Rosalyn Carter's Peanut Butter Pound Cake

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a tube pan with wax paper.

Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, Beating well after each. Add vanilla extract. Beat in peanut butter slowly.

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Stir into butter mixture, a little at a time, until well blended. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and bake until cake tests done, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes before removing to rack to cool completely.

If desired, sprinkle chopped peanuts on cake towards the end of baking while batter is still soft to give it a crunchy topping.

Makes 1 tube cake.