Soft and tender egg free yellow paleo cake made with coconut flour. Only 15 minute prep and about 25 minutes to bake with only 8 ingredients! This cake is dairy, nut, and egg free! Top it off with a paleo chocolate frosting, coconut whipped cream, or enjoy it as is!
I can’t even tell you how much of an accomplishment it feels like to FINALLY have nailed this egg free + nut free vegan coconut flour cake recipe. No joke.
I’m not even exaggerating when I say that I went through at least 10 different variations of this coconut flour cake before finally getting it right. About halfway through all my testing I had to take a couple weeks off because I was so burnt out on baking cakes.
It’s my holy grail of recipe developing and I am so PUMPED to finally be able to share it with you guys! So let’s get to it…
Baking with Coconut Flour
So here’s the thing about coconut flour: it’s notoriously difficult to work with. I go into more detail about the ins & outs of baking with coconut flour in another post, but the gist of it is that’s just an extremely absorbent flour. You really need a lot of moisture in your ingredients which is why eggs are almost always a key ingredients in many coconut flour baked goods and why it took me so long to deliver on an egg free version of the original cake.
How to Make: Egg Free Paleo Cake with Coconut Flour
The base for this recipe comes from my paleo coconut flour cake that I shared a while back. The core ingredients are the same though the amounts themselves do differ by quite a bit: coconut flour, tapioca flour, coconut oil, vanilla etc with the addition of coconut milk for added moisture to replace the eggs.
Making the cake itself is pretty easy. The prep time should really only take about 15-20 minutes. It’s mostly just a matter of whisking and combining.
A Note about the Batter/Dough
That all being said this cake making process will look and feel very different to what you would normally be used to when it comes to baking cakes. Instead of making a batter, this makes more of a dough. It’s thick and pliable and really needs to be handled differently than typical cakes.
Start out by mixing the wet and dry ingredients together separately: mix the flours and sugar in one bowl and the oil, milk and vanilla in another. To combine, pour the wet into the dry and mix together with a spoon as much as you can. Once your dough/batter resembles the clumpy dough in the picture above start using your hands to finish mixing. Clump the dough together and scrape down the sides mixing it all together.
When you’re ready to bake, transfer the dough into your greased cake tin. Since the dough is so thick you’ll need to smooth it out into the pan yourself. It should look and feel very soft at this point like in the second picture just above.
Then just pop it in the oven for about 25ish minutes and that’s it!
Tips for success
- The coconut oil should be melted in a liquid state and cooled to room temperature so that it mixes into the dough easily.
- The coconut milk should also be room temperature.
- Ideally you want to use a full fat coconut milk for the extra moisture. If your coconut milk is one that separates the cream from the water just stir it up or shake the can well before using.
- Don’t be afraid to use your hands to mix the batter/dough together. I personally find it easier than a mixing spoon in this recipe.
The end result
Since baking soda + apple cider vinegar are the only leavening agents here, keep in mind that this isn’t going to rise up very much. That being said this paleo cake is very soft and tender.
If you’re in the need of a good birthday cake you can easily double the recipe to make a couple of layers! This recipe is the perfect treat to make for someone with a lot of food allergies as it’s:
✔️Gluten Free
✔️Dairy Free
✔️Egg Free
✔️Nut Free
✔️Vegan
I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do – if you try it out please let me know what you think!
Egg Free Coconut Flour Paleo Cake
Soft and tender, egg free yellow paleo cake made with coconut flour. Only 15 minute prep and about 25 minutes to bake with only 8 ingredients! This cake is dairy, nut, and egg free! Top it off with a paleo chocolate frosting, coconut whipped cream, or enjoy it as is!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (300g) full fat coconut milk, stirred from a can
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup (112g) coconut flour, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup (28g) tapioca flour
- 3/4 cup (135 g) coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°C/180°C. Lightly grease an 8inch round cake tin and set aside.
