Almond Butter Cake
This super moist Almond Butter Cake recipe is loaded with chocolate chips and topped with a chocolate drizzle. This is a moist, delicious cake for dessert or even a fun snack.
I found myself recently with a jar of precious almond butter and a need to make a cake so I combined the two into a moist and tasty vegan almond butter cake.
Now I wonder how we ever survived without this cake!
Almond butter cake recipes yield a rich cake, thanks to the addition of almond butter to the recipe.
Working with Almond Butter
Working with almond butter can be tricky. If you’re used to working with peanut butter in baked goods, almond butter can be different. In fact, it’s a little more like working with freshly ground peanut butter, where the oil can separate.
Be sure to stir your almond butter when you first open the container. That way you don’t reach the bottom of the jar and find a bunch of dry, clumpy almond butter.
However, the good news is this recipe will work regardless of the condition of your almond butter (unless it’s super old and rancid…in which case you should buy a new jar).
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Using chocolate chips and a simple chocolate glaze makes this into a chocolate almond butter cake
- Combining baking soda with vinegar adds lift, making this cake soft and tender throughout
- Almond butter adds distinct flavor and healthy fats, making this an irresistible cake to turn to time and time again
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:
- Flour — I used all-purpose flour, but you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour or even a high-quality gluten-free baking flour.
- Granulated sugar — You can use simple, granulated sugar for this recipe. You can substitute Swerve — it works in a 1:1 ratio with sugar. You can reduce the amount of sugar used to 3/4 of a cup without impacting the consistency of the cake.
- Baking soda — Make sure yours is fresh by testing a bit of it in vinegar. If it bubbles, your batch is good!
- Salt
- Vegetable oil — Use any neutral vegetable oil, like canola or even melted coconut oil.
- Almond butter — I use smooth and creamy unsweetened almond butter. If your almond butter is old and firm, you should consider buying a fresh ja.
- Vanilla extract
- Apple cider vinegar — You can substitute white vinegar or even lemon juice.
- Chocolate chips — Use my Vegan Chocolate Chips Guide to find the best chocolate chips for you!
- Cocoa powder
- Agave nectar — You can use agave nectar or substitute maple syrup.
- Plant-based milk — Any plant-based milk will do, such as soy milk or almond milk.
What Almond Butter is Best for Cake?
Almond butter is made for pureeing or processing raw or roasted almonds. Almond butter typically has more nutritional value than peanut butter because it has more minerals and even fiber. However, for folks with a peanut allergy or intolerance, almond butter is a great option. But almond butter is great for anyone looking for something slightly different. It has a nuttier flavor. Look for unsweetened almond butter for cake recipes. You can find it in most health food stores and in the health food department of most major grocery store chains.
How to Make Almond Butter Cake
I basically used my favorite Chocolate Wacky Cake recipe, with a few adaptations to make this almond cake. I also shaved a little chocolate on the top and some chopped almonds.
- Stir together the dry ingredients from the flour to the salt
- Heat the almond butter and vegetable oil together in a microwave until you can stir the almond butter.
- Stir in the water, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar to the almond butter mixture.
- Add almond butter mixture to the flour mixture along with the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Making the Chocolate Drizzle
To make the chocolate drizzle:
- Warm the almond butter in the microwave. (I used the same bowl from the batter above)
- Add the cocoa powder and stir that until it’s crumbly and then stir in the agave nectar.
- Finally, add the plant-based milk one tablespoon at a time until you achieve a drizzle consistency.
Serving Suggestions
This is absolutely the best almond butter cake as-is, but I’m never satisfied. I’m always in the “more is more” category, so here are some fun, colorful, and/or tasty toppings for your individual servings (or the entire cake):
- Chocolate Decor — Adding dollops of Vegan Chocolate Ganache is always a good idea (Check them out on this Vegan Oreo Cake recipe)
- Fruit Sauce Drizzles — If you’ve ever been to a fancy restaurant, serving a slice of cake with some Strawberry Puree is impressive. I think the same is true with this Blueberry Sauce.
- Chocolate Drizzles — You cannot go wrong adding a drizzle or two of this Vegan Chocolate Syrup over any cake
- Whipped Cream — Adding some Coconut Whipped Cream adds creamy goodness to every bite.
Storage Tips
Store this cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 10 days in the fridge. You can freeze the whole cake or individual slices in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 2 months.
New to Vegan Baking?
The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!
More Vegan Cake
This almond butter cake recipe is the best! If you love it as much as we do, you’re going to fall head over heels for these simple cake recipes too:
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Almond Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup almond butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Chocolate Drizzle
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar (or maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons plant-based milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray the bottom and sides of a round cake pan with vegetable spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a round cake pan. Place it in the bottom of the pan and give the top of it a light coating of vegetable spray. If you don't have parchment paper, be sure to oil and flour your pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the vegetable oil and almond butter. Heat in the microwave in 30-second increments until the almond butter is smooth enough to stir. Stir to combine.
- Add water, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar to the almond butter mixture. Stir to combine.
- Pour the almond butter mixture in with the flour. Add the chocolate chips ad stir to combine. Pour this batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely before topping with drizzle.
- To make a drizzle, place almond butter in the same bowl used above to hold wet ingredients. Place in the microwave for about 15 seconds, to soften almond butter. Add cocoa powder. Stir until crumbly. Stir in agave nectar one tablespoon at a time. Add one tablespoon of plant-based milk and stir. If the milk is cold, you may need to return the bowl to the microwave for a few seconds to soften the mixture up. Stir in remaining plant-based milk, one tablespoon at a time until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
- Once the cake is cooled, use a spoon to lightly drop chocolate drizzle over the top of the cake in sweeping motions.
- Cover and store the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 7 days, or cut individual slices and freeze them for up to 1 month. To serve, cook individual slices in the microwave until just barely warm.
Recommended Equipment
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The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2011 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
Do you need apple cider vinegar in the almond butter cake? Can we skip it or is there a substitute?
Hi Seema! I’m using the apple cider vinegar to interact with the baking soda to create lift in the cake. You can use any acid, such as white vinegar or even substitute lemon juice. If you don’t want to do that, you could try using baking powder instead because it comes complete with it’s own acid, however, I don’t always find it as effective. You could also try using 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Let me know how it goes!
This cake was really good but very thick. It might have been because I substituted the oil for applesauce to make it a bit healthier or maybe that’s just the way it was supposed to be. Anyway, my dad hates eggs and claims he doesn’t like soy milk and eats Skippy ‘peanut’ butter. I told him the cake had no eggs and that I used almond butter; he asked no further questions and cleaned his plate. That being said, I’d say this recipe is definitely a keeper!