No-Bake Peanut Butter Cake

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This is the easiest no-bake peanut butter cake you will ever make, and it happens to be wholesome too. It is built from just three layers: a gluten-free biscuit crust bound with coconut oil, a thick banana-and-peanut-butter cream set firm in the freezer, and a glossy melted-chocolate topping dusted with carob. There is no oven and no baking involved, which makes it a favourite for warm days when you do not want to heat up the kitchen. A video recipe is included below.

The story behind my famous peanut butter cake

I first made this cake about three years ago, when I was invited to a presentation and asked to come with some raw or semi-raw sweets for the crowd gathered there. I made my Raffaello bonbons and this awesome peanut butter cake. Because it was such a success, I also made it when ProTV did an interview with me about food blogging in Romania. Since then, I think I made it two or three more times, and I still don’t know why I never posted it on the blog. I guess I didn’t have time to photograph it properly.

I remembered about it a while back when someone who was at that presentation called me and asked me for the recipe. Yesterday, I decided that a recipe this good should be shared with everyone, so here it is, my famous no-bake peanut butter cake. I made a video for it too, and this time the weather was on my side. Hope you’ll like it as much as I do!

What you’ll need, and why each ingredient matters

This cake leans on a short list of ingredients that each pull real weight. Knowing what each one does will help you shop well and swap smartly:

Gluten-free biscuits form the crust. I used Maria-style gluten-free biscuits, around 300 grams. Any plain, dry biscuit you like works, as long as it grinds to a coarse crumb.
Coconut oil is the binder. Because it firms up when cold, it is what holds the crumbs together once the cake sets, so do not skip it or reduce it.
Extra-ripe bananas are the body of the cream. You want ten medium bananas with plenty of dark spots, since ripeness is what gives natural sweetness and a smooth, no-cook filling.
Peanut butter is the headline flavour. Use very generous tablespoons, preferably raw, for the deepest peanut taste.
Sweetener: the card uses honey, with agave or maple syrup listed as the swap. Adjust to the ripeness of your bananas.
Psyllium husks do the quiet work of thickening and setting the filling without any gelatine or eggs.
Vanilla powder rounds everything out, and melted chocolate plus a dusting of carob or cocoa finish the top.

A quick note on the sweetener and diet: as written, this recipe uses honey, which makes it vegetarian rather than vegan. To keep it fully plant-based, swap the honey for agave or maple syrup and use a dairy-free chocolate and biscuit. If you love peanut butter as much as I do, you might also enjoy my peanut butter smoothie or these vegan peanut butter pancakes.

How to make it, step by step

The method is simple, but a couple of moments are worth getting right. Start by pulsing the biscuits in a blender or food processor just three or four times, until they look like coarse breadcrumbs and not flour. Line the base of a springform tin with plastic wrap so you can lift the cake out cleanly later, then add the ground biscuits and pour in the melted coconut oil. Mix well. Don’t worry if the crust looks loose at this stage; it will hold together once the coconut oil returns to its solid state in the cold.

For the filling, blend all the bananas until smooth, then add the sweetener, peanut butter, vanilla powder and psyllium husks and blend for one more minute. Pour the cream over the crust and spread it evenly. Now the only hard part: patience. Place the cake in the freezer and let it freeze completely. I left mine in there until the next day. Once it is solid, release the tin, set the cake on a plate, pour over the melted chocolate, and dust with carob or cocoa powder.

Tips for the best texture and common mistakes to avoid

Grind, don’t pulverise. Over-processed biscuits turn to flour and give you a dense, pasty crust. Stop at a coarse crumb so the base stays light.
Use truly ripe bananas. The dark spots are not a flaw here; they are the whole point. Underripe bananas taste starchy and will leave the filling bland.
Give the psyllium time. Psyllium needs the full freeze to set the cream properly. Rushing it means a filling that won’t hold a clean slice.
Melt chocolate gently. Low heat keeps it glossy and pourable. Too much heat can make it seize or look dull on top.
Let it thaw before serving. Straight from the freezer it is rock hard. A short rest at room temperature is what unlocks the creamy texture.

