Kirbie's Cravings

3 Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cake

This 3-ingredient flourless peanut butter cake is simple, gluten-free, and tasty. It makes a great afternoon snack cake.

flourless peanut butter cake topped with mini peanut butter cups

I created this flourless peanut butter cake recipe several years ago, but after cringing too many times at those old photos, I decided it was time to revisit the recipe. Do you ever get like that about your old work? I have such a hard time looking at old papers I wrote, pictures I took, posts I published, etc. I guess it’s a good thing since it means I’m still improving. But still. It’s hard to look at my old work.

close-up photo of a slice of cake on a white plate

I tinkered with the recipe ever so slightly but it didn’t need much adjusting. This cake gets its structure and lift from whipped eggs and the end result is a sweet and delightful peanut butter cake. The texture is light and yet dense at the same time, like many other flourless cakes.
overhead photo of a slice of cake

The appearance of the cake is a little rustic. It will initially be puffy and then deflate, similar to a souffle. You can cover up the unevenness with powdered sugar or go a more elaborate route with frosting, but I wanted to keep things simple for this easy cake.

Ingredients

  • Eggs
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Sugar

 For the peanut butter, I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter. You will want to use the regular kind.

Also, it’s better to weigh the peanut butter to ensure you add the precise amount to the recipe. The peanut butter will stick to a measuring cup making it difficult to scrape all of it out.

photo of a flourless peanut butter cake garnishes with powdered sugar

How to Make the Cake

For this recipe, you will need to grease a 7-inch springform pan and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or hand mixer, beat the eggs until they triple in volume. This should take about eight minutes and they will be very pale yellow and thickened. It’s very important to beat the eggs long enough.

Add in sugar and beat for another 2 minutes.

Measure the peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/3 of the whipped eggs and carefully fold them into the peanut butter. It’s important to lightly stir and fold instead of using a mixer so you don’t deflate the eggs.

photo collage showing steps for making the batter

Add another 1/3 of the egg mixture and fold them in. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so all of the peanut butter is incorporated. Add the rest of the egg mixture and fold until the batter is combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake before cutting and serving. The cake will initially be puffy and will deflate as it cools.

You can serve the cake plain or add a frosting, powdered sugar, or decorate it with mini peanut butter cups.

close-up photo of a fork slicing off a bite of cake

More Cake Recipes with 3 Ingredients or Less

peanut butter cake

3 Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cake

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
This 3-ingredient flourless peanut butter cake is simple, gluten-free, and tasty. It makes a great afternoon snack cake.

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • oz creamy peanut butter (see note)
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Instructions

  • Grease a 7 inch round springform pan. Generously spray entire pan with PAM with flour (alternatively you can cut parchment paper to the size of the pan and line pan with parchment paper). Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Beat eggs on highest speed with a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, until triple in volume, about 8 minutes. Make sure you beat the eggs long enough. This cake depends on the eggs. The egg batter should turn a very pale yellow and become quite thick (see photo above). Add in sugar and beat for another 2 minutes.
  • Measure out peanut butter into a large mixing bowl. Add in 1/3 of the egg mixture. Gently stir and fold with a spatula in the same clockwise direction until all of the egg is mixed in and no streaks remain. Make sure you are stirring by hand gently with a spatula. Do not use a whisk and do not use a mixer otherwise, you will deflate the eggs too much. Then add another 1/3 of egg mixture and stir again until no egg streaks remain. Scrape a few times from the bottom of your bowl to make sure there is no peanut butter that may have sunk to the bottom. Pour in remaining third and make sure to scrape the egg foam that sticks to the mixing bowl into your batter and stir until no streaks remain. 
  • Pour batter into springform pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine took 33 minutes) until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cake cool before cutting and serving. The cake will initially be puffy and will deflate as it cools. 

Notes

  • Please be sure to weigh the peanut butter on a scale because 6 ounces by weight is not the same as 6 fluid ounces. I also recommend using the commercial store-bought peanut butter rather than natural style.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.13of recipe, Calories: 229kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 129mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, NET CARBS: 22

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

 

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44 comments on “3 Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cake”

  1. Hi, how can i use this recepie if i am on keto?

  2. If you can get to a Goodwill, Salvation Army or any thrift store there are tons of spring form pans in every size for a few dollars- like $2 or $3. If you like to bake you’ll find lots of cool tools at the thrift stores. Good luck everyone. I can’t wait to make this for the upcoming holidays!! Thanks for the recipe.

