Peanut Free Chocolate "Peanut Butter" Cake

5 from 2 votes

Peanut Free Chocolate "Peanut Butter" Cake

This Peanut Free Chocolate "Peanut Butter" Cake has alternating layers of soft gluten free chocolate cake and silky "peanut butter" frosting! It tastes like a creamy Reese's but it's completely nut free! Thanks to the magic of wow butter, you can safely enjoy the taste of peanut butter while devouring this chocolate cake! Don't have nut allergies? No problem; simply replace the wow peanut butter with any creamy peanut butter, nut butter or seed butter of your choosing!! Topped with chocolate ganache, this cake is a decadent dream! Best part is, it’s gluten free, nut free, egg free and easily vegan!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Assembly Time45

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: Slices

Calories: 803kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake

3 cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it
½ cup cocoa powder I use ¼ cup Dutch or Natural Unsweetened and ¼ cup Dark
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons, vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups cold water

For the Peanut Free "Peanut Butter" Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking sticks, room temperature
1 cup wow butter , room temperature (or 1 cup creamy peanut butter)
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water , room temperature

For the Chocolate Ganache Drip

6 oz chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8 inch cake pans with vegetable oil, line with parchment paper and then lightly grease again with vegetable oil.
In a large bowl whisk together the 3 cups multipurpose gluten free flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
Using clean hands, make 3 wells in the dry ingredients for the wet ingredients to be poured into.
In one well pour the ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, in the other well pour the 2 tablespoons white vinegar and in the last, pour the 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
Pour the 2 cups cold water on top of all the ingredients.
Use a whisk to mix everything together until fully combined. If it gets too thick for the whisk, switch to using a spatula. Do not over-mix.
Using a spatula, scoop the batter evenly into the greased and parchment lined 8 inch cake pans and smooth the tops with a butter knife.
Bake the cakes in the center rack at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes until the tops are slightly springy when carefully touched.
Once out of the oven, let the cakes cool almost completely in the pans for 15 mins before trying to remove. Then remove from pans and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Once cool, slice both cakes in half horizontally. Now you have 4 thin layers of cake.
If your cakes have dome tops, you can take a thin layer off the tops of the cake with a knife, to make a flat surface.

Make the Peanut Free "Peanut Butter" Frosting

While the cake is baking, make the frosting.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the 1 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup wow butter (or creamy peanut butter) until smooth.
Slowly beat in the 5 cups confectioners' sugar and the 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add in the ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of room temperature water...a little at a time until you get the desired consistency.
You may not need to use all the water.

Assemble the Cake

Divide frosting into 5 equal servings.
Place one layer of cake on a cake plate/stand. Scoop ⅕ (about 1 cup) of frosting on top of the layer and use an icing spatula to spread it around.
Place another layer of cake on top; repeat this same process. Do this with 3 layers of cake.
Once you get to the last layer of cake, place it bottom (or flat) side up so the top of the cake is nice and flat. Use an icing spatula or a butter knife to frost the top and a thin layer on the sides of the cake.
You should only use a fifth of the frosting on the top and sides combined.
Pop the entire cake in the fridge uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

Place the 6 ounces chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl. Set aside.
Pour the ½ cup heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once it begins to simmer around the edges, immediately pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Do not mix!
Cover with plastic and let sit 1.5 minutes. Then remove plastic and whisk until smooth.
Immediately take the cake out of the fridge. Spoon almost all the liquid ganache on top of the cake.
Take an icing spatula and push the ganache around to the edges of the cake so it drips down the sides.
Work quickly because the cold cake will quickly stop the ganache from dripping too much
Take the last ⅕th of buttercream and put it into a piping bag. Create swirls or dollops going all the way around the top rim of the cake.
If you have frosting leftover, save it in a bowl covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for a few days.

Video

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy-free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks, vegan chocolate chips, vegan heavy cream and vegan nut fee butter spread.

If you can't find a vegan heavy cream, check my section entitled "substitutions and variations" for how to make a vegan ganache with vegan baking sticks.

Peanut Butter: Replace the wow butter with equal parts creamy peanut butter.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 3 cups packed AP flour (504 grams), ½ cup packed cocoa powder (58 grams) and ¾ cup vegetable oil.

Storing: Once the cake is cut into, cut the entire cake into slices, wrap each slice in foil and store in a zip top bag in the fridge for up to 2 days.

When ready to eat, let the slices sit on the counter, in the foil for about an hour or until the cake is room temperature and soft. If desired, warm each slice in the microwave for 5-10 seconds; be careful not to burn your mouth.

Freezing: Wrap slices in foil, place in the zip top bag and freeze for up to 30 days.

When ready to eat, put the slices in the fridge the night before or leave them out on the counter for 2 hours prior to eating or until the cake is room temperature and soft. If desired, warm each slice in the microwave for 5-10 seconds; be careful not to burn your mouth.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition