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A slice of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake on a small plate.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake has moist layers of chocolate cake stacked with light and fluffy peanut butter frosting. It is all covered in a showstopping chocolate ganache drip and decorated with peanut butter cups for a dessert everyone will love.
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 14 Servings
Calories: 664kcal
Author: Megan Calipari
Cost: $7

Equipment

  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl
  • 2 8 Inch Round Cake Pans
  • 1 Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
  • 1 10-Inch Cake Board
  • 1 Turntable
  • 1 Mini Offset Spatula
  • 1 Piping Bag and Your Favorite Piping Tip Optional

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake Layers

  • 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • ¾ Cup Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder, sifted
  • 2 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 2 Cups Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
  • ⅔ Cup Canola Oil
  • 2 teaspoon Instant Espresso Powder
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 teaspoon White Vinegar

For the Peanut Butter Frosting

  • 12 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter, room temperature see note
  • ¾ Cup Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
  • ⅓ Cup Maple Syrup
  • 3 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
  • 4 teaspoon Non-Dairy Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Ganache

  • 6 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips This is approximately a heaping ¾ cup
  • ⅔ Cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk

Instructions

First Make the Chocolate Cake Layers

  • Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and insert parchment circles into the bottom of each pan.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
    2 Cups All-Purpose Flour, 2 Cups Granulated Sugar, ¾ Cup Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder, sifted, 2 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • In a medium bowl, combine non-dairy milk, canola oil, instant espresso powder, vanilla, and vinegar. Whisk well to combine, then pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk to form the batter.
    2 Cups Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk, ⅔ Cup Canola Oil, 2 teaspoon Instant Espresso Powder, 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 2 teaspoon White Vinegar
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and use an offset spatula to spread the cake batter out evenly. Then, bake the cakes in a 350*F oven for 36-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
  • Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out of their pans onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow the cakes to continue cooling untiul they are completely cool. See Note!

Make the Peanut Butter Frosting

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the non-dairy butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Then, add the peanut butter and mix on low until combined.
    12 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter, room temperature, ¾ Cup Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
  • Add the maple syrup and mix on low until combined. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix on low until no white streaks remain. And finally, add the non-dairy milk and vanilla and mix on medium until the peanut butter frosting is light and fluffy.
    ⅓ Cup Maple Syrup, 3 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted, 4 teaspoon Non-Dairy Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Stack and Frost the Cake

  • Place a cake layer upside down onto a cake plate or a cakeboard that is on a turntable. Top the layer with ¾-1 cup of peanut butter frosting, and use an offset spatula to spread the frosting to the edge of the cake. Then, top with the remaining cake layer, upside down again.
  • Frost the outside of the cake using the same offset spatula, getting the frosting as smooth as you can. You should have some leftover frosting to decorate the finished cake.
  • Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Make the Ganache

  • Just before you are about to take the cake out of the refrigerator, make the ganache. Add the chocolate chips to a medium-sized heat-safe bowl.
    6 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, ⅔ Cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
  • Add the non-dairy milk to a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the milk simmers, then pour it over the chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes so the chocolate has time to melt, then whisk the mixture until it is homogenuos and glossy.
  • Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Pour the ganache in a steady stream onto the center of the cake until it pools out to be 1 inch from the edge of the cake, then stop pouring. You will have leftover ganache. Then, take a mini offset spatula and pull the ganache over the edges of the cake all the way around.
  • Place the cake bake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until the ganache is set.

Finish the Cake

  • Top the cake with any leftover frosting you have and chopped peanut butter cups if desired. Keep the cake chilled until you are ready to serve.

Notes

For non-dairy butter, I love Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks!
The cakes need to be completely cool before stacking and decorating the cake. Frosting melts very easily!
If you are a beginner, pop the cake layers in the freezer for about an hour before stacking the cake. This will increase the cake's stability.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 66g | Vitamin A: 188IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 3mg