I’m going to start this recipe post with a proud moment of mine: my vegan housemate said she’d pay £5 for a slice of this cake, it was THAT good. *chuffed* Rich but light, this cake is a tribute to all things chocolate, made with melted chocolate, chocolate chunks AND cocoa powder. It features a creamy peanut butter swirl to top things off, resulting in a flavour combination that I’m aaall about. The perfect antidote to ‘Blue Monday’.
It’s too fluffy to be a brownie, though that’s not a bad thing. It’s less dense in a great way and perfect for a party or birthday. You could also make this in a round tin and sandwich two halves together with something delicious.
Other than melting the chocolate over a bain marie, this cake is all made in one bowl, which helps on the washing up front. Ah and maybe a couple of mugs are needed for melting the coconut oil and peanut butter, but you could use the same one!
I’m a crunchy peanut butter girl through and through, but you could use crunchy or smooth in this recipe. Do use good quality chocolate though if you can as it accounts for so much of the flavour and make sure to check it’s vegan if you need it to be.
Recipe notes:
I haven’t tried it yet but I’m thinking a jam swirl might also be a great addition to this recipe too… I love me some PB and jelly and I feel like chocolate can only make it better?!
Ingredients
5 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus extra for greasing
200g dairy-free dark chocolate
170g gluten free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional – it just helps to bind the cake)
3 heaped teaspoons cocoa powder
170g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
240 ml unsweetened dairy free milk (I used almond)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract or paste
3 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy work)
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Grease a square baking tin (roughly 20cm) with a little coconut oil, then line with greaseproof paper.
First, melt the chocolate. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base doesn’t touch the water. Break 150g of the chocolate into the bowl and allow it to melt then set aside to cool slightly. While the chocolate is melting, sieve the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum if using and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt.
Make a well in the centre and stir in the coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla and melted chocolate until combined. Roughly chop and stir in the remaining chocolate. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, spreading it out evenly to the edges.
Gently warm the peanut butter, either in a microwave or in a pan, until slightly runny. Drizzle the peanut butter over the cake and use the end of a spoon to stir it into the batter, making a swirl pattern. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until springy to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out almost clean (a few crumbs is good!) Allow to cool in the pan before lifting onto a board and cutting into squares.
I really do love seeing you lot make my recipes – please tag me @shecanteatwhat or with #fodmapfriendlykitchen across social media!