- In a small bowl or mixing cup whisk together the coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract and vinegar until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the coconut flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar and baking soda until no lumps remain.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir to combine. The cake batter will be very thick and look more like dough than typical batter. This is easiest to mix using your hands. Once fully combined transfer the batter/dough to your prepared cake tin. Smooth out the dough to the sides and across the bottom in an even layer.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes. The top will be golden. To check for doneness insert a knife or toothpick into the centre of the cake - if it comes out clean and without any crumbs then it's done.
- Transfer the cake onto a wire cooling rack and let cool. Make sure it's completely cooled before frosting.
Notes
Tips
- Coconut milk & coconut oil should be the same temperature so that they mix together easily.
- Ideally you want to use a full fat coconut milk for the extra moisture. If your coconut milk is one that separates the cream from the water just stir it up or shake the can well before using.
- Don't be afraid to use your hands to mix the batter/dough together. I personally find it easier than a mixing spoon in this recipe.
Frosting Ideas
- I used my paleo + vegan sweet potato frosting in these pictures (nut free).
- Coconut whipped cream
- Enjoy as is!
Leftovers
Unfrosted leftovers can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container. This is best eaten within 2-3 days. If frosted, store in the fridge.
Final Note:
I have not tried this cake using any variation of flours/sweeteners so I'm afraid I don't know how to advise on substitutions.
Deepti says
Great recipie. Could you please share your frosting recipie. Is that vegan too ?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Deepti! It’s this sweet potato frosting and it is vegan too! Hope you like it! https://www.asaucykitchen.com/paleo-vegan-chocolate-frosting/
Shoba says
Hello Sarah!
Since my enquiry on replacing tapioca flour with flax seed flour is awaiting moderation, I tinkered around the recipe and found that flax seed flour does work wonderfully well for small quantities. I made using:
2.5t coconut cream
1/2t coconut oil
1/16t apple cider vinegar
1/16t vanilla essence
2t coconut flour
1/16t baking soda
1t flax seed flour soaking in 1.5t liquid coconut syrup
t= tea spoon. That’s the only baking measure I have.
Did the dry whisk, and then separately the liquids, and then incorporated both, last of all mixing in the soaked flax seed flour. The cake mix was doughy. Lined a 6 oz microwave safe mug with grease proof paper, before transferring the mix.
We have an Elba 2318X grill+microwave and no other ‘cooking’ equipment. Set at Medium-High, baked for 90 sec, and then in spurts of two 10 sec baking. Allowed our little friend to rest in the hot oven for 3 minutes, and then a further 3 minutes (because the toothpick had some crumbs on it)before transferring on a rack to cool.
It was soft, and nicely airy. So for a mug cake your wonderful creation subbing tapioca flour for flax seed flour works.
Quadrupled the above. In a microwave safe dish lined with grease proof paper, baked at Medium High for 7 min 30 sec, the last 30 sec in spurts of 10 sec. The top of the cake must be dry to the touch, hence the spurts of 10 sec. Resting time in oven 15 mins before transferring out to cool.
Again, soft and nicely airy.
With the quadrupled quantity, and with a baking time of 8 min 50 sec and resting time of 20 min, you get a drier version. Halfway thru cooling on the rack, cut into squares and upon complete cooling, you have a wonderfully crispy biscuit!
Thank you Sarah for your recipe. I’m keen on trying it out with dried herbs for both mug cakes, as well as the biscuit version.
Good health and good cheer to you and your loved ones!
Shoba says
Hi!
Do you think the tapioca flour could be subbed with flaxseed flour, without adding any water?
Thank you for sharing your creations!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Shoba! I haven’t tried it out this way myself so I can’t say for sure but I think leaving out the tapioca in place of the flaxseed would change the overall texture of the cake quite a bit. If you do try it out please let me know how it goes though! I’m sure it would be helpful to others who might be wondering the same thing!
Shoba says
I posted, without knowing you had responded, within 4 min of each other’s post :-)!
