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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!
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?
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!
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.
thank you for sharing! loved it 💜
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!
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.
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.
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)!
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!
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 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!