Peanut Butter Spelt Brownie Cake (with Cottage Cheese)

Looking for a dense, chocolatey brownie that’s a bit different? This peanut butter spelt brownie cake combines protein-rich cottage cheese, natural sweeteners, and a touch of coffee to create a moist, satisfying treat. Perfect for vegetarians and for using up ingredients you already have at home. It’s a simple cake that doesn’t rely on refined sugar or added fat to make it delicious.

If you are new to spelt flour and would like to know more, please check out my tutorial: The Beginner’s Guide to Spelt Flour.

Spelt brownie cake made (with cottage cheese and peanut butter)

A dense, fudgy, and protein-rich brownie cake with no refined sugar or added butter (excluding the nutty kind). Made with simple ingredients and a little creativity, it’s the kind of cake you can whip up from what’s in your fridge. It’s also vegetarian-friendly. You’ll love this brownie because it’s:

• Dense and fudgy: with a moist texture
• Protein-packed: cottage cheese adds creaminess and protein 
• No refined sugar or added fat: sweetened with honey or maple syrup
• Quick and adaptable: made from simple ingredients, perfect for using leftovers

What this brownie cake is not

Let’s get one thing very straight: this is not a sweet, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth cake.

It’s definitely not packed with sugar or pretending to be a blow-your-socks-off dessert. We all know that cake without sugar and butter doesn’t taste the same, so let’s not try to pretend otherwise. The truth is, if you’re used to two cups of sugar in your brownies, you will notice the difference. While I think it is delicious, let’s be very clear about this.

Now we know what it isn’t, what it most certainly is, is a dense, fudgy, chocolatey brownie cake that holds together well and satisfies without overdoing the sweetness. All you need is a moderate-sized portion to do the trick.

Crushed cottage cheese and using up leftovers

I am not sure about you, but I always have something in the fridge that needs using up. There is absolutely nothing more disheartening to me than throwing something away. This usually happens with Greek yoghurt, which is wonderfully easy to use up in a lighter Eton Mess or wholesome wholegrain soda bread. 

This time, it was a tub of cottage cheese. I’d spotted some “crushed” cottage cheese in the supermarket. I’d never heard of cottage cheese being crushed before, so always one to enjoy a novelty, I took some home with me. A quick Google search reveals that nobody outside of Sweden has heard of it, either.

I’ve got to say, I was a little disappointed. You could say it was me who was crushed, not the cottage cheese. Yes, it was a little less curdy, but not the silken smooth I was expecting. If you are in Sweden and have access to crushed cottage cheese, go for it. If not, good old regular cottage cheese works just as well.

Why cottage cheese is great in cakes

I am no stranger to adding cottage cheese to quiches, lemon cakes and cheesecakes, but I get why some people might be a little put off or sceptical. Cottage cheese is just not pretty to look at, is it? The great news is that once it is baked up in a cake, you can neither see nor taste the curds. However, if they bother you, and you would rather not see them in your batter, blitz the cottage cheese in a food processor before you start.

Using cottage cheese, with its neutral flavour, means that it is perfect for baking. Although it adds a slight tang, it doesn’t compete with other ingredients, so you can flavour the cake in many different ways. In a dense, fudgy brownie cake like this, it keeps the cake moist, while also giving structure so it holds together well.

Don’t forget, cottage cheese is also great for us: it’s high in protein, low in fat (depending on what you buy), and adds calcium and other nutrients. And, as someone who doesn’t eat meat, I am always looking for ways to get more protein in.

About the peanut butter

Gotta be honest, peanut butter isn’t really my thing, but my son asked me to buy some. I didn’t think he would finish it off, and mum is always right. So, there it was, sitting in the fridge, staring at me. On a bit of a whim, I decided to add it in with the cottage cheese. 

I used organic peanut butter, which I prefer because it has fewer additives and less sugar than regular brands. You can use crunchy or smooth, depending on what you like, and it will make no difference to the brownie cake. The peanut butter blends into the batter to add richness and a subtle nutty flavour without being overwhelming.

