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Moist & Rich Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake on a plate

Moist & Rich Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 11 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Super moist vegan chocolate peanut butter cake made with layers of tender and rich chocolate cake between irresistible peanut butter buttercream frosting and decadent chocolate buttercream frosting. No one will know this cake is vegan nor dairy free!

Ingredients

Scale

Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake: 

The original recipe was based off of my vegan chocolate cake. 

  • 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) vegan buttermilk, room temperature
  • 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour, sifted
  • 1 cup (95 g) all natural cocoa powder, sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (110 g) brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1 cup (220 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240 mL) hot water + 1 tsp dissolvable espresso powder (or 1 cup (240 mL) brewed coffee, decaf if desired)
  • 1 batch vegan peanut butter frosting 
  • 1 batch of vegan chocolate ganache
  • 6–7 vegan peanut butter cups (you can also use this vegan almond butter cup recipe and swap in peanut butter)

Instructions

  1. Please read through all instructions before beginning.
  2. Prep: preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line three 6″ cake pans with cooking oil and parchment paper, and set aside. Measure out all ingredients. Mix together the dairy free milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. This will be called the vegan buttermilk going forward.
  3. Make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside. In a large bowl and a whisk, whisk the vegan butter, sugar, and brown sugar until integrated.  Then add in the dairy free yogurt and vanilla extract, and whisk again until combined. To the mixture, add in about half of the flour mixture, along with half of the buttermilk. Whisk gently until the flour starts to combine with the wet. Add in the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, and whisk again just before there are no more dry streaks. Slowly pour in the hot coffee, and whisk gently until the coffee has just mixed into the batter.
  4. Bake: pour the batter into the three prepared pans evenly, and place into the oven to bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to fully cool before frosting. There should be no heat within the cakes at all prior to making the vegan buttercream.
  5. Made the vegan peanut butter buttercream: In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter and peanut butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Sift in the powdered sugar and continue beating until the powdered sugar is completely incorporated. You can use the dairy-free milk here to combine the powdered sugar until it’s creamy and fluffy.
  6. Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer onto a cake plate or stand, and add about 1/2 of the frosting to the top of the cake layer. Use a flat cake knife to smear the frosting until it meets the edges. Place the second layer on top and repeat. Place the third layer on top, and smooth any frosting that is poking out between the layers (almost like creating a crumb coating). Place the cake into the freezer to set for 10 minutes. After the initial crumb coat is set, apply the final layer of frosting.
  7. When ready to finish frosting the vegan chocolate peanut butter cake: Top with vegan ganache and pipe any remaining frosting on top. Chop the peanut butter cups into quarters and top the cake. Slice and serve!
  8. Storage: Store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 2 days covered, or in the fridge for up to a week. See note for preparing the cake ahead of time.

Notes

Gluten free: I you’d like to make a gluten free vegan chocolate cake using gluten free 1:1 baking flour,  swap in gluten free 1:1 baking flour, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free baking flour. 

To make powdered coconut sugar: you can use powdered sugar here or you can keep the cake entirely refined sugar free, and pulse the coconut sugar in a food processor. Pulse it for about 5 minutes to create a Paleo powdered sugar.

Cake sizes: 

To make a three-layered 6″ cake: bake the cakes for 30-33 minutes, but check with a toothpick towards the end of the baking time.

To make a two-layered 9″ cake: bake the cakes for 32-37 minutes, but check with a toothpick towards the end of the baking time.

Prepare the cake ahead of time: if you want to prepare the cake ahead of time, make the cake up until you finish step 6. Once the cakes are cool, wrap them in plastic wrap and store the cake layers in the fridge for up to 1 day. Then when ready to assemble, make the frostings and continue assembling the cake.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 576
  • Sugar: 67.4 g
  • Sodium: 417 mg
  • Fat: 21.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 95.4 g
  • Fiber: 4.8 g
  • Protein: 8.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Find it online: https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/