This Coconut Flour Cake is the perfect gluten-free dessert for your next birthday party or celebration. Just like my Coconut Flour Brownies, all you need is a handful of simple ingredients to make it!
Why You’ll Love It
Surprisingly, the “coconut” flavor in this cake isn’t overwhelming. I purposely don’t use coconut oil or coconut milk in this recipe, to help the vanilla flavor shine through.
It’s one of the best Paleo cakes I’ve ever made!
This recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, so there’s also a hint of maple flavor in this cake. It reminds me slightly of eating pancakes… in the best possible way. My kids can’t stop eating it!
Things You Should Know About Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is a tricky ingredient, so be sure to follow this recipe closely for the best results. I had to test over 20 variations of this cake to get the texture and flavor right, so experiment at your own risk.
No! If a recipe calls for coconut flour, do not be tempted to use almond flour, all-purpose flour, or ANY other flour. Coconut flour has a totally different ratio of ingredients compared to other recipes, so look for a recipe that has already tested & perfected the type of flour you have on hand.
If you need an Almond Flour Cake or Almond Flour Cupcakes, I’ve already got you covered.
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I measure coconut flour by scooping the measuring cup into the bag of flour, getting a heaping scoop, and then I level off that measurement with the back of a knife. It’s important to be very precise when measuring coconut flour, because even an extra tablespoon can affect the final outcome.
Use the weights included in the recipe below if you want to be extra-accurate.
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I haven’t tested this recipe without the eggs yet, but keep in mind that it’s very hard to get a good texture with coconut flour without the eggs. The results are mushy and grainy, and the result might not hold together as well. Experiment at your own risk.
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This recipe calls for a liquid sweetener because coconut flour needs a LOT of moisture to bake properly. If you use a granulated sweetener, like coconut sugar, the resulting cake will be brown, and you might need a little extra moisture to compensate.
I don’t use zero-calories sweeteners (even natural ones, like stevia) so I can’t tell you how that kind of substitute might work.
Frosting Ideas
This cake is topped with my Sweet Potato Frosting, made with white sweet potatoes, to keep the “vanilla” look. But here are some other naturally-sweetened frostings to try!
- Date-Sweetened Vegan Frosting
- 2-Ingredient Chocolate Ganache (one of my favorites!)
- Vegan “Cream Cheese” Frosting
How to Make Cupcakes
Want to bake this recipe in a cupcake tin instead? This recipe will make 8 cupcakes, as written, and they will need to bake for 20 minutes.
I use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, FYI. Don’t be tempted to skip the cupcake liners– they will guarantee that the cupcakes will easily release from the pan!
Coconut flour is “stickier” than most flours, so don’t rely on greasing the pan alone.
More Coconut Flour Recipes
- Best Ever Coconut Flour Banana Bread
- Perfect Coconut Flour Pancakes
- Healthy Carrot Cake
- Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Coconut Flour Waffles
- Coconut Flour Cupcakes
I can’t wait to hear what you try next! If you like to share photos of what you make on social media, be sure to tag me @detoxinista so I can see!
Coconut Flour Cake (Perfectly Fluffy!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (53 grams; level measurement)
- 4 large eggs (198 grams)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (56 grams; see notes)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (6 grams)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract (16 grams)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (106 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (2 grams)
- 2 tablespoons water, as needed (22 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly spray two 6-inch cake pans with oil. Press a square of parchment paper into the bottom of each pan, to make removing the cakes easier later. Alternatively, you can use one 8-inch cake pan for this recipe, instead.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, eggs, olive oil, baking powder, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, and water. Use a whisk to mix well, breaking up any clumps.
- Pour the batter into the two prepared pans. Bake the two 6-inch pans for 25 minutes at 350ºF, or until the top looks lightly golden and the center feels firm to a light touch. An 8-inch cake needs to bake for 30-35 minutes. Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan.
- Once the cake is cool, you can frost it with your favorite topping. You'll get a 2-layer cake if you use the two 6-inch pans, or a single layer with the 8-inch pans.
- This cake should be stored tightly covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, but keep in mind that it will start to dry out the longer you store it. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving again for the best flavor and texture.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Coconut Flour Cake, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear how those work out for you, too. We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite thing to make with coconut flour?
Looks delicious! Just wondering what frosting recipe you used in your photos?
I used this sweet potato frosting recipe, using white sweet potatoes!
I’m going to make this! Perfect timing, as my daughters birthday is next weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks!!!
I was wondering what frosting did you use because it looks amazing!
It’s sweet potato frosting! Made with white sweet potatoes. 🙂
My family cannot get enough of your almond flour cake, so we’re excited to try rhis one. What’s your frosting? We’ve been searching for a vanla or coconut frosting.