Cakes without refined sugar

This brownie cake is made without refined sugar. Instead, I used maple syrup, but honey would also work really well. Refined sugar (usually white sugar) is highly processed and stripped of any nutrients. While we can’t escape the fact that it creates amazing cakes and desserts, the downside is how detrimental it can to our health. And no, I am not on my soap-box; I have loads of sugar-heavy desserts on this blog, as I believe everything is okay in moderation.

Unrefined sweeteners, like honey or maple syrup, are less processed and contain small amounts of minerals. They often have a more complex flavour, which works well with chocolate and peanut butter. That said, an unrefined sweetener is still sugar and should be eaten in moderation. 

You can adjust the amount of honey or maple syrup if you prefer it sweeter. However, as touched on above, if you are used to adding lots of sugar or buying processed cakes from the supermarket, this might not be the recipe for you.  

Why you NEED coffee in this cake

Yes, need. There’s a lot of confusion and scepticism around adding coffee to chocolate cakes. People worry it will taste like coffee, or that it’s only for “fancy” recipes. Don’t be fooled. A small amount of instant coffee works with the cocoa to enhance its natural flavour, making the chocolate richer, deeper, and more complex, without adding a noticeable coffee taste.

This works whether you’re baking a healthier brownie like this one or a classic indulgent cake like my chocolate fudge cake. The principle is the same: the coffee won’t overpower the cake or add much caffeine, but it pulls the cocoa forward, allowing for a full-bodied chocolatey-ness. Skip it, and the chocolate will still be there, but it won’t have the same depth.

In this cake, coffee isn’t optional; it’s a key part of why the cake works.

Simple peanut butter frosting

I’m not sure this even qualifies as a frosting. There’s no icing sugar, and no butter. Just peanut butter loosened with a splash of milk. My original plan was to drizzle over some dark chocolate, but on another whim (clearly a creative day), I doubled down on the peanut butter instead. The milk was only to thin mine out because it was a bit stiff; if yours is already on the runny side, you can skip it.

To finish, I scattered over some roasted hazelnuts (another case of using up what was in the cupboard). If you’d like go with my initial thought, dark chocolate drizzled over would be great. A spoonful of honey or maple syrup would also work well, and finish off with nuts, dried fruit, coconut, or anything else you like.

Storage and servings

This cottage cheese chocolate cake is rather small, but will yield between 10-12 small slices. 

Spelt flour bakes don’t stay fresh for long, and this brownie cake is no exception. Goods baked with spelt tend to dry out a lot quicker than wheat-based cakes, but the freezer solves that problem. I like to cut the cake into individual portions once cooled, wrap them up, and freeze them. That way I can take out a slice whenever I want without worrying about the rest drying out.

Even with the peanut butter topping, the cake freezes really well, and the texture holds up beautifully once thawed.

Print Pin

Peanut Butter Spelt Brownie Made with Cottage Cheese

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

Cake:

• 140g (½ cup) cottage cheese (I used 4%)
• 2 eggs (large)
• 55g (¼ cup) peanut butter
• 40g (½ cup) cocoa powder
• 80g white spelt flour (see note 1)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp instant coffee (see note 2)
• 4 tbsp honey or maple syrup (see note 3)
• 3 tbsp milk

Topping:

• peanut butter (use as much as you like)
• touch of milk (if necessary)
• chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 7" (18 cm) springform pan with parchment (baking paper).
• Blend cottage cheese, eggs, peanut butter, and sweetener until smooth.
• In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and coffee (if using).
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed (don’t overmix).
• Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, turn out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.

Topping:

• Mix some peanut butter with a little milk (see note 4). Sprinkle with chopped nuts (if you like). Slice and enjoy!

Notes

I have converted metric measurements (grams and ml) to imperial (cups and ounces) using online converters, so accuracy cannot be totally guaranteed.

1. You can use all-purpose (plain) flour instead of spelt flour. Just do a straight swap.
2. Please read for more information about using coffee in chocolate cakes.
3. You can use more honey or maple syrup if you prefer a slightly sweeter cake.
4. If you have runny peanut butter, you won't need any milk.