Cooking the Books: Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Remember in my Christmas post when I promised to share the recipe for the most delicious chocolate peanut butter cake ever? Well, today is your lucky day!

This cake will go down in history as the best dessert ever. Future civilizations will erect statues in its honor and write epic poems about its greatness. I don’t think I can adequately convey the amazing perfection that is this cake. You are just going to have to make it for yourself!

The peanut butter cake part is absolutely wonderful, subtly sweet, very peanuty with just a hint of salt, a soft fluffy cake completely infused with the taste of peanut butter. But enough of that. Let’s talk about the real reason we’re all here today: the frosting.

The frosting is the best part of any cake, that is a scientific fact. But this frosting is special. It tastes exactly like Reese’s peanut butter cups and has a creamy yet dense texture, not unlike fudge. The frosting that I use on my cakes and cupcakes in my bakery is usually soft and perpetually fluffy, but this frosting firms up slightly and becomes all the more fantastic because of it. If you like the idea of creamy fudge that tastes like Reese’s Cups – make this frosting! I think if everyone on earth could taste it there would be world peace.

This recipe comes from the Sweet Utopia cookbook which I now consider one of the best vegan cookbooks I have. The generous people over at Book Publishing Company sent me some great cookbooks to review, but this one is a stellar stand out. It has all the basics you would expect in a dessert cookbook from cookies and scones, to cakes and puddings, but it goes one step further and tantalizes your taste buds with recipes for slightly exotic dishes like ‘chocolate sausage’, ‘chocolate-covered almond-tangerine balls’, ‘chocolate-rose halvah balls’, and ‘steamed fruit dumplings’.

But the very best thing about this cookbook is how easy and simple the recipes are. While at first I was daunted by this cake’s double layers and special frosting, it took me just a few minutes to put it all together and it came out like a dream. No muss, no fuss, just delicious dessert. And that is how I have found all the desserts I have tried in this book: spectacular and shockingly easy. It gets my highest recommendation!

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup  Cake

Peanut Butter Cup Cake

2 and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 and ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup unsalted creamy peanut butter (mine was salted and it turned out delicious!)

1/3 cup vegan butter at room temperature

1 cup soymilk

¼ cup applesauce

2 tsp white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate – Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

1 cup unsalted creamy peanut butter (mine was salted)

½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/3 cup vegan butter at room temperature

To Make the Cake: Pre-heat the oven to 350F and oil and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar, peanut butter, and vegan butter and beat with an electric mixer (I used my hand and a fork!) until fluffy. Beat in the soymilk, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on racks.

To Make the Frosting: Melt the chocolate chips in a double-broiler (melted mine in a saucepan) over gently simmering water. Alternatively, place them in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at medium power for 1 minute. Microwave for 25 seconds longer and stir until smooth. If necessary, microwave for an additional 25 seconds. Combine the melted chocolate with the peanut butter, powered sugar, and vegan butter in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and fluffy. Alternatively, beat with an electric mixer.

To Assemble: Remove the cooled cakes from the pans and spread about one-third of the frosting over 1 of the cakes. Place the other cake over it and frost the top and sides. Cover and store in the refrigerator until serving time.

I think this picture shows how nicely the frosting firms up to transform into this lusciously smooth, dense layer of heaven.

Seriously, go make this cake now.

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Don’t forget to enter my Grand Opening Giveaway #2 for your chance to win a bunch of delicious goodies (nut butters!) from the great company Vivapura!