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Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (Gluten-Free)

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You will not believe that this cake is flourless! It’s gluten-free and can be made with ANY nut butter (or seed butter). It’s so easy to make and tasty too.

You guys. I came up with this gluten-free peanut butter cake for a very special dude in my life who happens to think that sun butter/almond butter/cashew butter can’t hold a candle to peanut butter (you can use any nut butter in this recipe though).

Speaking of candles.

I wanted to put THIRTY of them on this flourless peanut butter cake (that just so happens to be speckled with plenty of mini chocolate chips).

Why?

Because the special dude in my life (Mr. Heart Beet – aka – my soulmate – aka – the best thing to ever happen to me – aka – even I know this is getting annoying but but hopefully you get how special he is to me) is THIRTY YEARS OLD TODAY. 3-0. THIRTY. Like, THREE DECADES OLD.

I wanted to do something special for him, so I made him this flourless cake – using his favorite nut butter of ’em all: PEANUT BUTTER.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (gluten-free) by Ashley of MyHeartBeets.com

His reaction after taking a bite:

Husband: “really? there’s no flour?”
Me: “it’s a flourless cake – definitely no flour”
Husband: “are you sure? how is there no flour in this cake?”

(he was basically amazed at my gluten-free baking skills).

Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (gluten-free) by Ashley of MyHeartBeets.com

Rob loves this cake. And, I love it too. It is reallllllllly good. Like, really good. It has become my go-to cake when I need something sweet but have limited ingredients on hand. The great thing about this recipe is that it calls for staples that almost everyone currently has in their pantry/fridge. The bad thing about this recipe? You’ll always have the ingredients handy, so you’ll be able to make this all the time, lol.

Hope you make and love this cake! Tell me what nut butter you use!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (gluten-free) by Ashley of MyHeartBeets.com
Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (gluten-free) by Ashley of MyHeartBeets.com

Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (Gluten-Free)

Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (gluten-free) by Ashley of MyHeartBeets.com

Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (Gluten-Free)

4.93 from 38 reviews
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Ingredients
 

To Make Frosting:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Add all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips to a bowl and mix until well combined and smooth (using an electric hand mixer or just by hand).
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Pour the batter into a small 6-inch cake pan (or a 9×5 bread pan).
  • Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

To Make Frosting

  • Add the peanut butter and chocolate chips to a bowl and melt using the double boiler method or in intervals in the microwave.
  • Once smooth, drizzle or spread on top of the cake.

Video

Notes

I made this using a small 6-inch cake pan. I think doubling the recipe might work but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @myheartbeets on Instagram and hashtag it #myheartbeets!

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Flourless Peanut Butter Cake (gluten-free) by Ashley of MyHeartBeets.com

Do you like your cake with a drizzle of frosting or fully frosted?

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Hi, I’m Ashley. Thanks for being here! I truly believe that food brings us closer together. Gather around a table with good food and good people, and you’ll have the ingredients you need to create some happy memories. My hope is that you find recipes here that you can’t wait to share with family and friends.

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Comments

  2. Hetvi Chokshi says

    Hey Ashley, I made this for my husband’s birthday too. It turned out yummy but it’s green.. don’t know why?? I used cane sugar. And canola oil for grease at bottom of pan. Is the cake edible now??

    Reply

  3. Maranda Everson says

    5 stars
    Made this for my sons birthday I did double it to make a 2 layer cake, but no icing just fresh cream! It was lush and no one believed me when I said it was flourless! I did use crunchy peanut butter.

    Reply

  5. Amelia says

    I have doubled… and even tripled this recipe… and put it in an 8″ round pan and cooked for about 20 minutes at 350F. PERFECTION.

    Reply

  7. Jennifer S says

    5 stars
    I made the peanut butter one several months ago and enjoyed it. Now I’m restricted from gluten and dairy and egg, so I used a baking egg substitute (a powder you add water to), though I’m wondering if chia eggs would work as well. I also decided to try it more like a spice cake so instead of peanut butter I used almond butter and added cinnamon, nutmeg etc like a carrot cake. I made an icing with Earth Balance vegan butter, powdered coconut sugar, coconut oil and the same spices , it came out like the filling of a cinnamon roll. Overall it was really good, the cake was a little dry but I don’t know if maybe it was that egg substitute or I think I may have cooked it a little too long. Even my “I don’t like hippie food (anything healthy)” husband likes it lol.

    My next attempt will be to use a sugar substitute. I like monk fruit but my husband doesn’t (the cooling effect makes it taste minty to him).

    Reply

  9. Nat says

    So excited to try making this for my husband’s birthday. He won’t eat any refined sugar. Do you know of a brand of chocolate chips that’s sweetened with coconut sugar? I can only find cane sugar where I live and that won’t suffice. Thanks!

    Reply

  11. Linda says

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I doubled it as I had a stack of home laid eggs to use up, including duck eggs. Used a jar of almond, Brazil and cashew nut butter as we can’t eat peanut, and subbed erythritol for the honey, and sugar free chocolate chips, and it came out perfect baked in a 20cm square lined tin. Will be making this again ( just wish the nut butter was cheaper! ).

