Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake
Last week I volunteered to make a birthday treat to celebrate one of my coworkers. I’m still getting to know folks, but I was tipped off that she likes peanut butter and chocolate. “And she’s a vegan?” you’re probably assuming. Well, actually no, and obviously neither am I. This just happened to be the yummiest looking chocolate peanut butter cake I stumbled upon.
(I was actually torn between this cake and these peanut butter pie filled chocolate glazed doughnuts, but never having made doughnuts, I was concerned those could turn out disastrously. Whereas, what could possibly go wrong with a four later cake that involves unusual ingredients like coconut cream and avocado?!)
Luckily, nothing went wrong and the cake turned out beautifully. I was also a little concerned, given my track record of testing out vegan baked goods on new coworkers, but luckily I’ve come a long, long way since those retched black bean brownies (which for the record, I was the first to admit were repulsive – they definitely didn’t make the blog!) Much to the contrary, this cake was a huge hit and definitely something I wouldn’t mind eating again! In terms of level of difficulty, I’m beginning to have a tough time gauging whether things are manageable, or if I’m just efficient at multitasking in the kitchen. The layers are a bit time consuming and you’ll probably go through a lot of dishes, but in the scheme of things I didn’t find this cake to be too difficult. The good thing is that you have lots of opportunities to cover up any imperfections and make it look pretty!
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake
Adapted from Pastry Workshop
Ingredients:
Chocolate cake:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Peanut Butter Mousse:
- 1 can coconut milk, chilled in the fridge over night
- 4 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1/4 cup white sugar or maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Avocado Mousse:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 100g dark chocolate (vegan), melted
- 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 100g white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3-4 tablespoons coconut milk
Toppings:
- 70g dark chocolate, chopped (vegan)
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- Honey roasted peanuts, chopped
Chocolate Sponge:
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line one 9″ round springform baking pan with parchment paper. Spray the sides.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients and give it a quick mix just until combined. Don’t be tempted to over mix it as it will influence the texture of the baked sponge.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
- When done, remove from the oven and let the sponge cool in the pan. If needed, level the cake and place it back into the cake pan as that is where you will assemble it.
Peanut Butter Mousse:
- Place the coconut milk can in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, open the can and carefully drain put the liquid. What’s left is the thick fat of the coconut milk and that is what you will be using for your mousse.
- Transfer the thick coconut cream into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until it becomes airy.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Spread evenly over the cake, leaving the edges of the sponge clear. Of course, you can cover the sponge in peanut butter mousse completely, but I wanted to create a nice pattern when cut.
Chocolate Avocado Mousse:
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse for 5-7 minutes or until smooth.
- Spoon the mousse over the peanut butter and level it up well.
- Refrigerate the cake overnight.
- The next day, remove the cake from the pan and transfer it on a platter.
Chocolate Glaze:
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a hot water bath or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
- Let the glaze cool to room temperature then pour it over the cake, allowing it to drip off the edges.
- Garnish with roasted peanuts and refrigerate until ready to serve. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers, if you have any!
