This Vegan Almond Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting is a crowd-pleaser! Made with whole grain pastry flour and roasted almond butter, it is full of flavor, yet healthier than your average cake. Yet, it is rich, delicious and moist! The cake is only 8 ingredients for this amazing oil-free cake!
VEGAN ALMOND BUTTER CAKE
I’m super excited to share with you this amazing Vegan Almond Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting! It takes only 10 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake and is absolutely delicious! Bonus that it is whole grain and oil-free, yet you’d never know because of it’s rich and moist texture. You all have gone crazy for the Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins in my cookbook. So much, that I’ve been wanting to create an almond butter cake ever since creating that recipe. I think your family and friends will love this cake as much as we did.
Using pastry flour keeps the cake tender and soft. All-purpose flour has a higher gluten content and it makes chewier cakes when there is no oil or less fat, therefore pastry flour is a better choice.
Cornstarch adds another layer of tenderness, as well as acting as eggs. Since pastry has a lower gluten content, it makes for more fragile cakes that don’t rise as much. This is where cornstarch makes up for that. The combo is perfection.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WEIGHING WHEN BAKING
It is always very important to weigh your ingredients with baking. Most of you know how much I stress the importance of this. When somebody tells me their cake didn’t rise or the texture didn’t look like my photos, my first question is always “Did you follow the recipe and did you use a scale?” We all measure differently with cups, which is totally normal. The difference of adding too much or not enough flour will affect the end result. Baking is a science. Period. That doesn’t mean that subs can’t work, which is why I often list them, but it does mean in most cases, it won’t work as perfectly as the written recipe.
Following my gram weights will ensure accurate results. My recipes are all tested with exact gram weights, this is how and why you will follow mine, not a standard chart online, as their can be variances. I can’t vouch for other recipes online, only mine, so this is just to be helpful to you to have success when making the recipe. You never need to use measuring cups. You only need a bowl and a large spoon or mini cup for adding the ingredients to the bowl. I love how baking gives best results by using weight, after all, that is the goal, right, to have the recipe be a success!
How to weigh properly: Just simply place the bowl on the scale, turn it on and when it says zero, add the first ingredient using a spoon or mini cup. Hit zero in between adding each ingredient. Pour the liquids slowly so you don’t add too much too quickly. With small amounts less than a tablespoon, you just use the teaspoons. This is because it is hard for a small kitchen scale to accurately weigh such small amounts and you don’t want to accidentally add too much baking powder or baking soda.
HOW TO MAKE A VEGAN ALMOND BUTTER CAKE
First, you will need to gather these 8 ingredients (+salt):
- whole wheat pastry flour
- cornstarch
- baking powder
- baking soda
- pure maple syrup
- roasted creamy almond butter
- almond milk
- vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and lightly spray an 8×8 square baking dish with nonstick spray.
To a large bowl, add the pastry flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk very well. To another bowl, add the syrup, almond butter, almond milk and vanilla extract. Whisk it until smooth.
Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the dry and gently and slowly whisk just until smooth, about 10 seconds. You don’t want a lumpy batter but you don’t want to overmix it either. The batter should be smooth and pourable.
Pour the batter into the dish and smooth out the top and jiggle it side to side to flatten out the top.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out totally clean. Cool the cake a minimum of 1 hour before adding the frosting. The cake must finish cooling before adding it or it will melt all on the sides into the pan. Also, the cake will finish cooking, so don’t cut into the cake until it has completely cooled.
Top with glorious vegan chocolate frosting!
USING THE RIGHT ROASTED ALMOND BUTTER
It is important to use a really smooth, drippy almost, roasted almond butter. If you use a raw or really stiff/thick almond butter, then your cake will be much drier and more dense. I love the Simple Truth brand from Kroger as well as the Sprouts brand. Both are roasted and without salt, sugar or added oils, which is important. Make sure to stir the jar VERY well before use. I find pouring it into a separate container and/or blending it to a smoother consistency in my food processor to make for a smoother almond butter. The oil tends to separate from the almonds in the jars, which makes it annoying trying to stir it to get it smooth. I use almond butter in a ton of recipes like these chocolate chip cookies, as well as these.
MORE VEGAN CAKE RECIPES
- Vegan Funfetti Cake
- Best Vegan Pumpkin Cake
- Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cake
- Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cake
- Best Vegan Lemon Cake
- Easy Vegan Vanilla Cake (7 Ingredients!)
- Vegan Gingerbread Cake
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If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Almond Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (192g) whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons (24g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (128g) roasted super creamy almond butter (SEE POST!)
- 3/4 cup (180g) almond milk, shaken first
- 2 teaspoons (10g) vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
- 1 cup (240g) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (120g) almond milk or coconut milk for a richer frosting
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and spray an 8x8 square baking dish with nonstick spray.