    Reply

  12. Khadija says

    5 stars
    Was skeptical about something so simple getting such rave reviews & thought there must be a trick or a catch & this required massive talent or something. (I can mess up the simplest baking recipe). I thought – no way can I make anything this tasty. (I’m not a baker by any stretch of the definition).

    It was awesome!

    Followed your recipe, used unsweetened organic peanut butter, chunks of sweet chocolate bar.
    Baked 23 mins in small counter top oven, 8x 5 loaf pan.

    You don’t know how easy you’ve made it for me to bake homemade desserts for my toddlers. Am so excited thinking up a gazillion ways to use different healthy ingredients thru this recipe – 85% dark chocolate (so kids develop tastes for less sweet stuff), nut butters, homemade almond powder, chia seeds…..

    Thank you!!!

    Reply

  13. Sophia Wong says

    5 stars
    Tried it – awesome and super easy! Just experimented it by using coconut butter instead of PB and cut back on sugar. Turned out great very moist pound cake. Next time will try adding matcha powder. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.

    Reply

  15. Misty Summers says

    I wasn’t sure if it would work but it did! I left out all the sugar and just baked this with the peanut butter, eggs & baking soda! It worked great! We drizzled some dark chocolate over the top with shaved almonds! It was lovely and very low in sugar!! 😍 Obviously not as sweet as the original but still awesome! My next experiment will be to add a banana & walnuts…I think I will use cashew butter too 😍

    Reply

  18. Joanna says

    Thanks for this recipe! I made it to bring to a housewarming party (I felt it was a risky move to try a new recipe out on a group of strangers) but it received rave reviews. I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9-inch cake pan and it turned out just fine!

    Reply

  19. Debra says

    Hi Ashley, I have this cake baking in my oven right now. It’s my daughters birthday ( turning 32). I doubled the recipe and had to use crunchy PB because that is all I had. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

    Reply

  20. JenZ says

    5 stars
    This cake was so good! We subbed in sunbutter because of allergies and then replaced the baking soda with baking powder so the chemical reaction (between sunbutter and baking soda) wouldn’t turn the cake green. The thing I loved most about this recipe was that it was simple enough that my six year old “made” it all by herself. She was so proud of her beautiful little cake. Thanks for such a great recipe! Also, I love in Colorado at high altitude and other than cooking it maybe three extra minutes, it turned out perfect.

    Reply

  21. Michelle G says

    5 stars
    Another wonderful recipe from you Ashley, I thought the chocolate cake couldn’t be beaten, but no, I think this is my new favourite. Made it as per the recipe except I used broken up 75% dark chocolate chunks as I’m allowed that on BSD and it made two 4.5 inch sponges which rose beautifully! Smothered both with the topping 😉

    Reply

  22. Brenda says

    I got a cake baking in the oven right now and I am having a panic moment… Do you use regular sweetened peanut butter or unsweetened peanut butter…I used unsweetened peanut butter…so.. fingers crossed…

    Reply

  23. Lisa says

    Hi Ashley. This looks amazing! Did you grease your pan and, if so, what did you use? We live at high altitude, and am wondering if any of your readers have tried baking this at altitude, and if they had to make any adjustments. Thanks so much for your great recipes!

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Lisa! I lined the bottom of the pan with parchment paper but you can grease the pan if you don’t have that. Hopefully someone will reply about baking at higher altitude.

      Reply

  24. Debbie says

    5 stars
    Definitely a keeper thank you. I have tried quite a few grain free deserts, but none really came out that well. This one looked great and was delicious, I served it to dinner guests, one who said she would just have a bite of her husbands, then she ate the whole thing LOL. The only sub I did was replace peanut butter with Almond butter.

    Reply

  25. Paula says

    5 stars
    Looks delicious and will definitely make soon….HOWEVER, probably won’t find it half as sweet or as lovely as your love for your man… that is simply awesome!

    Reply

  26. Josephine says

    I can’t WAIT to try this! It’s so hard to find these type of recipes that don’t have bananas… I can’t have bananas!!!

    Reply

  27. Faith says

    5 stars
    Okay, umm…this. was. AMAZING.

    No joke, I brought it to a family party tonight full of “wheat-eating” folks (and one keto) and they LOVED it. There were three cakes there tonight but this one disappeared the fastest & was most popular. I’m still amazed at how perfect the texture is & how incredibly, insanely easy it was to whip together.

    Thank you thank you thank you for this magical recipe! I took a few pics of the finished product & will post/tag you on Insta. <3

    Reply

  28. Wendy says

    I made this for Easter and loved it!! It turned out super moist. I couldn’t believe it was flourless. I haven’t had cake in so long as I’m gluten free. This was an amazing treat. My young daughter who is not gluten free said that it was the best cake she’s ever had … We had to share the last piece. Lol!

    Reply

  29. Georgia says

    Hi, I have made this recipe today and could not believe how fluffy this cake was without any flour. I love it!! I made it without the chocolate chips and the frosting and it was sweet enough. Great sweet with a coffee or…red wine?

