Chocolate Peanut Butter Crazy Cake

This easy depression-era chocolate peanut butter crazy cake comes together with basic pantry staples and comes out moist and decadent.

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This eggless depression-era chocolate peanut butter crazy cake is a budget-friendly cake that uses everyday simple ingredients to satisfy your cravings. A super moist chocolate cake topped with dreamy peanut butter frosting makes this cake the ideal choice for an easy dessert.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crazy Cake Ingredients

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You will need:

For The Cake

• 1½ cups of all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 cup of water

For The Peanut Butter Icing

• 8 tablespoons (½ cup) of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup of peanut butter, creamy
• 3 tablespoons of half-and-half cream, room temperature
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Substitutions And Additions

ICING: You could skip the peanut butter icing and use your favorite frosting instead, such as chocolate frosting or vanilla frosting. Or you could leave off the icing altogether and dust the cake with powdered sugar.

DAIRY-FREE: This recipe can be made completely dairy free by using a nut version of half & half (almond, coconut, etc.) or skipping the icing with a dusting of powdered sugar.

SPRINKLES: For an extra crazy cake, add colorful sprinkles to the top.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS: You could top the peanut butter frosting with a sprinkle of chocolate chips or peanut butter chips. 

LEMON JUICE: Lemon juice could be substituted for the vinegar at a ratio of 1:2. For this recipe, 1 teaspoon of vinegar can be replaced by 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

How To Make This Chocolate Peanut Butter Crazy Cake Recipe

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray an 8×8 square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. All of the cake ingredients will be mixed in the baking dish. 

STEP TWO: Add the flour, cocoa powder, white sugar, baking soda, and salt to the baking dish. Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined.

STEP THREE: Using a dry ladle or small measuring cup, make 2 small round impressions and 1 larger impression in the dry ingredients.

STEP FOUR: Pour vinegar into 1 of the small impressions. Pour the vanilla into the second small impression, and pour the vegetable oil into the largest impression.

STEP FIVE: Pour water over all of the ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir all the ingredients together, making sure to get into the corners. Stir until well incorporated, and no dry streaks are visible.

STEP SIX: Bake the cake on the middle rack in the preheated oven, for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before icing.

STEP SEVEN: Using a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and creamy peanut butter until no streaks of butter are visible.

STEP EIGHT: Lower the electric mixer speed to low and add the vanilla and half and half. Mix for another 30 seconds.

STEP NINE: Keeping the mixer speed on low, slowly add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the icing is smooth, about another 45 seconds to 1 minute.

STEP TEN: Using a silicone spatula, frost the cake.

How To Serve

Serve this chocolate peanut butter cake for every day or a special occasion. Add a scoop of our vanilla ice cream on the side and whipped cream and hot fudge sauce on top to make this cake extra fancy. I guarantee this cake will get great reviews from all those peanut butter lovers.

This cake is a twist on the original chocolate crazy cake. For another crazy cake recipe, try the vanilla crazy cake version.

MORE PEANUT BUTTER RECIPES

Pie Recipes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

No Bake Desserts

Peanut Butter Lasagna

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: Cover any leftovers with foil or cling film in the refrigerator. If your cake is frosted, let it chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before wrapping it. It should stay fresh for 5 to 7 days.

IN THE FREEZER: To freeze your crazy cake, wrap it in plastic wrap or an airtight container. If your cake is frosted, let it freeze fully first, uncovered, and then wrap it. You can freeze your cake in slices or whole. It will stay good in the freezer for 4 to 6 months.

Sometimes known as chocolate peanut butter wacky cake, war cake, or depression cake, this vintage chocolate peanut butter crazy cake is made without eggs or milk yet comes out so delicious and rich. Bring the taste of history to your table, and your family will go crazy for it.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Crazy Cake

5 from 1 vote

This easy depression-era chocolate peanut butter crazy cake comes together with basic pantry staples and comes out moist and decadent.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10

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Ingredients

  

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Cake

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 cup water

Peanut Butter Icing

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (½ cup)
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons half and half, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (all of the cake ingredients will be mixed in the baking dish).
• Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt to the baking dish. Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined.
• Using a dry ladle or small measuring cup, make 2 small round impressions and 1 larger impression in the dry ingredients.
• Pour the vinegar into 1 of the small impressions. Pour the vanilla into the second small impression, and pour the vegetable oil into the largest impression. Pour the water over all of the ingredients.
• Use a wooden spoon to stir all the ingredients together, making sure to get into the corners. Stir until all of the ingredients are well incorporated, and no dry streaks are visible.
• Bake the cake on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before icing.
• Using a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and creamy peanut butter until no streaks of butter are visible.
• Lower the mixer speed to low and add the vanilla and half and half. Mix for another 30 seconds.
• Keeping the mixer speed on low, slowly add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Once all powdered sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the icing is smooth, about another 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Using a silicone spatula, frost the cake.

Notes

• The vinegar is a must in this recipe, it reacts with the baking soda to give the cake the desired texture, doing the work eggs would do in other recipes. The cake does not come out tasting like vinegar!
• If there are bubbles in your wet batter, gently tap your cake pan on the counter to release the bubbles.
• Keep a close eye on the cake at the 30-minute mark as you don’t want to overbake it.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 349mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 296IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg

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