Hi Megan! I was wondering what icing you used in the photos? The cake looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
It’s my Sweet Potato Frosting made with white sweet potatoes!
What frosting did you use on your cake?
It’s my Sweet Potato Frosting made with white sweet potatoes!
What frosting recipe do you recommend Megan?
I used white sweet potatoes to make my Sweet Potato Frosting in these photos. I also like to use chocolate frosting on white cakes, so my Vegan Ganache or Date-Sweetened Frosting would be good here, too.
Hi Megan…made this per the recipe above and it turned out perfect and delicious. Thanks for a cake recipe that doesn’t have refined sugars, What do you think of swapping the oil with unsweetened apple sauce? Thanks again!
Recipe is delicious-made cupcakes- made your chocolate vegan frosting which is DELICIOUS too!! Thank you so much for ALL your great healthy recipes – tips & videos – you are my fav!!
Recipe is delicious-made cupcakes- made your chocolate vegan frosting which is DELICIOUS too!!
I made this with a flax egg replacement and used a cupcake pan and they came out great! You could omit the water to make them more dense. Love these so much! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you for letting me know! I’m so glad to hear the flax egg worked out for you!
This is the best vanilla coconut flour cake I have ever made! Other recipes had too much of an egg flavor. Also, this cake has the right amount of moistness. I think this cake would great with your chocolate sweet potato frosting or with homemade whipped cream topped with blue
blue berries and strawberries. Megan, thank you for another delicious recipe!
I made this with your chocolate vegan frosting for my son’s 3rd birthday. Both were very good! I only had an 8 in pan, but I had to make 2 layers because one was too thin to stand alone. I baked the first layer for 30 min as instructed, but it seemed over done, so I baked the 2nd layer for only 27 min and it came out much better. Overall, we were very happy with how it turned out! Thank you for your recipes!
Couldn’t believe how easy it was and even with the little amount of coconut flour, it does make fluffy cakes! I make them into muffins, use half the maple syrup and sometimes even add lemon zest, perfect! (Also, tempted to ask what frosting you used as everyone else has haha)!
So easy! I used a 9″ pan so it came out a little flat and was done in about 18 minutes. The texture was nice and light and the taste was simple and (not too) sweet. I topped it with a thin layer of classic ganache made of cream and dark chocolate. Was a lovely quick dessert and the kids ate it up.
Very easy to make!! The result…. VERY DELICIOUS! Thank you so much o sharing this recipe. Frosting: simple melted white-chocolate.
Btw, i am a beginner and was succesfully baking thhis cake.
Moist and delicious despite substituting maple syrup by molasses and honey (50:50). I have just started my gluten free journey and this recipe is a “god-sent”, thank you! Will bake this again and again!
thank you for sharing! loved it 💜
Would you be able to make this into a sheet cake by increasing the ingredients by 3 or 4 times?
Thank you…i added some coconit flakes and some lemon zest. Result is auwsome.
I doubled the recipe with no issues and a sprinkling of crushed walnuts on top made it top notch! I love this recipe, thank you!
I followed the recipe carefully. My cake did not rise. Very thin. Tasty. Moist. But disappointed it stayed flat as a pancake!
I made this for strawberry shortcake and everyone in the house absolutely loved it!! Stellar!
So I read your coconut cupcakes recipe…what if u sub’d the syrup for coconut sugar AND the oil for zucchini?! Would that work?
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times I’ve made cupcakes. This is easily the best low carb cupcakes I’ve ever made! This recipe is a definite keeper.
Can you whip the ingredients with an electric mixer, or is it best to just lightly mix by hand?
I think you could mix it either way! You don’t have to worry about over-mixing with gluten-free ingredients.
Sarah and Megan, what I read somewhere is that by not over mixing you allow the potential for the cake to rise. It has something to do with the eggs. So even if it is not gluten free we shouldn’t over mix it. Hope that helps.
Hi Megan, I made these into 8 cupcakes today, and frosted them with your 2 ingredients ganache. They were delicious. Glad to find a recipe that is tasty without flour and sugar. Hope to see more healthier recipes like this. Thank you for sharing!
Sooo glad I stumbled across your recipes
Just made coconut pancake and hoping ykk ok make the cake next
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the coconut flour recipes! Hope you love the cake, too.
Hi there, the consistency was very very different than the picture you have. I kept adding water to try to make it look like the picture but it always looked very different. Why is this?
I loved this cake! The texture was perfect and not too “dry” as I sometimes find baked goods made with coconut flour. I am planning on using this recipe to make a keto style trifle at Christmas time. I will use this cake, a low sugar custard, blueberries (probably lightly sautéed first)and whipped cream. Then I can have my cake and eat it too!
