April 22, 2015

3 Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cake

Name: 3 Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 6 oz creamy peanut butter ((see note)); 3/4 cup sugar

by Kirbie

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

More Cake Recipes with 3 Ingredients or Less