  3. Can we use crunchy peanut butter?

  4. Can you use cashew butter? And do you have another recipe where you don’t have to use the spring form pan and not need a scale?

  5. I subbed macadamia nut butter for peanut butter, 1 for 1. Absolutely delicious. My springforms were otherwise occupied so I used a regular baking dish. It worked just fine.

  6. Can you substitute Splenda or Swerve for the sugar?

  7. Hi, I’m planning to make this cake and I was wondering if it could work using pb2 instead of peanut butter ? I have doubts considering that there’s no fat in it and it could affect the texture of the cake…
    I know this is an old post but if you had an idea it would be great !
    Thank you for the recipe anyway 😉

  8. heei
    the cake is in the oven right now i am so exited 
    does the bodem needs to be a little bit like a batter i saw that on your pic’s 
    thanks for sharing this great recipe

  9. How long will this cake last for if it is kept in a container? 

  10. is there a substitute for the baking powder

  11. I am thinking about making the Nutella version of this,putting it in the pan first,then making this up and use a knife to gently swirl through the Nutella brownie and bake. I hope it works! What do you think? They are the same basic recipe.

  12. Hi Kirby…I am having a grand time going through your website/pinterest board finding so many delicious sounding recipes that are *easy* to make! Since I live with chronic pain and limitations I cannot spend much time up on my feet in the kitchen, but like to make good and hopefully healthy recipes (sometimes you just have to go with delicious sweets, though). I’m saving many of your recipes and appreciate the time, talent and effort you put into creating and sharing them.
    I do have a question for you, with no offense intended. I wondering what has lead you to using measurements in ounces rather than the traditional cups, tsp/tbsp., etc? I, and many others, do not own a kitchen scale that is sensitive enough to measure this way correctly. We’re on a tight budget and I’m uncertain about affording one of quality. Secondarily, would you consider providing cup measurements in addition to ounces?
    I am an indie artist and so I understand that even cooking and baking are a creative endeavor, with the artisan reserving the right to create as s/he likes. So, keep on creating wonderful foods!

    • Hi Sara, I am glad you are enjoying the site. If you’ve been looking through, you’ll note most of the recipes are in US cup measurements. However, there are some recipes where I feel that you really do need very accurate measurements and so weighted measurements are needed. Especially when working with ingredients like peanut butter which can be very hard to scoop out properly, people’s measurements can be really far off, so that is why I specified a weight.

  13. Thank you for your recipe! I made it today and it was a HUGE hit!

    I wanted to share how I expanded the recipe to fit my 9 inch spring form pan without a kitchen scale in response to some of the previous comments.
    I used: 6eggs, I heaping dry measuring cup full of peanut butter and 1 heaping cup full of sugar. I baked it at 350 for 33 minutes, covered it with foil and baked for 5 more minutes. It came out beautifully! I topped it with black raspberry sauce for a fancy take on PB&J. Thanks again!

  14. Would Flaxseed work for the eggs?  

  15. You are a lifesaver! I made this as a last second cake, a ‘omg I have to make a cake and I have nothing to make a cake with’ cake that turned out amazing! It was a hit and was just as moist and delicious the next day.

  16. Good golly, this looks INCREDIBLE! 

  17. This is a wonderful recipe, which I’ve made several times. Thanks for the ‘revisit’, I do believe I will make it right now 🙂 Cheers

  18. hi –

    thank you for this recipe. i intend to try it. my question: does this recipe double well?
    thank you.

    • hmm, i think if you have a big enough springform pan then it can work, but if you are trying to get the cake to be taller, than no. I tried doing 1.5 times the recipe in an 8 inch pan and I couldnt get it to cook all the way through without the top part already beginning to burn.

  19. Do you know how much the 6oz of peanut butter would be, like for measuring it in a measuring cup? I don’t have a scale.

  20. Hi! I adore all things peanut butter and this cake looks awesome. Do you think this recipe would work if the sugar was substituted with something like applesauce, agave syrup, honey, dates etc? I’d love to hear you thoughts on this. Thanks!

  21. Hello! This recipe looks amazing! When it comes to recipes with peanut butter inside, I just have to indulge myself! The only problem is that I don’t happen to own a springform pan? Would it make any difference if I used a normal cake pan or will the cake crumble as I take it out? Thanks so much!