Gluten-free & (Almost) Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Makes a double 9" cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 2 cups soy milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup canola oil
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup Bob’s Mill all-purpose baking flour
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For the peanut butter frosting:

  • 1/4 cup margarine, softened
  • 2 tbsp shortening (preferably the trans-fat free organic brand)
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (crunchy works, too)
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 to 2 tbsp soy milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and oil your pans.  Dust them with a little flour if you'd like.  Whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain.  Pour into cake pans, making sure to evenly distribute the batter.  Bake for 26 - 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to cooling rack and let cool (10-15 minutes) before taking out of pan.

With electric handheld mixer, cream together margarine and shortening at medium speed till smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla and beat until very smooth, 2-3 minutes. Beat in sugar; mixture will be very stiff.  Dribble in soy milk a little at a time, beating continuously till frosting is pale tan and very fluffy.  Chop up a bag of peanut butter cups (the smaller ones) and put them on top of the first cake you frost so that there will be some in the middle between the layers.  Then frost the rest of the cake and go crazy with whatever you have left!

Half 'em, chop em, however you do it, have fun and enjoy the greatest heavenly creation you've just made because it deserves golden ribbons.