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Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites

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Yeah.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites | Whisk and Shout

Yeah, I know.


This cake took me like five hours to make.

That’s not an exaggeration.

That is however, a bit of a lie because I spent half that time alternating between doing my AP World homework and watching Modern Family while I waited for cakes to cool.

It was a snow day verrrryyyy well spent.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites | Whisk and Shout

This cake is the most trashed-up thing I have ever made. I almost added potato chips to it and then I stopped myself. I have some self-restraint, okay?

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites | Whisk and Shout

Baking this cake was such a project, because as a vegan, you kind of have to make everything yourself. There aren’t exactly bags of different vegan chocolate-covered pretzels hanging around. The same can be said for caramel or fudge.

The upside is, you get to make everything yourself exactly how you like it, and you know what’s in your food.

Yeah, I like to know what I’m eating. Especially when it’s this cake.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites | Whisk and Shout

The base is my usual dark chocolate cake. You may have seen it here or maybe here.

The frosting is a cookie dough frosting that I made with a vegan butter and peanut butter base, a touch of maple syrup and vanilla extract, and tons of powdered sugar. I added in some chocolate chips and homemade peanut butter fudge because why not.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites | Whisk and Shout

The glaze is a thin caramel sauce made with turbinado sugar and coconut milk.

And I topped everything off with chocolate-covered pretzel bites and flaky sea salt.

Salty-sweet is the best.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites | Whisk and Shout

If you make this cake, you’re my icon. It’s totally the move if you have a free lazy day and you just want to bake it away.

You will actually bake it away.

I did nothing else that day.

(It was worth it)

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites | Whisk and Shout

5.0 from 4 reviews
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Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Chunk Cookie Dough Frosting, Salted Caramel Glaze, and Triple Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bites
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8-10
 
The ultimate, trashed-up, salty-sweet, chocolate cake! Dark chocolate cake layers sandwiched with a peanut butter cookie dough fudge frosting and topped with a salted caramel glaze and triple chocolate-covered pretzels.
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake
  • 2 cups almond milk, room temp and divided
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1¼ cups applesauce
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1⅓ cups raw turbinado sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 8 oz vegan chocolate, melted
  • ⅔ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
Peanut Butter Fudge
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup creamy salted peanut butter
  • ½ cup (=1 stick) vegan butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cookie Dough Frosting
  • ⅓ cup vegan butter, room temp
  • ¼ cup salted creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
Salted Caramel Glaze
  • ½ cup cold water
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ cup raw turbinado sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • flaked sea salt, for topping
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
  • 1 cup pretzel bites
  • 4-6 oz dark chocolate
  • ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch cake pans with coconut oil and dust with cocoa powder.
  2. Combine 1½ cups almond milk and the vinegar and let sit for a few minutes.
  3. Add in applesauce, vanilla, and remaining almond milk. Stir until well combined.
  4. Add flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and melted chocolate. Mix well until no lumps remain.
  5. Lastly, add coconut oil and stir until completely combined.
  6. Before you put the cakes in the oven, or while they are baking, make your fudge. Melt the butter and peanut butter together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar.
  7. Place in a foil lined pan and cover. Refridgerate/freeze for half an hour to one hour or until set.
  8. Divide batter evenly between two prepared pans and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick can be cleanly removed. Cool on a wire rack.
  9. For the frosting, cream together room temp butter and peanut butter. Add maple syrup and vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar.
  10. Remove fudge from freezer/fridge and chop into chunks. Stir in chocolate chips and pb fudge chunks into frosting.
  11. For the chocolate-covered pretzels, melt all your chocolates separately and dip pretzels into the chocolate, setting aside on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Freeze until set.
  12. For glaze, combine turbinado sugar and water in a small saucepan at medium temp. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes.
  13. Add in the coconut milk and continue gently mixing until it is homogenous. Bring the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until thickened.
  14. Remove from burner and mix in the vanilla.
  15. To assemble, place on layer of cake on your surface. Top with all of fudge frosting. (I like to mold the frosting into a disk and then just place it on the cake. Top with the other half of the cake.
  16. Pour the caramel sauce on top and sprinkle with flaked sea salt.
  17. Finally, cover the top of the cake in the chocolate-covered pretzels.
  18. Congratulate yourself on making one epic cake.

 

 

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Comments

  14. Mary Frances says

    I seriously want to spend snow days with you now. This cake like oh my GOSH no words. The sweet salty combo is truly the bomb.com and that peanut butter fudge frosting has stolen my heart. Gorgeous job Medha!

