I recently posted a recipe for a summer berry cloud cake which I baked for my birthday this year. It’s one of my favourite cakes of all time, so do check it out! Today, I’m coming with a recipe for the second cake I made for my birthday: a salted peanut butter chocolate cake. The chocolate cake itself is vegan, but also delicious! It makes a perfect cake base, and it’s safe for people with dietary restrictions: not just vegans, but also those allergic to eggs or dairy. The salted peanut butter spread contains whipping cream, but you can swap it for an alternative icing if needed. This cake is extremely easy to make and doesn’t take much time.

Ingredients for a salted peanut butter chocolate cake

Vegan chocolate cake, 24×24 cm tray – ingredients for one cake sheet – make two!

• 1 cup plain flour
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon white vinegar
• 2.5 tablespoon dark 100% cocoa powder
• 2/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup water
• 3.5 tablespoon rapeseed oil
• pinch of salt

Salted peanut butter icing

• 300g 100% peanut butter
• 250g (1 cup) whipping cream
• 135g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• salt

How to make vegan chocolate cake

Note: the ingredients provided above are for one flat cake sheet. I wanted to make a two-layer cake, so I baked two of those cakes!

You could try to just double the ingredients, bake the cake once, and cut it in the middle, but I don’t recommend it. I tried it once and the cake fell apart when I tried to lift the top layer. Since then, I bake the two layers separately, even if it takes more time. It helps if you own two identical trays – you can bake both cakes at the same time.

Pre-heat the oven to 165°C (330°F).

Making this cake is incredibly easy. Simply place all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until combined. You could even do it with a fork!

Line a 24×24 cm baking tray with paper. Transfer the batter to the tray and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Repeat for the second cake layer, or bake both at the same time.

Making salted peanut butter icing

This icing isn’t vegan, so if you want to keep the cake vegan, consider an alternative. You can try to find a recipe for vegan peanut butter icing, you can buy pre-made icing in your favourite flavour, or you can even use jam.

To make the salted peanut butter icing with my recipe, whip the cream until stiff. In a separate bowl, whisk peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mix, using a spatula. Taste your peanut butter icing and add more salt if desired.

Assembling salted peanut butter chocolate cake

Now, it’s time to assemble the cake. If you’re worried that the top layer of cake might crumble when you lift it off the paper, I have a trick for you. Put that sheet of cake in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. It will firm up and won’t break when you handle it! That’s what I did – I left the bottom layer of cake in the tray, and put the second one temporarily in the freezer.

I then split the peanut butter icing in half.

I spread one half of the icing on the cake in the tray.

Then, I took the second cake out of the freezer, peeled off the paper, and gently placed the cake on the layer of peanut butter.

Then, I spread the remaining peanut butter icing on top.

I wanted to decorate the top of the cake with chocolate curls, but I couldn’t find any in my local shops. I ended up using some chocolate covered crispies and some chocolate chunks.

Enjoy!

How to store salted peanut butter egg-free chocolate cake

The peanut butter icing contains fresh cream and cream cheese, so store this cake in the fridge. It will last a few days.

Nutritional value of a peanut butter chocolate cake

The whole recipe has approximately 6200 kcal, 380 grams of fat, 640 grams of carbs, 31 grams of fibre and 116 grams of protein.

If you cut the cake into 16 slices, each will have approximately 388 kcal, 24 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fibre and 7 grams of protein.

How to make this cake fully vegan

The chocolate cake in this recipe is vegan, but the icing is not. You can find plenty of recipes for vegan cake icing online, or find ready-made ones in stores.

Bon Appetit!

So that’s my recipe for a salted peanut butter chocolate cake recipe. The chocolate cake in particular makes a great base for various icings, and it’s a good option when you need to cater for dietary restrictions and allergies. The salted peanut butter icing (and I usually make it quite salty!) adds a decadent twist. It’s an indulgent treat, but it’s so, so good!

Also see:

• Food
• Sweet