Storing and serving the cake

This is a freezer cake, so storage is built into the recipe. Keep it in the freezer and only take it out shortly before serving. Before each slice, let it thaw for about ten to twelve minutes; it has a nicer, creamier texture this way, somewhere between a soft ice cream cake and a chilled cheesecake. Because it is portioned straight from frozen, it is an easy make-ahead dessert for gatherings, which is exactly how I first served it.

If you are putting together a dessert spread, it sits nicely alongside other chilled treats like my no-bake poppy seed cheesecake or a showstopping raw chocolate and raspberry birthday cake. For more ideas along these lines, browse my full collection of vegan no-bake desserts.

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No Bake Peanut Butter Cake

An easy, no-bake peanut butter and banana cake set on a gluten-free biscuit crust and finished with melted chocolate. It freezes firm, so just let it thaw for a few minutes before serving.

Prep Time 30

Chilling time 1

Total Time 1 30

Choose Serving Size 12

Ingredients

Crust:

300 g gluten-free biscuits I used Maria Biscuits by Schar
5 Tbsp coconut oil melted

Cream:

10 bananas medium, extra-ripe, with dark spots on them
3 Tbsp peanut butter very generous, preferably raw
3 Tbsp honey or other sweeteners like agave or maple syrup for vegans
4 Tbsp psyllium husks
1 tsp vanilla powder

Toppings:

50 g chocolate melted (I used a coffee flavored chocolate)
1 Tbsp carob powder or cocoa powder

Instructions

Put the biscuits in a blender or food processor. Pulse 3-4 times, until they are ground like breadcrumbs (not flour!).
Cover the base of a cake tin (with detachable walls) with plastic wrap. This will help you remove the cake from the tin easily later, when it’s ready.
Add the ground biscuits to the tin and pour in the coconut oil. Mix well. Don’t worry if it looks like the crust doesn’t stick together. It will, once the coconut oil returns to its solid state.
Add all the bananas to the blender. Blend until smooth.
Add the sweetener, peanut butter, vanilla powder and psyllium husks.
Blend for 1 more minute.
Pour the cream into the tin, over the biscuit crust. Spread evenly.
Place it in the freezer and let it freeze completely. I left it there until the next day.
Once frozen, remove the cake tin and place the cake on a plate.
Melt some chocolate and pour it over the cake.
Dust some carob or cocoa powder on top, and you’re done!
Let it thaw a bit (10-12 minutes) before eating. It has a nicer, creamier texture this way.

Notes

1. Store it in the freezer. Before serving, let it thaw for a couple of minutes for a creamier texture.
2. For a fully vegan version, replace the honey with agave or maple syrup and use dairy-free chocolate and biscuits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this peanut butter cake vegan?

As written in the recipe card it is vegetarian, not vegan, because it uses honey. To make it fully vegan, swap the honey for agave or maple syrup and choose a dairy-free chocolate and dairy-free biscuits. The banana-and-peanut-butter filling itself is already plant-based.

Why does the cake need to freeze instead of just chilling in the fridge?

The filling is set with bananas, coconut oil and psyllium husks rather than gelatine or eggs, so it needs the freezer to become firm enough to slice. Freezing completely, ideally overnight, gives you clean slices and a creamy, ice-cream-like texture once it thaws slightly.

What can I use instead of psyllium husks?

Psyllium husks are what thicken and bind the banana cream in this recipe, so there is no direct one-to-one swap listed on the card. If you leave them out, expect a softer, less sliceable filling that behaves more like a frozen banana mousse.

How ripe should the bananas be?

Use medium, extra-ripe bananas with plenty of dark spots on the skin. The riper the banana, the sweeter and smoother the filling, since the natural sugars do most of the sweetening work and keep the cream from tasting starchy.

How do I store the cake and how long before serving should I take it out?

Store it in the freezer at all times. Before serving, let it thaw for about ten to twelve minutes so it softens to a creamier texture and slices more easily. Return any leftovers to the freezer.

Why shouldn’t I grind the biscuits too finely?

Pulse the biscuits just three or four times until they look like coarse breadcrumbs, not flour. Over-grinding makes the crust dense and pasty, while a coarser crumb keeps the base light and gives it a better bite once the coconut oil sets it.

5 from 1 vote

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