Ooh, that sounds amazing!! Let me know how it turns out!
Spur of the moment sweet craving drew me to this. I love the subtle taste of coconut with maple syrup… mmmm fluffy texture, easy prep.
This recipe is so good and fuss free- def would recommend!
Although I personally only baked it for 20-22 minutes, i also used a different sweetener so that might have made a difference
Anyways, thanks for the recipe from the UK
I made this recipe just as written and using your directions for cupcakes. You said they make 8, using 1/4 cup of batter for each cupcake liner. In my experience, by doing so, I only got 5 cupcakes. It would have been better advised to use 1/8 cup of batter per cupcake. Also, I am glad I only went with 2 tsp of vanilla instead of the 4, because that would have been an excessive amount of vanilla for only 5 cupcakes. They rise very nicely during baking, so making the change of 1/8 cup batter per liner and also reducing the vanilla extract, works out well and this recipe is pretty good for cupcakes.
I used this as a base to make a coffe cake the batter came out a lot dryer than in the pictures so it’s not exactly all that great it has good taste but it is dry I followed the recipe to a tea so I’m not sure what went wrong this always happens with coconut flower recipes
I made this cake for my granddaughter’s birthday. I had previously had two disasters, then I found your recipe. I had to substitute avocado oil for the olive oil (she’s allergic to olives) and I used date syrup in place of the maple syrup. It turned out better than I dated to hope! It mixed, baked, cut and looks like a cake! And it has a nice texture and taste. This is now our go-to recipe.
Love this easy recipe! My slight modifications were 57 grams of coconut flour (vs 53), only 2 tsp vanilla, 2 tablespoons of 10% cream (vs water), a little less maple syrup. Baked in an 8″ round pan for 25 minutes. Served with warm blueberry pie filling from a can and ice cream for guests. Everyone loved it.
I just made a keto version of this and it was delicious. Nice and moist. I made a keto chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream frosting to go with it. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe. ☺
Can I use coconut oil instead of extra virgin olive oil?
Yes, you can. The final texture might change slightly with that swap, if you serve the cake in a cold room, since coconut oil will become solid when a room is colder than 76ºF to 78ºF.
This is such a great recipe! Easy and quick to put together and tastes soooo good!! Thank you for sharing! I really wanted a vanilla cake and was so happy with how this turned out!
Due to multiple food allergys and scd,dairy ,gluten diet restrictions tiss was the first time my daughter was able to have a REAL BIRTHDAY CAKE thanks to this awsome coconut flour recipie and scd frosting recipie I have not seen my child this excited or happy in years. The was perfect sas the dircetions resulted in the most successful exoerience baking with coconut flour in 2years, Thank you
will the cake be dry or not rise as well without the water
Can you swap the olive oil for something else? Coconut oil? Butter?
Made this into cupcakes for my baby’s first birthday the other day; came out beautifully! Only sub was 1:1 applesauce for the maple syrup. I topped them off with an icing made
of mashed ripe banana and coconut cream. Thanks for a great recipe as ever!
The description is true! This is the very best coconut flour cake EVER!! It is a family favorite that everyone requests on their birthday. You’ll never need another birthday cake recipe.
I’ve made this cake three times now. Each time for family or friends who have special dietary needs and they are so happy to finally be able to eat something tasty. I added sliced pineapple and the juice from the can to make it a pina colada cake 😉 I found I needed the extra moisture.
Brilliant recipe (gluten allergy friendly), so thanks so much for sharing this. I made it last night, and my husband and I both loved it. I followed your notes exactly, except that I tend to bake large quantities, so I doubled the recipe, and baked it in a large metal sheet cake pan. It turned out beautifully, has the most delicious taste (reminds me of a vanilla poppy seed cake my mom used to bake 20 or 30 years ago), and slices beautifully too. Really a winning gluten free recipe, thank you kindly!
So so good and light I couldn’t believe it! Made a lemon buttercream to go with it and it went down a storm, didn’t really rise that much though so trying again today to see if I can get it to rise better but I think that’s a me problem not the recipe! Divine thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It tastes like pound cake to me and it is the first real dessert I have had in a year and a half.
Can you substitute canola or avocado oil for the olive oil? I find it to taste strong because of the type I have.
Hi,
Just wondering… do you think it would work if, instead of icing, I added jelly (agar agar) with fresh fruit in it) on top of the cake? Would it taste good?
Hi there!
I noticed that your recipe calls for two teaspoons of baking powder but no bicarbonate soda. Hmm… and that’s still ok? Just checking before I start. No offence meant. Thanks.
Yes, I rarely call for both baking powder and baking soda in a recipe. The baking powder will provide plenty of rise in this cake.