- To a large bowl, add the pastry flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk very well.
- To a another bowl, add the syrup, almond butter, almond milk and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the dry and gently and slowly whisk just until smooth, about 10 seconds. You don’t want a lumpy batter but you don’t want to overmix it either. The batter should be smooth and pourable.
- Pour the batter into the dish and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon and jiggle it side to side to flatten out the top.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out totally clean. Cool the cake a minimum of 1 hour before adding the frosting. The cake must finish cooling before adding it or the frosting will melt all on the sides into the pan. Also, the cake will finish cooking, so don’t cut into the cake until it has completely cooled. I like to wait 1 1/2 hours.
- To make the frosting, add the chocolate chips and milk to a microwave-safe bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds or so. Whisk the chocolate until it's 100% melted and smooth. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes until it is just thickened and firm, but soft enough still to spread as a frosting on top of the cooled cake. I prefer this method over just pouring the melted chocolate directly on top. It creates a beautiful presentation.
Notes
Nutrition
Yes, this cake does look beautiful! Question, ……I have to be gluten free along with no eggs! (very hard combo!) Do you think a gluten free flour blend would work in this cake?
Hi Patricia! I’ve not tested it, so I can’t say for certain, but I’ve had the best luck when using this exact King Arthur flour blend in place of regular flour. It is gum-free, which I find personally yields the softest results. Hope it works! I’ve not had time this weekend since I’ve spent it with family, but my plan is to also test an oat version very soon. I’m thinking subbing the same weight amount of pastry flour for oat flour and adding an additional tablespoon of cornstarch will work, but want to test it to be certain. https://amzn.to/2E5Ezs7
I tested this for you! I made it with oat flour and added an extra tablespoon of cornstarch. It was yummy! I’m about to tag you into an Instagram post of it. It was for my mum’s birthday and she loved it.
Haha, that is too funny, I tested that EXACT version last week! And while they were good, they were a bit more dense than I liked, which is very characteristic of a lot of oat flour. I’ve actually retested another gluten-free version and will update it soon! But really glad it still turned out yummy for you!
I look forward to trying your new gluten-free version!
This recipe looks delicious! What do you recommend for a scale? I need to purchase one…
Hi Joanne, that is so kind, thank you! Yes, this is the one I use and love! https://amzn.to/2VXfAla
could I substitute coconut sugar for the maple syrup? and then add more almond milk?
Hi Mary! You know I actually tested it first with coconut sugar and extra milk, because I have a peanut butter cake here on the blog that uses coconut sugar and extra milk, however, I was really disappointed with the texture and taste. The extra milk and sugar didn’t bake up as soft and tender as I wanted. The milk adds a different layer of moisture than syrup does, so this version was much, much better, so I really wouldn’t recommend the sugar and extra milk route. The flavor is better with the syrup too, as the coconut sugar overpowered the almond taste as well. Agave would probably work too in place of the syrup.
My birthday is next week and I will make this for sure! Have you calculated calorie count?
Hi Jan! I didn’t have a chance to this weekend, but I will get it up later today!
Made this for dessert today! It was super easy to make and absolutely delicious! I have 4 non vegans in my family and they didn’t believe a cake could taste so good. Will definitely make again! And don’t expect to have any leftover for the next day!
I’m so thrilled to hear this Tina, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Hi, Brandi, I’ve enjoyed the recipes and the “conversations.”.
Thank You! I’m looking forward to baking an almond butter cake with the chocolate frosting. Until I purchase cornstarch, (I can add this to my list), is there a replacement for the corn starch?
i. e. Potato starch?
Tapioca starch? Rice flour,
“Sweet“ rice flour,
Best wishes,
c h a n a
I’m so glad to hear that Chana, thank you so much! You can try potato starch, but please keep in mind that potato starch does make things drier and dry out faster with each day and a bit more crumbly. It is a better sub in a cake here than the others though. Since it’s not a large amount here, I think you should be fine.
This cake was perfection. I mean really..chocolate and almond butter..total heaven. I really loved the WW Pastry Flour here it’s so light and fluffy and this came together so quickly. The hardest part was the waiting for it to cool. It’s fabulous Brandi.
That’s so awesome to hear it was so loved! Thank you for making it!
Another home run! This was super easy and amazingly delicious. Thank you for another perfect recipe !!!
Woohoo, awesome feedback, thank you Stacey!
Super quick and easy to make.
My family loved this cake…..I will definitely make it again.
Yay, really glad your family loved the cake, thank you for making it Juliet!
I made this with Einkorn flour (ground from berries). It was very good!