    Reply

  30. Laika says

    Hi Ashley,
    I tried this recipe a couple of times. We loved it! Thank you.
    I had to reduce the temp a little because I only had a loaf pan.
    My husband suggested layering your awesome cherry chia jam ( I make it every week)
    We had a ding ding moment!!!!!
    P B and J cake!
    I wanted to send you the picture, but it was over before I knew it. Next time!
    ?????

    Reply

  31. Maureen B. says

    4 stars
    Delish! And quick too. 🙂 I didn’t have coconut sugar so used a mixture of regular white and brown sugars. The cake did stick in the pan so think I’ll try parchment next time. Otherwise, it is a keeper. Thanks!

    Reply

  32. Susu says

    5 stars
    This turned out AMAZING and its all gone now haha! I am so experimenting with different butters….. this is going to be my new go-to base for all my cakes and cupcakes! Thank you!!!

    Reply

  33. Surabhi says

    4 stars
    Hey! I tried this cake and it turned out really well. I doubled it and also I am on keto right now so all the ingredients suited me well. Could you share the nutritional break up for this recipe- chocolate chips both ways?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Glad you liked the recipe, Surabhi! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂 I actually don’t count calories but I’m sure there are nutritional calculators online that you can try?

      Reply

  34. Monique says

    5 stars
    Of course, you are brilliant!! Thank you for this fabulous recipe. Just wanted to let you know that I have had great success using almond butter and I replaced 2 of the eggs for 1/2 cup of applesauce. Also, I used this modified recipe in a muffin tin and cooked it for 20 minutes. I need to make batches of them because they are gone within the hour.

    Reply

  35. Airyfairycelt says

    4 stars
    Oh, the live story between you two! You look so happy with him.
    An the cake?
    Well, eggs so out for me (allergies) but… My husband lives chocolate, loves peanut butter, loves cake so…. It has gone straight into his cake file. Yes, he has one for him and is he happy when a cake comes out of the oven? He comes running! Thank you Ashley.

    Reply

      • Joy Winston says

        AiryFairycelt, Try pastured eggs which are NOT fed soy. Most people with allergies to eggs are actually allergic to the soy they are fed. Soy has become a big part of the human diet post World War II, with the result that there are many people with soy allergies today, and many people today are trying to reduce or eliminate soy protein from their diet. (See the book “The Whole Soy Story”.) Soy is the cheapest protein available today, and it is a major component of most animal feeds. Cheap soy protein allows chickens to grow the fastest, and produce the maximum amount of eggs during their peak laying cycles. If you believe you are allergic to eggs, it could be that you are in fact allergic to soy protein that researchers have found to be present in egg yolks. Almost all commercial eggs, including those that are organic or marketed as “Omega 3” eggs, are from chickens fed high concentrations of soy. So if eggs are a part of your diet today, so is soy protein, whether you realize it or not. Try soy-free eggs and poultry from animals that eat NO SOY.

        In tropical cultures, coconut, and organics feed has been a traditional ingredient in chicken feed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The coconut pulp residue left over after coconut oil is extracted from the coconut meat is still a common animal feed component today in places where coconuts grow. This coconut pulp is high in fiber and protein. Mechanically extracted coconut pulp was also approved by the FDA as an animal feed and listed in the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication) as early as 1955. While coconut cannot supply ALL the nutritional needs of chickens, there are multitudes of studies that have been done in the Philippines and elsewhere showing how coconut pulp can be a major component of chicken feeds when combined with other quality ingredients. Some of these studies are more than 50 years old!

        Reply

    • Rita landa says

      Hi I see someone answered about using a sweetner I myself would like to know if using stevia or something like it will work, for a type 1 diabetic coconut sugar not option. thanks

      Reply

  38. Jessica says

    Just wondering if you think these would work in muffin tins…I can’t seem to find my mini springform pan and don’t want to buy another one. Not sure if they would stick or if I should use muffin tins but I could experiment. Thanks!

    Reply

  39. Airyfairycelt says

    I will make this, my husband has a sweet tooth! He eats eggs but I do not. He will put the eggs in part for I shudder but there, we are all different. Vegan gf, no yeast for me.
    It is so odd then that I really have enjoyed your recipes I can have, quick, easy and really wonderful. We both love them. I have passed on the good news for quick and gorgeous is a wonderful combination!
    You two are a lovely couple, your wedding photo was lovely too.
    You think 3 decades are a lot…. Try several more decades and see if you remember for it seems very young now!

    Reply

  40. Susan Jones says

    5 stars
    As usual, this recipe is amazing! I am strict Paleo so I did use cashew butter instead of peanut butter and instead of chocolate chips, I added 1/4 cup cacao powder. I served it with the icing drizzled (okay, okay, it was actually poured!) over the top of the individual pieces. Best Paleo cake recipe I have ever made! Thank you once again for nailing it!

    Reply

  41. Zainab says

    This cake looks amazing! My husband only eats peanut butter…I’ve tried getting him to try almond butter or cashew and he refuses. he will love this cake!

    Reply

  42. Claire says

    Looks wonderful. I’ll try it soon. By the way, all your recipes are great. Love following you. And you & DH are a very handsome couple!

    Reply
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