Peanut Squares

Now I know most of you are thinking of a peanut butter rice cereal bar with chocolate on top. This peanut square is something entirely different. The first time I had a Peanut Square was in 2004, while I was working as a receptionist in a dentist's office back home in Wisconsin. One of our patients brought in a pan of these delicious confections. I must say at first I was skeptical... I mean it's just plain white cake with a little extra frosting, some nuts and it's probably from a box. In the end I acquiesced, I am a sucker for cake, no matter how plain.

I took a tentative bite, ready to be disappointed, and that's when it happened... I was suddenly transported to food nirvana. Sweet vanilla frosting, moist, fluffy white cake, and the saltiness from the peanuts, a perfect counter point to sweet cake and rich frosting. For the next year and half I was delighted to see Maria* walking in with a covered pan, knowing that inside was the salty-sweet cake of my dreams.

Eventually my career path lead me to leave my job at Dr. Spitzer's office. I started craving Maria's peanut squares. I looked for recipes, asked around, but I always got the same answer, "use a store bought white cake mix, frost the sides with a can of vanilla frosting and roll them in chopped peanuts." Up until this point in my life the only kind of cake I had ever eaten was from a box. I knew this cake was different, not to mention the frosting. For years I tasted ever peanut square I saw in a grocery store or bakery, to no avail. No peanut square could live up to Maria's.

Pink Bakery

A Beautiful Door County Cherry

After a few years I moved out west, a virtual peanut square desert, and began teaching my self to bake from scratch. I forgot about the peanut square, out of sight out of mind, I guess. Then this summer I visited Pink Bakery in Door County, WI. I saw a peanut square in the case, instantly all of those wonderful food memories came rushing back. I immediately purchased that peanut square, and took an eager bite, hoping I had finally found the peanut square I had been searching for all these years. It was not Maria's, but the cake was moist and the frosting almost right, I was so close.

Now I was thinking, what would it take to be Maria's peanut square. I cycled through the many cakes I had made in the last three years. Nothing came to mind as an obvious base cake or frosting. Then this weekend I was searching for a delectable non-chocolate dessert to serve to some friends with Sunday dinner. Then it hit me, Peanut Squares, I wanted Peanut Squares. I searched my usual haunts for a recipe, with no luck. I was not giving up, I grabbed a few of my favorite baking books and set out to assemble the perfect cake and frosting combination.

After a little thought and recipe reading I entered the kitchen confident I would be having Maria's Peanut Squares with Sunday dinner... and I am delighted to report I did. In fact, I am eating a leftover Peanut Square as I write this post... Mmmm... delicious. The frosting is buttery and rich, but just enough so that it doesn't overpower the fluffy white cake it encases and the salty peanuts bring everything together. It took all of my self control to not eat the entire batch after waiting this long to recapture that unforgettable bite from nearly 7 years ago.

* Maria's name is sadly not Maria, but due to HIPPA I cannot tell you her real name. It's too bad because she deserves the credit.

Maria's Peanut Squares
Base recipes adapted from: Baking, from my home to yours, By Dorie Greenspan

This recipe takes time, so when you decide to tackle it make sure you have plenty of it. Most the time will be spent frosting the sides of each square. I promise you won't regret the work! These are deliciousness!


For The Cake                                            For the Meringue-Buttercream
2 1/4 C Cake Flour                                   1 C Sugar
      1 T Baking Powder                             4 Lg Egg Whites
   1/2 t Salt                                                3 Sticks (12 oz) Unsalted Butter (chopped, room temp.)
1 1/4 C Whole Milk                                  2 t Pure Vanilla Extract
      4 Lg Egg Whites                                 2 C Dry Roasted & Salted Peanuts (chopped)
1 1/2 C Sugar
      1 Stick (8 T) Unsalted Butter (room temp.)
      1 t Pure Vanilla Extract


Making the Cake
Preheat oven, with a rack in the center position, to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of one 13x9x2 rectangle baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, then butter the top of the parchment.


Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl. Whist together the milk and eggs whites in another medium sized bowl. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or mix with hand mixer. Beat eggs and sugar for 3 minutes at medium speed, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in vanilla extract. Then add one third of the flour mixture, mixing on medium speed until the flour is just incorporated. Next add one half of the milk and egg mixture again mixing until incorporated. Repeat the process by adding one half of the remaining flour mixture and beating on medium speed until incorporated, once it is incorporated, add the remaining milk-egg mixture. Continue beating on medium speed until the milk and egg mixture is incorporated, then add the last of the flour mixture. Once all of the ingredients are combined beat the batter on medium speed for 2 minutes, to create a homogeneous well aerated batter. Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top of the cake with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and springy to the touch. When inserted into the center of the cake a knife should come out clean. Cool cake for 5 minutes in the pan, then run a knife around the edges of the cake, unmold cake onto a cooling rack and remove parchment liner. Flip cake right side up and cool to room temperature.

Making the Meringue-Buttercream

Place the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or other large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. At this point all of the sugar should be dissolved and the mixture should resemble shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from heat.

Working with a stand mixer and whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer. Then add the butter, one handful at a time, beating until it is smooth. Once you've added all of the butter, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until the frosting is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream often separates and looks curdled, no worries, just keep beating and it will come together again. Once you have a thick, velvety, and lustrous buttercream add the vanilla on medium speed until combined. Place a piece of plastic wrap against the buttercream and refrigerate for a few minutes until you are ready to frost the squares.

Finishing the Peanut Squares

Slice the cooled cake into 16 pieces. Then set up a frosting station, similar to a breading station. First your cake, then the buttercream, next the chopped nuts spread onto a plate or half sheet pan. Then have a cooling rack or large baking sheet for the finished squares. It is easiest to frost the squares with a small offset spatula. I frost and roll each square start to finish before starting another, things can get a little messy, but that's part of the fun! Start by putting a thin coat of the buttercream on the sides of the cake (a crumb coat). Then add a large dollop of frosting to the top and frost the top and sides using this frosting. I like 1/3 inch layer on top and 1/4 inch think on the sides. They don't have to be perfect. Take your frosted square and roll it in the chopped nuts. If you find this difficult I have also sprinkled nuts onto the cake then give them a gentle pat so they adhere to the cake. Repeat for remaining squares. Once all of the squares are frosting and coated with peanuts I like to stick them in the fridge for a few minutes for the frosting to set.

The squares are delicious fresh or chilled. They should only be left out at room temperature for an hour or two. I keep them in a sealed container in the fridge, then take the squares out 10 minutes before I want to eat them, if I can wait that long.