This chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting makes the best of this perfect flavor pairing! A gluten free chocolate cake made with almond flour is topped with fluffy peanut butter frosting spiked with a little salt for a sweet-salty touch.

A chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting on a plate with a slice of cake next to it.

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

This gorgeous gluten free chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting features a dark chocolate cake made with almond flour topped with a fluffy, maple syrup-sweetened peanut butter frosting. It's a wonderfully simple recipe that's easily made dairy-free if needed and needs just basic ingredients and a few bowls to assemble. And it stars that beautiful and beloved flavor pairing: chocolate and peanut butter!

What You'll Need

Here's a look at what you'll need to make this gluten free chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting recipe. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post - this is just an overview.

Almond flour - I prefer fine almond flour rather than almond meal for a fluffy cake crumb
Cocoa powder - Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder so that the cake is not too sweet
Baking powder
Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes!
Brown sugar - Or substitute granulated sugar
Eggs - Use large eggs
Vanilla - Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor
Coconut oil - Or sub olive oil
Butter - Use unsalted butter for the frosting
Peanut butter - I use smooth, fresh-ground peanut butter
Maple syrup - Or sub sifted powdered sugar

How to Make a Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Make cake: Preheat the oven and grease an 8-inch pan. Whisk together all of the ingredients.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes.
Cool: Remove from the oven and let cool.
Make frosting: Cream the butter, then add the peanut butter salt, and maple syrup. Frost the top of the cake.

A slice of peanut butter chocolate cake on a plate.

Tips & Substitution Suggestions

Below, find a few easy substitution options plus some tips on how to make this cake:

Almond flour substitute - Try another nut flour of choice, tiger nut flour, or substitute oat flour by weight.
Make dairy-free - Use a non-dairy butter in place of the butter in the frosting.
Refined sugar-free - Use coconut sugar or maple syrup instead of brown sugar in the cake.
Other frosting - Peanut butter and chocolate is, in my opinion, one of life's pleasures! However, feel free to use this cake recipe as a base and use any type of frosting you wish.
Use almond butter - For a different take, substitute almond butter for the peanut butter in the frosting.
Use chunky peanut butter - I love a smooth frosting, however, if you like a bit of crunch, use chunky peanut butter rather than smooth peanut butter.

How to Store Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Keep this cake tightly covered so that it doesn't dry out. Here's how to store it:

Fridge - Cover the cake tightly with foil and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer - Wrap the cake in plastic, then foil, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge before serving.
To Serve - Let the cake sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before serving it for the best texture and flavor.

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