Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

Who wants a slice of this decadent vegan and gluten free chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake?! It's made with a chocolate cake base, peanut butter ice cream (with peanut butter cups), peanut butter frosting and topped with more peanut butter cups. Perfect for a birthday celebration or summer entertaining!

Today is my 26th birthday, and although my mom is making this funfetti cake for us to enjoy, it felt appropriate to share a new cake recipe today!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE a good ice cream cake. I used to get a Coldstone Creamery cookie dough ice cream cake every year on my birthday (before I stopped eating dairy, of course!).

I haven't had one in years, so I was super excited for this cake. It didn't disappoint!! It's chocolate-y, packed with peanut butter, loaded with chopped peanut butter cups and altogether fantastic.

If you're making an ice cream cake, you might as well go all out. Agreed?

Ingredients

Cake

• Coconut oil: we tried this cake with both coconut oil and vegan butter. Coconut oil creates a much lighter, spongier texture.
• Cane sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Applesauce: unsweetened applesauce acts as a binder (in place of eggs) while still keeping the cake relatively light and spongy.
• Milk + vinegar: Plant-based milk (almond, cashew, oat, etc) or creamer works well. Vinegar may sound strange, but it's a small amount that reacts with the baking soda and helps the cake rise. This is especially important for vegan + gluten free baked goods.
• Gluten free all purpose flour + oat flour: we've found that a mix of gluten free all purpose flour and oat flour creates a light, fluffy texture. Some gluten free blends can be a bit dense.
• Melted dark chocolate: cool before adding to the batter.
• Cocoa powder: unsweetened is best for this recipe.
• Baking powder, baking soda, salt

Ice Cream

• Full fat coconut milk & coconut cream: full fat, canned coconut milk makes for a creamy vegan ice cream base. Use the full can of coconut milk, but only use the top cream layer of the coconut cream.
• Peanut butter: we use smooth, unsweetened PB.
• Maple syrup is our sweetener of choice for homemade ice cream. You can also substitute with agave.
• Vanilla extract and salt: for flavor.
• Chopped peanut butter cups: optional, but also kinda not optional 😉 Make them homemade or use store-bought vegan PB cups.

Frosting

• Peanut Butter: creamy, unsweetened peanut butter is best.
• Vegan butter: be sure to soften at room temperature ahead of time.
• Powdered Sugar: sifting the powdered sugar makes for a creamier texture.
• Milk: you'll just need a tablespoon or two of plant-based milk to smooth out the frosting.

Instructions

Start by preheating your oven to 335˚F. We've tried this recipe at higher heat but have found that cooking vegan and gluten free baked goods at a lower heat for a longer time period greatly improves the texture.

Cream together the coconut oil and sugar, then add the vanilla and applesauce. Stir together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Stir together the milk and vinegar. Alternate adding the dry mixture and the milk to the cake batter until well combined. Add in the melted chocolate and mix until smooth and no lumps remain.

Divide the batter between two greased 8-inch pans and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool COMPLETELY before adding in the ice cream! If the tops of the cakes are lopsided, use a knife to even out and flatten.

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Meanwhile, blend together everything except the peanut butter cups for the ice cream. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn, adding in the chopped peanut butter cups at the end.

We use an 8-inch springform pan to layer the ice cream cake. Add the first (cooled) layer to the pan, then add all of the ice cream. Add the second layer and gently press down to make sure it's flat.

Freeze until the cake is solid. Just before serving, whip up the peanut butter frosting with an electric mixture until smooth and creamy. Frost the cake and top with more peanut butter cups.

If the cake is completely frozen, it will need to sit out for about 30 minutes to soften before cutting.

Storage

For obvious reasons, you'll need to keep this cake stored in your freezer. For best results, we recommend wrapping the cake in freezer-safe plastic wrap or placing in a tupperware container.

Alternatively, you can cut the cake into slices, wrap tightly in plastic and place in a plastic or reusable storage bag. This is the best option for keeping your ice cream cake fresh (and perfect for grabbing a quick slice!).

Avoid storing your cake in the side panel or front of the refrigerator, where it may be vulnerable to temperature fluctuation. It's best to store your cake at the back of the freezer (same goes for homemade ice cream!).

Ice cream cakes are best eaten within 7 days. After a week, they tend to get freezer burn and won't taste quite as fresh.

More vegan cakes you'll love:

• Funfetti Cake (also gluten free & perfect for birthday celebrations!)
• Baked Vegan Cheesecake with Strawberry Compote
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Coconut Cake via The Almond Eater
• Orange Olive Oil Cake
• Lemon Almond Vanilla Layer Cake

If you make this vegan and gluten free chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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