Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Cake

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This cake.

It’s probably a good thing that I don’t have a proper oven in my dorm because I’d totally give up on life and spend the rest of my days laying in bed in my pyjamas, re-watching GoT for the 22738th time devouring slice after slice of this beauty like I’m getting paid for it.

Sorry not sorry.

This, my friends, is what happens when you’ve spent too many hours sitting on your desk trying to revise for your upcoming chemistry test and any excuse to get up and procrastinate is a great one.

Again, sorry not sorry.

Aaaaand obviously baking a cake AND putting ALL of your favourite things in it is the way to go.

Peanut butter? Check. Chocolate? Of course, baby. Caramel? You bet! More chocolate? How is that even a question?

Plus I might or might not have thrown in some oats and almond milk in an attempt to masquerade this as a “”””””””healthy treat””””””””” so I can have 13 slices. I mean, almond milk? Isn’t that a superfood? Brain-food, I’ve heard. Absolutely necessary when studying for finals. Now that I think about it, I should have another slice… you know, so I get a better score on my chemistry exam.

This, my friends, is both the best and worst idea which has ever crossed my mind. My skinny jeans hate me, but my soul is dancing and backflipping into the sun because THIS IS SO STINKIN’ GOOD GUYS.

First you get a moist, fluffy, delicious cake. So good you won’t even mind that I’ve used the dreaded “moist” word and I’ve gone away with it. Like, finger-licking, word-having-seconds-thirds-and-sevenths good.

Then, said cake is studded with melty chocolate pockets and equally melty caramel bits. 

And then there’s the fact that this has delicious peanut butter in it. Which, now that I also think about it, is a totally healthy ingredient. Which obviously means that I’m entitled to have a fourteenth slice.

Plus there are oats involved. Oats, you said? Isn’t that like… breakfast? Hello is it cake for breakfast I hear?

Boy, I’m a genius. 

Now let’s hope my cake connaissance is enough to make me pass my chemistry exam. 

Although my dream of living out of lying in bed watching series and eating all the sweet things sounds a bazillion times nicer ah.

Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 250 grams all purpose flour
• 60 grams rolled oats
• 150 grams brown sugar
• 15 grams baking powder
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 250 grams almond milk (+ 2tbsp. vinegar)
• 120 grams smooth peanut butter
• 2 L eggs (see below for vegan substitution)
• 250 grams caramel filled chocolate (vegan options below)

Instructions:

1. Whisk flour, oats, baking powder and sugar in a bowl.
2. Stir in the rest of ingredients minus the chocolate and whisk to combine.
3. Add in chopped chocolate.
4. Grease a pan (loaf, square, etc… all work) with oil and dust some extra brown sugar so your cake doesn’t stick (and you get caramelised edges!).
5. Bake at 200ºC for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden and when you insert a toothpick in the middle it comes out clean.
6. Wait at least 1 hour for it to cool before cutting and enjoy!

Vegan substitutions:

Use 2 chia eggs instead (I use 2tbsp. chia seeds hydrated with 9tbsp. water left in the fridge overnight. I know this is not the proper chia egg recipe but it’s what works for this recipe. I haven’t tried using flax eggs or other egg replacer. Please, let me now if you give it a go!)
Use dark chocolate + chopped medjool dates instead of the caramel filled chocolate.

These are some brands which sell dairy free caramel chocolate online in case you want to try it

Loving Earth
The Raw Chocolate Co
In the pictures you can see both the eggless (squares) and the normal version (loaf). Both turned out perfectly but the vegan one looks much worse since it’s baked in a microwave oven and I didn’t have a loaf pan in my dorm. Also, the lighting was much worse!

Enjoy the long weekend everyone!