Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Peanut Butter Cups are by far the very best candy around. There is nothing that can top the smooth, melt-in-your mouth interior of the peanut butter when combined with the first solid, and then gooey ridges of the chocolate. In an effort to recreate the iconic candy in cake form, I experimented with making a peanut butter frosting. 

About 98% of the recipes I encounter for vegan frosting include ingredients such as non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance. While this may have the same consistency of butter, I think using butter-substitutes is cheating. My theory about vegan eating is eliminating the unnecessary chemicals and animal products from a diet. Who wants to eat something that is processed and definitely not found in nature? 

The cake itself is very vegan, very chocolate, and very tasty. I apologize for the lack of picture, but I smoothed the frosting on only the top of the cake when it was completely cooled, and sprinkled it with slivered almonds. It looked gorgeous if I don't say so myself!

Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Cake:

1 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the dry ingredients except sugar together. Combine the wet ingredients including sugar in another bowl. Add both mixtures together and stir. 

Bake for around 30 minutes in a round cake pan. This time will be 15 minutes if you are making cupcakes. 

Frosting:

1 cup of smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

equal parts oil and water

Combine the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract together. Add equal parts oil and water in small increments to the mixture until the consistency is smooth but will hold. 

When the cake is completely cooled, spread the peanut butter frosting on only the top of the cake, sprinkle with slivered almonds. Crushed peanut butter cups would be delicious also, but keep in mind that they are not vegan. 

All the Vegan-Phobes Beware: Melt in Your Mouth Cookies

While I am not a vegan myself, vegan food is a hallmark of healthy eating. When making cookies, many ingredients that are often considered essential in baking, (like butter, eggs and milk), can easily and deliciously be substituted for animal-friendly alternatives. In the following recipe, oil, honey, soy milk and peanut butter are artery-friendly stand ins. The absence of a complex binding agent, such as an egg, lends for a more delicate cookie, allowing it to simply melt away in your mouth. 

I like to serve these to my vegan-scoffing friends and then smirk with glee when I see how much they are enjoyed. 

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

makes around 20 cookies

2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 cup honey

1/4 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in medium sized bowl. Mix well. 

In a separate bowl, vigorously stir sugar with olive and canola oil. Add peanut butter, vanilla extract, honey and soy milk. 

Add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. 

Place rounded tablespoons of the dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Take a fork and make a cross-hatch pattern on the top of each cookie so the dough flattens a bit- they don't spread out much so they can be fairly close together. 

Cook for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.