    Reply

  15. Ala says

    Oh my GOODNESS, Medha, what just happened here?! This is amazing–I’m so glad I stopped by to check out your nifty blog 🙂 I love everything about its layout and your recipes. Can’t wait to keep connected, gal! Keep the great recipes comin’!

    Reply

  19. Rachel @ Bakerita says

    No way. This is so much goodness in one place. Peanut butter fudge cookie dough frosting…and salted caramel glaze…AND chocolate covered pretzel bites? Heavenly, seriously.

    Reply

  21. Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says

    Isn’t Modern Family the best? I have been making a habit of putting on Netflix on while I’m baking now. It’s better than talking to myself for three, four, five hours. This cake is an incredible option for anyone, but it’s wonderful that you made it specifically for those with a vegan lifestyle. The presentation of this cake is beautiful. Brava!

    Reply

  22. Lynn | The Road to Honey says

    You have really outdone yourself on this one Medha! This is truly a masterpiece and you managed to find a way to incorporate every sinfully delicious sweet treat into one cake. I bet it was pure heaven eating this masterpiece.

    Reply

  24. Lu @ Super Nummy Yo! says

    This cake is EPIC. Totally agree that knowing what goes into your cake is an upside, as is baking your whole day away… been there done that many times, and it’s glorious 😀 Pinning this for party cake ideas!

    Reply

  26. Trisha says

    Girl, this cake is AMAZING. I don’t know what I love most–the chocolate covered pretzels, the peanut butter fudge frosting, or the salted caramel glaze. So much goodness happening here. We’ve been looking for recipes to break our lenten fast of dessert, and I think this could be our recipe!

    Reply

  27. Mir says

    We’re off again today, Medha! Why?! Why? It’s foggy outside!
    Man, did I bake that day, too. I did some SERIOUS baking last Thursday. My kids were in school and I was off. Looks like that’s gonna happen today, too!
    And this cake, this cake. How did it take me this many days to get to it? Want it now.

    Reply

    • Medha says

      Well over here the roads are actually just sheets of ice, so no school kinda makes sense (I’m not going to complain!). And we’re getting some snow tomorrow night and definitely Thursday morning! Guess you and I are set for a week of baking, huh? 🙂

      Reply

  33. marcie says

    This looks like it was every bit worth the effort you put into it, Medha, and salty sweet is the best kind of dessert for me! Trashed up never looked so delicious! 🙂

    Reply

  38. Keri @ Fashionable Foods says

    Oh Em Gee. This cake looks crazy good! I know what you mean about making everything yourself – I’m not vegan, but I have to be gluten-free and the pre made stuff is so darn expensive so I end up making everything myself! It’s a lot of work, but worth it. Great recipe! 🙂

    Reply

  44. Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says

    Wow, this cake is a work of art! So beautiful! You must have quite a stash of patience! Do you deliver?! lol Pinned!

    Reply

  48. Ashley says

    Oh how I love watching Modern Family! Such a great show!

    And wowza! This cake! I am dying for some dessert right now and this is not helping! haha

    Reply

  50. Traci | Vanilla And Bean says

    Woah! Talk about inspiration! You’ve got so much going on in this cake, but all the flavors are sooo good together! I agree… a snow day well spent! What fun! I can see why this would take 5 hours to pull together… in fact 5 hours is quick! Tasty, Medha!

    Reply

  54. Danielle says

    I don’t even think I have words for how amazing this cake really is! You’ve combined everything I love into one amazing cake. This looks so perfect, Medha!

    Reply

  60. Lauren says

    Kudos to you! I am so distractible I seriously wonder if I would walk away at some point and come back later? But it looks and sounds TOTALLY worth it. Perhaps I’ll make the frostings just to taste test before bed 😉

    Reply

    • Medha says

      That’s the beauty of this cake… you totally need to leave and take breaks, so I actually got a lot done! 🙂 (Also sounds like a plan! The frosting is my favorite part!)

      Reply

  63. Monica says

    Out of this world! Sometimes you just gotta go there and you totally went for it! Love it because I see your self-expression all over this. I hope you enjoyed every bite. Baking and eating what you made is the best way to spend a snow day.

    Reply

  65. Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness says

    Oh my goodness, this cake is out of control!! And I obviously mean that in the best way possible. It sounds absolutely to.die.for. but I’m a little afraid to make it not because it’s time consuming, but because I fear that I’d then proceed to eat the entire cake myself! 🙂

    Reply

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