Once again thank you!
Erin says
This cake is amazing. I even messed it up and it still came out great! I realized part way through I didn’t have coconut sugar. I used half a cup of honey instead and reduced the coconut milk slightly. Added a couple extra table spoons coconut flour while mixing. And I did a maple frosting because I’m on AIP and not into carob. Thanks for this! I’ll be using it often for birthday cakes!
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! Thanks for sharing your adaptations – that’s super helpful to know that it can be done with liquid sweeteners if needed!
Julietica says
Hi !
We did this recipe one night when we were out of eggs. It’s DELICIOUS ! We were so happy and satisfied ! It really taste perfect, even without frosting. The texture is also really great, almost like a sponge cake !
We just used dattes instead of coconut sugar (1/2 cup of dattes blended with 1/4 cup of hot water) and it worked perfectly !
Thank you SO MUCH !
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! So glad to hear that! Great to know about the dates! Thanks Julietica!
Rozina says
Thanks for recipe. Which other gluten free flour can be used in place of tapioca. Will.sorghum or buckwheat work? Ps guide
Sarah says
Hi Rozina! Right now, the only other flour I can suggest in place of tapioca that I know would work is arrowroot starch
Arthi says
I hope I can use corn flour/corn starch in this place. Can you pease confirm asap?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Arthi!
In place of the tapioca? I haven’t tested this using corn starch so I can’t say for sure but I do think it would work out reasonably well. Corn starch can usually be used in place of tapioca in a lot of cases, but in my experience it can sometimes make things come out a little dry – just something to keep in mind if you try it.
Michelle says
Im going to take one respondents success with your incredible recipe and make this chocolate as well! One question, what temperature and how long for two 6″ tins?
Thank you!!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Michelle! SO sorry I didn’t see this comment sooner! I’m sure it’s too late at this point but just in case anyone else is wondering I’d recommend cooking for about 18 minutes to start out with and then checking every two minutes until it’s done at that point.
Anna says
I followed the recipe exactly and it is delicious!! It tastes like a shortbread cookie. I sprinkled some shredded coconut on too and served with applesauce. Delicious! My 5 year old loves it! I’ll definitely be making this again!
Anna says
Just a note based on the other comments : the batter is indeed very thick and does not have a liquid consistency…it did seem strange at first. I could literally scoop it up with my hands. I packed it into a tin pie plate and literally packed in handfuls of batter , smoothly to keep it even. It did seem a little strange BUT the finishedcake consistency is absolutely moist and wonderful. It is about 1 inch high, so it did not rise. Seriously, don’t worry about looks, the cake is delish! I understand about being scared to work with coconut flour…I just made muffins that were crumbly and bland so I was worried, but this cake came out so soft and moist. Yummy!
Sarah says
Yay! So glad to hear you guys enjoyed it – thanks for coming back to let me know what you thought!
Maija says
Hi Sarah! This was a lucky find, as im avoiding eggs ive been trying out different vegan cake recipes as part of building up my skills of baking grain, dairy and egg free.
As much as i am annoyed when people want to substitute ingredients that the author has suggested, i did tweak it ever so slightly by adding a pinch of xanthum gum, and and extra Tbsp of tapioca, reducing the coconut flour accordingly. I also baked it in a 7″ pan so it was an acceptable thickness without compromising on the density. I have not iced the cake coz im too lazy once the cake has come out, but feel some sort of apple spice, with currants, would make it a wonderful tea cake. Thanks Sarah for doing all the hard work. I will make this again.
Sarah says
Hi Maija! I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adaptions too! I’m sure it will be helpful to someone trying out the recipe somewhere down the line. Love the idea of adding additional spice/currants – that sounds so cozy!
Yvette says
Also, how do I get the cake to rise? Looks like it’s quite flat (like the one I tried to make last year, using someone else’s recipe). Is it that coconut flour-based cakes just don’t rise?