Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe with Peanut Butter Frosting

I realize that we have quite a few chocolate cakes here on Go Dairy Free, but this one is different. The rich dairy-free and egg-free chocolate cake is actually infused with peanut butter (and chocolate chips!) and topped with a very peanut buttery frosting. If this peanut butter chocolate cake isn’t one of the most comforting desserts on the planet, then I don’t know what is.

Peanut Butter Nutter Chocolate Cake Recipe from Vegan Comfort Cooking - a deliciously easy sample cookbook recipe. Infused with chocolate and peanut butter.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake for the Nuttiest of Cravings

I’m sure some of you blissfully inhale bowls of kale and have sworn of sweets for good, but not me. I love healthy food, I love the occasional indulgence, and I like all of my food to taste delicious. That’s why I lean toward cookbooks like Vegan Comfort Cooking by my friend Melanie McDonald.

Melanie understands that for many of us, familiar flavors and ingredients go hand in hand with nutritious eating. And yes, we like to enjoy dessert, too!

Vegan Comfort Cooking contains many crave-able yet healthy dishes, like these Quick & Crispy Zucchini Fritters and this I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan Roasted Garlic Alfredo.

But it also has some very satisfying treats, like Drool-Worthy Cinnamon Donuts and this Peanut Butter Nutter Chocolate Cake. Trust me, you will go nuts for the sweet, salty, decadent, and densely chocolaty flavors in this wonderful recipe.

Peanut Butter Nutter Chocolate Cake Recipe from Vegan Comfort Cooking - a deliciously easy sample cookbook recipe. Infused with chocolate and peanut butter.

Special Diet Notes: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

For a peanut-free cake, you can substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter in both parts of the recipe.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

Chocolate and peanut butter, together, should rule the world. They could solve all of life’s problems, and that’s why I’m bringing you this in-your-face, intensely chocolaty cake with drippy, sticky, sweet, peanut butter glaze. If you’re feeling down, this is what you need. It’s the ultimate comfort food cake. I’ll be honest and say that I’m not usually the biggest fan of chocolate cake because it tends to be a bit dry and lacking in flavor. Fear not here, though, because this one is stick-to-the-fork moist and stays that way for days. This recipe has no added oil or vegan butter in the sponge. Peanut butter acts as the fat, adding to the rich flavor and the slightly fudgy texture.

Author: Melanie McDonald

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 9 servings

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

⅓ cup (86 g) natural peanut butter (see tips)
1½ cups (360 ml) unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
½ cup (123 g) unsweetened applesauce or peeled and pureed cooked sweet potato
2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder (optional but recommended; it really brings out the chocolate flavor)
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200 g) sugar
¾ cup (65 g) cocoa powder
2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (use only ¼ teaspoon if your peanut butter contains salt)
½ cup (90 g) dairy-free chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Frosting

¾ cup (194 g) natural peanut butter
¼ teaspoon salt (use only ⅛ teaspoon if your peanut butter contains salt)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (146 g) powdered sugar
4 to 7 tablespoons (60 to 105 ml) unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage

Instructions

Prepare the cake. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and grease an 8-inch (20.5-cm) square pan with oil or vegan butter. Cut a rectangle of parchment paper as wide as your pan and long enough to cover the bottom and 2 opposite sides with enough overhang to act as handles for lifting out the cake once it’s been baked. The oil or butter will help keep it in place.
Put the peanut butter in a bowl and gradually add the nondairy milk, whisking as you go, to incorporate the peanut butter into the milk. Then add the vanilla, applesauce, vinegar and coffee; stir together really well.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Pour the peanut butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir together gently. Do not beat it and do not overmix; stop when all the flour has just been absorbed. Add the chocolate chips and gently stir again to distribute. Then immediately pour into the prepared pan and bake for 37 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is coming away from the edges and, if you press on the top of it with a finger, it feels firm with a little bit of give. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out almost clean. You might hit a melted chocolate chip, so bear that in mind when checking. To keep the cake nice and moist, it is important not to overbake it. It’s better to underbake it very slightly.
Remove the cake from the oven and lift it gently out of the pan, using the parchment paper “handles.” Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the peanut butter with the salt until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating as you go. It will likely get a little stiff, and when it does, add nondairy milk a tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, stopping when it reaches a thick, gloopy, yet pourable consistency.
Place the cake on a plate, and then pour the frosting over the cake, using a spatula to spread it out, if necessary. It will run down the sides in places. Allow the frosting to firm up a little before serving. You can hurry it along by chilling it in the fridge for around 30 minutes.

Notes

Tips: Use either smooth or crunchy peanut butter. Smooth looks better but crunchy adds good texture! Mashed banana used instead of the applesauce or sweet potato is really nice!

Credit: Reprinted with permission from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Melanie McDonald.