

How do I convert all-purpose flour to cake flour? ›

Converting from all purpose flour to cake flour: Take one cup of all purpose flour, spooned and leveled. Remove two tablespoons, and then add two tablespoons of cornstarch to the all purpose flour. Sift together before using.

Is baking powder needed when using cake flour? ›

Cake flour doesn't contain any raising agents. So when using it, you will need to use baking powder or baking soda into your cake. When making your own homemade cake flour just note that cornstarch is not a raising agent. It's what is used to soften your flour and cake.

Is cake flour just flour with cornstarch? ›

It's a great question—but first things first, let's talk about what cake flour even is. Turns out it's a finely milled version of all-purpose flour that's lightened with cornstarch. It contains the least amount of protein of all the wheat flours on the market—about eight percent (compared to all-purpose's 11 percent).

What is Swan cake flour? ›

Swans Down Cake Flour is a pure soft flour that does not contain a leavening agent or salt. It is the perfect flour for all of your special baking needs. Ingredients. Nutritional Info. Find a Store.

Does cornstarch go bad? ›

Good news: Cornstarch is one of those baking staples that can last for years and doesn't really expire. If cornstarch does go bad, it's usually because moisture or pests have been able to get to it—and you'll notice it immediately. It may have an off taste or flavor (think sour or "funky"), or an off color.

What can I use in a box cake mix instead of oil? ›

Applesauce

Adding applesauce to cake mix is a great option if you don't want to use oil, and it's probably one of the most popular substitutes for oil in baking. Applesauce has far fewer calories and fat than oil and may be a more nutritious option.

What is a substitute for oil in Betty Crocker cake mix? ›

Can I substitute butter or margarine for the vegetable oil in Betty Crocker Supermoist Cake Mixes? You sure can. The good news is that butter, margarine, shortening and all types of oil can be used in place of the vegetable oil in SuperMoist package directions.

How do I substitute peanut butter in baking? ›

5 Nut-Free Alternatives to Peanut Butter
  1. Tahini. Created from sesame seeds ground into a paste with salt and oil, the nut-free alternative tahini is a common element in many Middle Eastern cuisines. ...
  2. Sunflower Seed Butter. ...
  3. Coconut Butter. ...
  4. Soy Nut Butter. ...
  5. Granola Butter.
Feb 20, 2024

What is a substitute for 1 cup of oil in baking? ›

However, if the recipe has something like a CUP of oil, then we need more aggressive solutions… The most common way to replace oil in baked goods is by using applesauce or mashed banana. Other fruit purees work too, but most of them add more flavor – apple and banana are neutral enough to not overpower other flavors.

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