Peanut Nutter Butter Chocolate Cake | Vegan Comfort Cooking Cookbook Review

Comfort food. Like a warm blanket right out of the dryer, it is always a good idea!

That is why I love this book! It’s all your favorite comfort food and it’s all vegan. We couldn’t ask for more round here at Bad to the Bowl!

We took a vote in our family about what recipe to review! There were so many good vegan comfort food recipes to choose from in this new vegan cookbook from Melanie at A Virtual Vegan. Here were the results from our quick dinnertime poll:

Should we choose the Quick and Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Avocado Crema? (Mom’s vote!)

Or the Smash ’em Up Salt and Vinegar Potatoes? (Son and Hubby’s vote!)

Or maybe the Smokey White Bean and Tomato Soup? (this one actually had all our vote, but with it being summer, we decided it seemed a better recipe for fall?!)

Last up on the docket for voting: the Peanut Butter Nutter Chocolate Cake. Well I think you know what was decided! This was unanimous for the win from hubby, son and daughter. And I knew that their reviews back to me would be honest and true (because that is just how kids are!).

And THEY LOVED this Vegan Peanut Butter Nutter Chocolate Cake.

I have to admit I have not done much vegan dessert baking on the blog (unless you count all things POPCORN). I am not against sweets, in fact, I routinely am whipping up cookies or muffins in the kitchen for school lunches, but when it comes to posting a plant based recipe, I gravitate towards…well things eaten in a salad bowl! So this recipe would be a perfect addition for our sadly lacking category of vegan sweets on the blog – plus if you top this with some vegan whipped cream, it is perfect for eating inside a bowl!

Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven (whoever thought of that combination was…well genius!). This vegan, Peanut Nutter Butter Chocolate Cake, just makes sense. It’s thick, fudgy and that peanut butter frosting – well let’s hear it from our reviewer, my son:

“This peanut butter frosting is so good!” – said as he licked the icing bowl clean!

And that fudgy cake, well here is the review from my daughter:

“The chocolate cake with the surprise mini chocolate chips in it was yummy.”

And from my husband’s family who were not included in the ‘voting poll’ mentioned above – well they were surprised a vegan cake could be so good! 100 percent across the board for this chocolate cake!

Melanie at A Virtual Vegan, has gave us some truly good vegan comforting recipes in her new cookbook release, Vegan Comfort Cooking. This book will be one that I come back to again and again!

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Peanut Nutter Butter Chocolate Cake

Peanut nutter butter chocolate cake is delicious in every bit! Fudgy chocolate cake with mini chocolate chips and the best peanut butter frosting.

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

Cake

• oil or vegan butter for pan
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened non dairy milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or cooked and cooled sweet potato puree
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cane or granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 4-7 tablespoon unsweetened non dairy milk

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.
• Pour the peanut butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir together gently. Do not beat it and do not over mix; 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

• Peanut butter: Use either smooth or crunchy peanut butter. Smooth looks better but crunchy adds good texture!
• Puree: Mashed banana used instead of the applesauce or sweet potato is really nice!
• Instant coffee powder is optional but recommend to bring out chocolate taste
• Salt – use only 1/4 teaspoon in cake and 1/8 teaspoon in frosting if your peanut butter contains salt