Nutella-Layered-and-Swirled Peanut Butter Bread {Peanut Butter Loaf Cake}

Nutella Peanut Butter Bread — Easy, no-mixer quick bread baked in a loaf pan that tastes like cake! Nutella is swirled inside and on top of the peanut butter bread, because why not?!

Nutella Peanut Butter Bread Recipe

I set out to make peanut butter bread. You can call it ‘bread’ if it makes you feel better. It’s really more like Nutella and peanut butter cake baked in a loaf pan. But let’s go with bread. Sounds healthier.

The interior is soft, springy, fluffy, with an open crumb. It’s not overly peanut buttery and reminds me of yellow butter cake, minus any butter used in the recipe.

And there’s a layer of Nutella in the middle of the bread, and more Nutella that’s swirled on top.  Anytime I combine peanut butter and Nutella, I’m very happy, and this bread made me jump for joy.

This Nutella and peanut butter cake is an easy quick bread batter that’s whisked together in one bowl without needing to use a mixer. It’s so easy that the first 7 ingredients — including buttermilk, coconut oil, and peanut butter — are all just added together, before folding in the dry ingredients.

Buttermilk helps keep breads and cakes soft, springy, bouncy, tender, with the perfect balance of density and fluffiness. The results are unparalleled.

In conjunction with the the buttermilk and coconut oil, the peanut butter helps keep the bread moist and soft, without being overpowering.

The top is like the most perfect tasting muffin top. Shiny and dense, but with big chocolate Nutella rivers winding over it.

And there’s the soft, buttery interior, with Nutella bisecting it. It’s like a layer cake, without any of the work.

If we hadn’t scarfed this loaf in under 2 days, I have a feeling it would make excellent French toast, but it disappeared before I could try that.

This is my idea of ‘bread’, for sure. And since it’s bread, seconds (and thirds) are totally okay.

What’s in Nutella Peanut Butter Bread? 

To make this easy peanut butter cake, you’ll need: 

• Egg
• Buttermilk 
• Light brown sugar
• Creamy peanut butter
• Granulated sugar
• Coconut oil
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Nutella

How to Make Nutella Peanut Butter Bread

Simply whisk together the sugars and the wet ingredients, then gently stir in the dry ingredients. 

After the batter comes together, turn about two-thirds of it out into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan, and top it with about 2/3 cup Nutella in an even, smooth layer.

Top with the remaining batter and add more Nutella for swirls. More is usually better when it comes to chocolate and Nutella, but don’t add more than about 1/4 cup, and make sure there aren’t any large, concentrated blobs.

To make the swirly pattern I did, I started with 3 long train tracks. Then I took a toothpick perpendicular to the tracks, traversing the length of the pan, until it was swirled. Do whatever is easiest for you.

Bake the peanut butter Nutella cake until the top is set and firm, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.

Allow the Nutella peanut butter bread to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Note that bread may fall a bit in the center as it cools. This is to be expected because it’s very weighed-down with Nutella.

How to Store Nutella Peanut Butter Bread

This Nutella peanut butter bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or may be frozen for up to 6 months.

Can I Use Homemade Peanut Butter? 

No, I don’t recommend using homemade peanut butter or natural peanut butter for this loaf cake recipe. A standard peanut butter like Jif or Skippy works best in this peanut butter bread. 

Can I Use a Buttermilk Substitute? 

You can make buttermilk by souring your own milk. Add about 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk, wait for 10 minutes for it to curdle, then use as indicated.

If you don’t routinely keep buttermilk on hand, I highly recommend this Powdered Buttermilk. If you don’t use buttermilk much, but sometimes see a recipe that needs a half cup, but because you think you won’t use the rest of the jug before it goes bad, you opt of trying the recipe, then this powder is your new best friend. Shelf stable, keeps for ages.

Can I Use a Coconut Oil Substitute? 

I’m no stranger to using coconut oil in muffins, cakes, bread, cookies and I noticed zero coconut flavor in the cake. Between the peanut butter and Nutella, any coconut flavor is totally masked, but use another oil if you’re more comfortable.

Tips for Making Nutella Peanut Butter Bread

One tip that really helps make this easier is microwaving the jar of Nutella for about 15 seconds, or as needed, so that it loosens up. This makes pouring and spreading it on top of squishy raw cake batter so much easier.

Note that blobs of Nutella on top of the peanut butter Nutella cake will be heavy, dense, and could cause the top of the loaf to fall or sink as it cools. I had a couple iffy patches because I got a bit carried away with my swirling. It sure tastes great, but visually-speaking, sunken patches don’t win blue ribbons.

This peanut butter bread is delicious as is, but it’s also wonderful for making french toast! 

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4.88 from 8 votes

Nutella-Layered-and-Swirled Peanut Butter Bread {Peanut Butter Loaf Cake}

By Averie Sunshine

Easy, no-mixer quick bread baked in a loaf pan that tastes like cake! Nutella is swirled inside and on top of the peanut butter bread, because why not?!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ¾ cup buttermilk
• ▢ ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup coconut oil, melted (canola or vegetable oil may be substituted)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ pinch salt, optional and to taste
• ▢ about 2/3 cup Nutella for layering inside the loaf
• ▢ about 1/4 cup Nutella for swirling on top the loaf

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside (don’t use an 8-by-4-inch pan; it’s too small)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients, through vanilla.
• Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix. Batter will be very thick and lumpy. Don’t try to stir the lumps smooth.
• Turn about 2/3 of the batter out into prepared pan (just eyeball it), smoothing the surface lightly with a spatula; set aside remaining batter.
• Evenly pour about 2/3 cup Nutella over the batter (just eyeball it), smoothing it lightly with a spatula to push it into the corners and cover the surface completely.
• Top with the remaining batter, smoothing it lightly with a spatula.
• Drizzle about 1/4 cup Nutella (just eyeball it) over the top for swirls. Make sure there aren’t any large, concentrated blobs because they could cause the top to fall upon cooling. To create the marbled pattern shown, I made 3 long, parallel lines, like train tracks. Then with a toothpick, I went up-and-back horizontally (perpendicular to the train tracks), covering the length of the pan until it was completely swirled. Make swirls in whatever way is easiest for you.
• Bake for 40 to 45minutes (I baked 42), or until top is set and firm, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
• Allow bread to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Note that bread may fall a bit in the center as it cools. This is to be expected because it’s very weighed-down with Nutella.

Notes

• Tip: Microwaving the jar of Nutella for 15 to 30 seconds, or as needed, makes pouring and spreading it easier.
• Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or may be frozen for up to 6 months. Serve plain, with a smear of peanut butter and/or Nutella, makes wonderful French toast.
• Loosely adapted from Cinnamon Sugar Crust Cinnamon Ribbon Bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 1

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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