PB&J Dome Cake Recipe
By Shilpa Uskokovic
4.8
(4)
The dome cake is the It girl of cakes; she's completely unique and impeccably styled. You’ve likely seen one on your social feed, bedecked with flowers and seemingly shrouded in mystery. Though dome cakes are often shown off in their finished glory, the secrets of their making are seldom revealed. Consider them declassified now. It's by no means a piece of cake, but if you like an artful project (this involves stacking layers of varying-size cake) and obsessing over details, follow along. It's held together with a whipped peanut butter filling and finished with a strawberry cream; we promise it's worth the elbow grease. You can always break up the project over a day or two to make it more manageable.
While most dome cakes are made in a specialty hemisphere cake pan, this one is assembled in a large mixing bowl for ease and accessibility. Choose the roundest one on your shelf for the most rotund dome. For a super smooth, professional-looking cake, finish the cake by running a strip of acetate over the curved surface (outlined below). Acetate sheets are easily found online and in craft supply stores and come in handy for building tall layer cakes.
Whatever flowers and foliage you use, check with your florist that they’re nontoxic. And always remove them before cutting and serving the cake.
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Stand Mixer
$299 At Amazon
9" Round Cake Pan
$18 $16 At Amazon
8-Inch Cake Pan
$10 At Amazon
Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
Piping Bag and Tips Set
$13 At Amazon
Scale
$27 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$17 At Bon Appétit Market
12 servings
8
2
1
2
⅔
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
4
2
1¼
1
⅓
1
½
8
8
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Line two 8"-diameter and two 9"-diameter cake pans with parchment paper rounds (do not grease; chiffon cakes rise higher in an ungreased pan). Beat 8 large egg whites, room temperature, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. cream of tartar, and 1 cup (packed; 200 g) brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until egg whites are broken up, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until meringue is glossy and holds medium peaks, 8–10 minutes.
Whisk 8 large egg yolks, room temperature, and remaining 1 cup (packed; 200 g) brown sugar by hand (or with a hand mixer) in a large bowl until pale and well combined, about 2 minutes (mixture will seem stiff). Whisk in ⅔ cup vegetable oil, 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and ⅔ cup room-temperature water. Sift 2 cups (250 g) cake flour and 1 tsp. baking powder over and whisk vigorously to combine.
Add one fourth of meringue to egg yolk mixture; mix to incorporate. Add remaining meringue in 3 additions, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition until only a few streaks remain.
Divide batter among prepared pans to come ¾" up the sides (300 g in each 8" pan; 350 g in each 9" pan) and gently smooth surface. Run a chopstick through batter a few times to break up any large air bubbles. Bake cakes 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° and continue baking until cakes are golden brown and tops spring back when gently pressed, 15–18 minutes more (smaller cakes may be done first). Invert pans onto 2 wire racks and let cakes cool in pans, about 1 hour. (Cooling cakes upside down reduces shrinkage.)
Turn pans over. Run an offset spatula around sides of cakes to loosen, then invert onto wire racks; peel away parchment.
Working in batches if needed, pulse 1 cup (46 g) freeze-dried strawberries, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest in a food processor until finely ground. Add 2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, 4 cups chilled heavy cream, and 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and process, scraping down sides halfway through, until mixture is thick and mousse-like, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; cover and chill. Rinse out and dry food processor.
Do ahead: Strawberry cream can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Pulse 1¼ cups chilled heavy cream, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until mixture is thick and creamy, about 1 minute (it's okay if some sugar remains undissolved). Transfer to a small bowl.
Line a large bowl (10"–11"-diameter at top; 4"–5"-diameter at base) with plastic wrap, leaving a 6" overhang. Using a 4"–5"-diameter plate or bowl as a template (size should match base of large bowl), cut out a round from one 8" cake layer (scraps are baker's treat). Using a 6"-diameter plate or bowl as a template, cut out a round from one 9" cake layer. Transfer 2½ cups strawberry cream to a piping bag (no tip needed) or a plastic bag with ¼" cut diagonally from 1 corner.
Place smallest cake layer in large bowl (it should sit flush against base) and spread 2 Tbsp. strawberry jam evenly over top. Spoon about ¼ cup (65 g) peanut butter filling on top of jam and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Scatter 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts over filling. Pipe strawberry cream to fill in gap between cake and bowl. Stack 6" cake layer on top; spread with 3 Tbsp. strawberry jam, then with about ½ cup (130 g) peanut butter filling. Pipe strawberry cream around cake to fill gaps. Scatter 3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts over filling. Stack 8" cake layer on top and spread with remaining 3 Tbsp. strawberry jam, then with about 1 cup (260 g) peanut butter filling. Pipe strawberry cream around cake to fill gaps. Scatter remaining 3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts over filling. Stack 9" cake layer on top, pressing down firmly to adhere. Bring plastic overhang up and over to cover. Chill until cream is set, about 1 hour.
Peel back plastic from surface of cake. Place a cake stand or large plate upside down over bowl and invert; unmold cake and carefully remove plastic. Set aside ½ cup strawberry cream for decorating; spread remaining strawberry cream in an even layer over top and sides of cake with offset spatula, mounding cream on top slightly to create a more pronounced dome shape. (For the cleanest dome shape, use a 9x4" strip of acetate—a flexible plastic sheet—to smooth strawberry cream: Grip ends of acetate and pull gently up slope of dome and down the other side, rotating cake as you go.) Chill cake, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
Just before serving, transfer reserved strawberry cream to a piping bag fitted with a St. Honore or other petal tip or to a plastic bag with ¼" cut diagonally from 1 corner. Pipe squiggles over cake. Press food-safe flowers and leaves and freeze-dried strawberries onto surface of cake as desired.
Do ahead: Cake (without decorations) can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover loosely and keep chilled.
How would you rate PB&J Dome Cake?
Leave a Review
This photo, as do many from Bon appetit, looks fake, phony, plastic I think this may be due to overdoing it with digital manipulation. I wish Bon appetit would stop it.
Anonymous
Los Angeles
4/9/2023
A Bombe style cake is relatively simple to make. One may elect to slice rounds on an angle if one is finicky; however not a simple as it sounds and recommend if its one's first attempt at such a structure to slice the rounds with straight up and down surface.I am not a peanut butter fan so substituted almond butter for peanut butter and hazelnuts for peanuts. A raspberry jelly / jam is also a tasty sub as it has more personality than the strawberry jam / jelly.This style cake also lends itself nicely to a chocolate glaze / coating over crumbcoat.
Wesedo
Vancouver Island, BC
2/16/2023
I need a video for this assembly, please.
Wish the Chef
Nashville, TN
2/15/2023
Where are the supposed 2 reviews? Serious credibility gap without them.
Anonymous
SLC, UT
2/11/2023
8 large egg whites, room temperature 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt 1 tsp. cream of tartar 1 cup (packed; 200 g) brown sugar 8 large egg yolks, room temperature 1 cup (packed; 200 g) brown sugar ⅔ cup vegetable oil 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract 2 cups (250 g) cake flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup (46 g) freeze-dried strawberries 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 4 cups chilled heavy cream 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract Do ahead: 1¼ cups chilled heavy cream 1 cup creamy peanut butter ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt 2 Tbsp. strawberry jam 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts 3 Tbsp. strawberry jam 3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts 3 Tbsp. strawberry jam 3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts food-safe flowers and leaves freeze-dried strawberries Do ahead: Sign In Subscribe