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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Nutella-Layered-and-Swirled Peanut Butter Bread {Peanut Butter Loaf Cake}
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I followed the double recipe and used the correct size bread pan and I only had enough for one loaf and one tiny loaf. ? I wanted to read comments and responses but I see there is no community interaction. Please assist. It has been cooking for an hour. Smells amazing but is raw
This post was originally posted in 2013 and doesn’t get as much interaction as do newer posts. However, I would like to troubleshoot your issue.
If it’s still raw, it needs to be cooked longer. If you’re doubling a recipe and making 2 pans of something, it will take longer to bake than if you baked half that amount (the regular recipe as written). So I would say adjust up by maybe 20-30% more time. And always bake until something is done even if the suggested baking time doesn’t jive with what you see in front of you – in this case, it was still raw.
Also perhaps you put too much batter in one pan. Because really you should have filled two 9×5 inch loaf pans decently well. Not 1 full, and the other one very skimpy. I am guessing that is more of the issue is that you overfilled the pan, lengthening the baking time, and that was the issue.
Perhaps next time just make the recipe as written first, don’t double it, seee how it goes, and if all is well, then you can double it.
Thanks for trying the recipe.
Hi is there a substitute for coconut oil.. thank you .looking forward to made your recipe and enjoy the soonest.. i just cant find coconut oil for baking in my place/country. I always find palm oil.im.confused if there are the same.
You could use canola or vegetable oil.
Hi Averie,
This recipe looks amazing~ Is there a way though to replace the “heaping 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter”? We love Nutella but have a slight allergy to peanut butter, so would prefer to omit that.
Looking forward to your reply so I can run out to get the ingredients. Thanks! :)
I can’t make any recommendations because I have only made the recipe is written. You could possibly use 1/4 cup almond butter or sunflower seed butter but because they’re runnier than conventional PB, don’t use the full 1/3+ cup. You could also try omitting and see what happens.
This recipe looks amazing! I was wondering if you think I could make this ahead of time and store in the freezer until ready to bake? If so, how would you adjust baking time? Thank you :)
No you can’t make the batter and then freeze it.
Yum yum, these looks superb. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Hi Averie!
I was wondering if crunchy peanut butter could be used instead? Thank you x
Probably but I personally don’t love crunchy nuts in super soft cake/bread but if that texture won’t throw you, I’m sure it will work fine although I haven’t tried personally.
You’ve got the most amazing collection of peanut butter recipes! I chose this one to try first, tonight, to bring in to work tomorrow for my bosses birthday party. I loved the idea of using coconut oil (my new favourite everything) instead of butter, melted it in a glass measuring cup on the stove as the oven was warming up till melted but not too hot… added it to my bowl with milk, egg, etc…. and boo – the coldness of the milk and egg “froze” the oil! Luckily I was using a glass bowl, so stirred it on the warm stove top till the mixture was a little tepid, enough to melt the oil again. Phew! And the rest, well it looks gorgeous cooling on the rack, will see how it turns out tomorrow! I also used Kraft Chocolate Peanut Butter (instead of Nutella). Came back to check the comments to see if I missed someone else pointing out this mixing issue… but seems nobody actually made the recipe just commenting on your fabulous photos! And they are spectacular! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks
Yes if you’re new to baking with coconut oil, milk and eggs should be at room temp or there will be ‘frozen’ spots but honestly, even if they happen (within reason), I find that it all works out when baking and in the oven. The oil softens again, disperses, and all is well so I wouldn’t get too worry about that, at least I don’t, but that’s just my thoughts and always do what you think is best. Glad the bread came out great for you!
Im thinking of baking the cake without the filling ( uh almost too hard to type that lol!) but i want it to be only peanut butter. Thanks for ur help :) hopefully my search for a PB cake will be over! :)
Hi Averie :) ive been looking for a good peanut butter cake recipe for ages but havent been able to find one thats moist and peanut buttery enough. Ur recipes are awesome so i really wanna try this, if if i was to make this as a cake, what size tin do u recommend? Thanks!
I would say a 9-inch square would be fine. That’s bigger than a 9-inch round, make a mental note of that. The issue is that with the layering you will have very little wiggle room to get just enough batter in the base, then do the filling, then add it to the top so that it all stays neat and distinct. In that sense, a loaf pan is wayyyy more forgiving. Good luck!
Sorry my phone is being silly, i meant to reply to ur comment not post a new one :s
Hi :) i ended up baking just the peanut butter cake without the Nutella swirls in a 9 x 2in deep round pan and it worked perfectly! Topped with a chocolate frosting, it was lovely. The cake was soft, fluffy and moist. Great recipe!! :)
Oh I’m so glad to hear this worked out great in a 9×2 round cake pan and then just doing a chocolate frosting…great idea and I want to make it now :)
Thank you again for yet another delicious and easy to make recipe! I made this bread yesterday to try, and now I plan on making a couple more loaves to give out for the holidays. It is a big hit with my family! Your recipes are the best.
Glad you loved it & thanks for the compliments about my recipes in general! That is so nice to hear!
My lonely cup of coffee is practically begging me to make this! Gorgeous swirling work!!
Yes, peanut butter bread is always a winner. And layer cake without the work – love it!
Oh my gosh, yes! I’m making these tomorrow for sure :)
I seriously need this bread in my life!!
Holy shizz, Averie. I want to swear to really emphasize how amazing this bread is but I want to keep it PG ;) These photos are so gorgeous and the bread. The bread! So fluffy. With that out of control thick layer of luscious, creamy Nutella. You are a genius.
Thanks for the generous compliments on my recipe and photos and for all your sweet comments tonight! Appreciated!! :)
DAT. NUTELLA. SWIRRRRL!