Ultimate Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
It’s my birthday this weekend so to celebrate I’m sharing this super decadent, peanut butter chocolate cake recipe with you!
This is one of those cakes that when you serve it, people are going to ask for the recipe. It’s super moist and fudgey with a smooth melt in your mouth texture. It’s dairy, grain and egg free and is sweetened with a small amount of pure maple or rice syrup and a little coconut sugar (which can be substituted for rice syrup if you’re eating sugar free/low fructose). This rest is all down to the peanut butter!
I’ve tried this recipe with other nut butters and while still good, it’s not quite the same. I think this is in part due to the finely ground texture of smooth peanut butter compared to the grainy texture associated with other types of nut butter (Pic’s almond butter being the exception!). And secondly, peanut butter has a rich, heady quality to it which gives this cake it’s decadent taste and texture.
If you have a peanut allergy however, or simply don’t like the taste of peanuts, by all means substitute the peanut butter in this recipe for any other nut butter of your choice and I promise you’ll still have a very delicious cake!
As far as peanut butter goes, there are definitely some brands that produce a superior quality and healthier product than others. Peanut butter should have just two ingredients: peanuts and a little salt (unless you choose an unsalted variety). The other factor to consider is the quality of the peanuts.
There’s a type of peanuts called hi-oleic peanuts which contain 25% more oleic acid than the average peanut giving them a fatty acid profile similar to olive oil and avocados. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid that’s been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol and the amount of triglycerides in the blood which are important factors in reducing cardiovascular disease. Hi-oleic peanuts also contain more protein and fibre than the average peanut, and have a positive effect on how the body uses fat as fuel. Lastly, the high oleic acid content in these peanuts slows the oxidising process which in turn prevents them from going rancid as fast as regular peanuts. This gives peanut butter made with hi-oleic peanuts a longer shelf-life and no need for extra additives and preservatives!
We’re lucky to have two peanut butter companies in New Zealand (that I know of) using Australian grown hi-oleic peanuts and very little else. They are Fix and Fogg and Pic’s Peanut Butter and their products taste pretty damn amazing. They’re a little more expensive than the big peanut butter brands, but for the superior taste and quality (I think) it’s worth it. Just to be clear though, this is not a sponsored post in any shape or form, I just really like both these peanut butter companies and their smooth peanut butters work perfectly in this chocolate cake recipe.
Speaking of which, this peanut butter chocolate cake is completely dairy, egg and grain free (buckwheat is actually a seed, despite its confusing name). If you don’t have or don’t want to use buckwheat flour then you can substitute it for more ground almonds for a truly flourless cake. This cake is also very low in sugars, sweetened with either pure maple syrup or rice syrup (up to you – rice syrup is the low GI/low fructose choice) and a little coconut sugar which can again be substituted for rice syrup if you’re on a sugar free/low fructose diet.
So without further ado, here is the recipe for my ultimate peanut butter chocolate cake! Enjoy!
Ultimate Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
Makes: 1 x 7 inch cake
Prep time: 30 minutes Bake time: 35 minutes
250g smooth peanut butter (salted or unsalted)
100g pure maple syrup or rice syrup
25g coconut sugar
50g coconut oil, melted
30g buckwheat flour
25g ground almonds
50g raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla powder
pinch Himalayan pink salt
190g nut milk
Peanut Butter Chocolate Icing
100g smooth peanut butter (salted or unsalted)
50g raw cacao powder
40g coconut oil, gently melted
40g pure maple syrup or rice syrup
pinch Himalayan pink salt
100g chopped roasted peanuts to decorate (optional)
Preheat the oven to 170ºC and line a 7″ tin with baking paper.
In a large bowl or food processor mix the peanut butter, maple or rice syrup, coconut sugar and melted coconut oil together. Add the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, cacao powder, vanilla and salt and stir (or pulse if using a food processor) to combine. Lastly add the nut milk and mix (or pulse) until fully combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared tin and place in the centre of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer or knife poked into the centre comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before removing from the tin.
To make the icing combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth. When the cake is cold, place on a serving plate and spread with the icing. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the top (if using) and serve.
This cake will keep up to 5 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Before serving allow to come to room temperature. This cake also tastes amazing when gently heated and served with your favourite ice cream or yoghurt. This cake will also freeze well for up to 1 month.