So happy to hear that Sue, so glad you enjoyed it! Einkorn is similar to pastry, so I can see why it would have worked!
My husband and I both LOVE this cake. I have made it 3 times since you posted it. I believe your frosting measurements are off, though. I found that 240 g of chips was 2 cups, and 120 g of milk was 1 cup. Glad I had a scale, because those measurements produced more of the yummy frosting. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jacky, so glad y’all love this cake!! No, the measurements are correct. 1 tbsp of chocolate chips is 15g as well as 1 tbsp of milk is 15g. It even states this exact amount on the bag of chocolate chips. You are stating the half amounts because 120 grams is definitely not 1 cup. Some chocolate chips depending on their size may vary how they fill up a cup. This is why I always encourage to use the scale and NOT compare it to cups. It is so easy this way, you never even need to get out the cups, just the scale and a bowl. I will always list the EXACT weights I use to test my recipes. I never use the cups anymore, as I’ve been baking for years strictly using gram weights to the T, this is how you will know they are accurate. 🙂
Thanks for clarification Brandi. Maybe it was because I was using Mini chips. I am officially “hooked on” the weighing of ingredients method—so easy.
Question… If I wanted to to make this in a 9 x 12 pan, do I just double the recipe?
Oh yes, I’ve noticed the mini ones fill up differently 🙂 Yes, I think that should work! I haven’t tested it in that size, but yes, I would double the recipe. It will be slightly taller so it may need a bit longer to bake, so just check for that clean toothpick 🙂
Will arrowroot work in place of cornstarch?
Hi Lisa! I’m really not sure. In my experience, arrowroot makes things more gooey and not a pleasant texture or leaves a powdery taste, so I’m not fond of it. I just don’t know how it would perform here without having tested it.
Hi – This looks delicious and super easy to make! I am having trouble finding whole wheat pastry flour here in Australia though. What would be the best best option? Thanks 🙂
Just awesome! This cake is freaking delicious with perfect texture! I didn’t have pure almond butter and almond milk, so I used almond+hazelnut butter and oat milk. And instead of vanilla extract I used vanilla powder. Thank you so much! You are super talented xo
So easy to make and literally one of the best cakes I have ever made!! It’s so moist and fluffy. The only change was that I subbed the almond butter for peanut butter (it worked great). I highly recommend this recipe.
Yay! Wow, that is so awesome to hear Sophia!
This looks amazing! I am looking for a recipe to make a layer cake with. Could I split this into 2 8″ cake pans and frost it with something in the center? Or does it not have enough stability/ are the quantities going to be off? Thanks!
Hi! It definitely has enough stability! Yes you could try 2 8 inch cakes. I haven’t tried that personally, but I imagine it would work!
This cake was uber easy to make and it is incredibly moist! It’s also not over the top sweet, but just perfect! 👍 Yet another winner from Brandi! I will definitely be making this for coworkers and for church potlucks… no one will ever know it’s vegan!!! 😄
This looks delicious! 2 questions. Can I sub tapioca strarch for corn starch? Could I double this and put it in a 9 x13 pan? I want to make this for a crowd. Thanks so much, love your recipes!
Hi Amy! No, I wouldn’t sub with tapioca. Tapioca makes things much more gooey/chewy, which works better subbing in cookies/brownies, versus a cake or muffins. It is best to stick with cornstarch for the best results. If you can’t have corn, your best bet would be potato starch. But potato starch does make things dry out faster and a tad more crumbly, which hopefully shouldn’t affect the cake too much, since there is not a large amount used. I’ve never tried baking it into that size pan, but I imagine it would work fine! Just look for the clean toothpick in the center.
Hello,
Wanted to try the frosting. I have dairy free semi sweet chocolate chip (not enough) and almond milk. Can I mix the dairy free dark chocolate bar to this as I have less chocolate chips?
Hey Brandi,
Did you end up testing another gluten free version other then the oat flour one? I would love to make this, but I need it gluten free as well. Thanks!
Same with me! I would also love to know about the gluten-free version! Thank you!
No, I never perfected it, but got super close and totally forgot about it! I’m getting back to it this week!
Hi Brandi
Thank you for all your hard work resulting in delicious creations. Do you have a recommendation for buy a digital food scale ?
Thanks and cheers!
Amy
Hi Amy, yes, it’s linked on the recipe card in blue “I use this scale”. That is the best one that I’ve found and have used it for quite a long time now and highly recommend it!
This cake was AMAZING! So light and fluffy, full of flavor (umm hello almond butter is sensational) and the frosting just topped it off perfectly. Every single recipe I make from The Vegan 8 turns out incredible (use those scales!). I will definitely be making this again! Thanks Brandi!
So happy to hear that Bethany!! Yay!