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.
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).
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!
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter or another nut butter
- ½ cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
To Make Frosting:
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
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
Do you like your cake with a drizzle of frosting or fully frosted?
Piper says
I can’t see how peanut butter flour to use in the ingredients listed?
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??
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Hetvi, did you use sunbutter by any chance? The chlorophyll in sunflower seeds reacts with baking soda and causes a green color which is edible. This shouldn’t happen with peanut butter though… let me know!
Hetvi says
No.. everything else is same as per your recipe
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Hetvi, I’m not sure then – that’s odd that it would turn green. Hopefully, another reader can chime in if they know what could be causing it.
Maranda Everson says
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.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Maranda, that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know how the cake turned out. And a very happy belated birthday to your son 🙂
Hetvi says
Thanks.. may be will try again sometime soon and share your the result.. except of color, the cake turned out yummy.
Jackie says
5 years on and we loved this cake.
I baked it for 20~25 minutes
Thank you Ashley
My Heart Beets says
Jackie, that’s awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this cake 🙂
NS says
I’d like to try this as cupcakes for portion control. Would that work? How would you adjust the baking time?
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.
Amelia says
I meant I doubled it and put it in TWO 8″ round cake pans for about (15-)20 minutes. It really is perfect. If I tripled it (which I have in the past), and put it in two 8″ pans, I cook it a bit longer… just watch it until it’s done.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Amelia 🙂 Really glad you like this!
My Heart Beets says
Amelia, so happy to hear that 🙂 Thank you!
Oliva says
Can I use natural peanut butter freshly opened in this recipe?
My Heart Beets says
Yup! Hope you love it!
Jennifer S says
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).
My Heart Beets says
Jennifer, wow thanks for sharing those subs! I’m sure this will be helpful for anyone trying to make this a vegan dessert 🙂
Sara says
Made this for my hubby’s birthday and we both LOVED it. Thank you for sharing this recipe:)
My Heart Beets says
Sara, that’s so great to hear! Happy birthday to your hubby!
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!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Nat! I don’t know of any chocolate chips like that but you can try making your own! Maybe mix some cacao butter with cocoa powder and maple syrup?
Nat says
I found 80% dark chocolate that’s made with coconut sugar and I chopped it up into little pieces to use as the chocolate chips. Made it this morning for my husband’s birthday and he loved it! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Nat, that’s so great to hear! Happy birthday to your hubby!!
Cathy says
Hi what’s the servings and nutrition information for this cake please? I made it and loved it!
Linda says
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! ).
My Heart Beets says
Linda, that’s awesome!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Khadija says
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!!!
My Heart Beets says
Khadija, lol!! I’m so glad you found it easy to make 🙂 Thank you for the review!! Hope your toddlers love it!
Sophia Wong says
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.
My Heart Beets says
Sophia, so happy to hear that! Great to know that it worked so well with coconut butter! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Maddy says
Can you use a bundt cake pan?
My Heart Beets says
I’m sure that would work 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
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 😍
My Heart Beets says
Wow, great to know this works without sugar! Thanks, Misty!
Misty Summers says
I also tried using one medium banana in place of the coconut sugar and it is really good!!
My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Dorothy says
You can double the recipe it turns out great.do you need to refrigerator it
My Heart Beets says
Great to know! Thanks Dorothy! I keep it out for a day or so (it rarely lasts that long) – I’d put it in the fridge after that.
Clara says
Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda? Wat are the substitute measurements required may I ask?
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!
My Heart Beets says
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that it got great reviews!!
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.
My Heart Beets says
Happy Birthday to your daughter! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! 🙂
JenZ says
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.
My Heart Beets says
Awesome! And I just love that your 6-year-old made it!! 🙂
Michelle G says
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 😉
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Michelle!! I’m so happy to hear that you like this cake so much 🙂
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…
My Heart Beets says
Unsweetened is fine! It’ll be sweet enough since it calls for coconut sugar, and if it’s not just drizzle some maple syrup on top 😉
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!
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.
Debbie says
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.
My Heart Beets says
Awesome!! So happy that you and your guests liked the recipe 🙂 and LOL, love that your friend ate her husband’s slice!
Paula says
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!
My Heart Beets says
aww thanks, Paula!! 🙂 Hope you love the cake!
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!!!
My Heart Beets says
I hope you love it!! Also, if you want to, check out my new recipe index – you can see what other recipes I have that are banana-free 🙂
Faith says
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
My Heart Beets says
best comment ever!! thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you and your family!! can’t wait to see the pic 🙂
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!
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that, Wendy!! So happy you and your non-gluten-free daughter loved the cake 🙂
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?
My Heart Beets says
Awesome!! So happy to hear that 🙂
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!
?????
My Heart Beets says
OMG that sounds AMAZING! Pretty sure your hubby is a genius lol! Thanks for sharing – I’m definitely going to try that soon 🙂
Maureen B. says
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!
My Heart Beets says
Glad you liked it, Maureen! 🙂
Susu says
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!!!
My Heart Beets says
Susu, that’s great to hear!! So happy you like it 🙂
Surabhi says
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!
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?
Monique says
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.
My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you like the recipe!! And thanks for sharing those substitutions 🙂
Airyfairycelt says
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.
My Heart Beets says
haha thank you!! That’s really sweet of you to make this for your hubby even though you can’t eat it – I have a vegan cake on my list of things to make so stay tuned 🙂
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!
Jocelyn hancock says
I know that this is a little late but I used bananas to try a vegan option that still tasted great and they worked. You just reduce the sugar but half.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks for sharing Jocelyn! I’m sure it will help others!
Lisa| Mummy Made.It says
Movember has a lot to answer for! There’s now a Beardember as well.
I’m a full frosting girl. There needs to be a good ratio of frosting to cake otherwise it’s all off!!!
Debra says
Can I use a sweetener instead of coconut sugar so that it is lower in carbs?
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
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!
My Heart Beets says
One of my readers commented on social media saying they used a muffin tin so I think it should work! If you try please let me know 🙂
Susan Jones says
I did make this recipe as muffins. The cooking time needs to be reduced a bit as mine we a little dryer than when made as cake. Still yummy!
My Heart Beets says
that’s good to know, thanks Susan!!
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!
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that you and your hubby like my recipes!! And thank you for the kind words 🙂
Susan Jones says
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!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Susan!!! And thanks also for letting us know that cashew butter works too!!
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!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Zainab!! I hope your hubby loves the cake!
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!
My Heart Beets says
Claire, can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake 🙂 And, thank you!! So happy to have you as a reader!!
Briita says
This looks delicious. I think i might try it with almond butter or cashew butter. Thanks for the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Britta! Let me know how it turns out with those nut butters – I’m curious to know if it turns out well!