Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cake

You may have seen me posting pictures on Instagram last week. We were driving along the California coast, searching for redwoods, drinking wine, and meeting Billy. We didn’t just go on a trip for fun. Although we had a great time, it wasn’t just purely a vacation. We were in San Francisco to film a course about food blogging. Guess what? We’ll let you know all the details as soon as it becomes available.

In the meantime, I’ll be giving you lots of video time with John. You can expect crash courses in food photography, monetization, and meaningful growth. We can be a little awkward on camera, as we are used to having the camera facing the other way (wink).

We ate some really good food in California. We ate ourselves silly in California, from San Francisco to the wine country and Humboldt County.

When I’m on vacation, I love to visit bakeries and sample their finest offerings. When I travel, I indulge more because I have curbed my sweet tooth.

At Craftsman and Wolves, I had the most amazing chocolate chip cookie.

We split a complex chocolate bar at Dandelions. I was almost in tears.

I ate a sticky bun at Downtown Bakery.

You know what else? This pie is my favorite of all the sweets that I ate last week. This recipe is a must-try for chocolate peanut butter lovers!

The recipe starts with a peanut butter-tofu cream filling that is made lighter and airier with coconut whipping cream. You can pour this over a sweet, crispy graham cracker base and then top it with vegan chocolate ganache.

You better believe that I gave it to any friend who was within reach. You can freeze this pie and take a bite whenever you want something sweet.

About 30 minutes before serving, I put my pie out to become ultra-creamy. It was SO good. You know you’ve found a winner when you bite into it and feel your eyes roll back to the back of your skull. Enjoy!

Ingredients

CRUST

• One sleeve of graham crackers or similar gluten-free cookies/crackers
• Four and a half tablespoons of vegan butter or coconut oils

PIE

• Tofu firm (drained slightly and wiped dry).
• I like Trader Joe’s brand of creamy salted peanut butter.
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar (substitute honey if you are not vegan).
• Can of full-fat coconut cream OR milk (1 can yields about 1 3/4 cups/ chilled overnight // do not shake the can – you want to keep the cream and liquid separate).

Toppling CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 1 cup semisweet dairy-free chocolate chips
• I used coconut milk, but almond or full-fat milk would work, too.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190 C). Lightly oil an 8-inch x 1 1/4-inch glass pie pan.
• Add the graham crackers into a processor and process until a semi-fine mixture is achieved. It’s OK to have some texture, but remove any large chunks that did not get ground. Add the melted butter to the mixture and pulse until combined.
• Press down with your fingertips to flatten. When pressing down, you can place a piece of plastic wrap on top to create a uniform layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Blend tofu with maple syrup, agave, or peanut butter in a food processor or blender until smooth. Scrape down the sides if necessary. Add more agave if you want it sweeter or salt if the peanut butter isn’t salted enough.
• Then, in a large mixing bowl, whip the coconut cream or cream into whipped topping. You can find troubleshooting tips here. Sweeten the pie with vanilla and powdered sugar.
• Fold the peanut-tofu mixture in the whipped cream.
• Filling should be poured over the crust and placed in the freezer for chilling. Prepare your ganache once it is slightly firm and has been chilled for about an hour.
• Pour the chocolate chips into a bowl, and bring your non-dairy to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate chips, and do not touch it for five minutes. Stir gently with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until you have a smooth ganache. You can heat the chocolate in increments of 10 seconds in the microwave if it does not melt.
• Spread the ganache evenly over the top with a spatula or knife. Work quickly, as the ganache can clump if left to sit too long.
• Add crushed salted roasted nuts (optional) and place them back in the freezer to set. Remove from the freezer 20-30 minutes prior to serving. You can also chill it in the refrigerator, but this is more delicate and difficult to serve.
• Cover the pie with plastic after the initial chill to keep it fresh.