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.
Penelope says
Hi! The taste is great, but my cake turned out mushy inside (the top layer was beautifully crisp), even after baking it for an extra 30+ minutes (I continued to check every so often after the first 25 minutes of baking). I then scraped off the (thin) top part and continued baking the rest of the mushy cake, and again only a thin layer on the top becomes “cooked”, no matter how long I keep it in the oven (the inside never “hardens”).
To my knowledge, I followed the recipe as it was written…would you have any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong?
Thanks!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Penelope! Did you make sure to use the right size pan for baking this? I know I’ve had issues in the past with making cakes in pans that were too big and that usually ends with the centres of my cakes to be mostly uncooked. It’s also possible that your flours might have been measured slightly off. If you were using the right size pan my guess is that you might have needed to pack a little bit more coconut flour into your measuring cup to get it right.
I’m glad it still tasted good even though it didn’t fully cook in the centre!
DR says
This looks amazing. Planning to make it today for the 4th. Do you use virgin or refined coconut oil?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi there!I used virgin but I think refined would also work
DR says
Thanks! I ended up using refined, and it turned out beautifully! Thanks for creating this recipe!
Sarah Nevins says
Oh excellent! So glad you enjoyed it!
Debbie says
what the fat content be on a can of coconut milk? I see there is quite a fat ratio range in the cans at the store
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Debbie! So sorry that it’s taken me so long to get back to you – I just noticed your comment was stuck in my spam folder for some reason. I think as long as you get a can of coconut milk that’s no labelled as low fat or reduced fat you should be alright. I’ve made this with a few different brands (all regular/full fat) without knowing what the exact percentage was and they all worked. Hope that helps!
Faiza says
Hi Sarah! I’d very much like to transform your cake into a strawberry flavoured pink sponged cake. I’m on a strict diet so the ingredients used in your recipe suits me. Can I add 2 cups of strawberry puree into it and perhaps omit or add another/more of an ingredient so the recipe still works well together? Would appreciate your feedback as I really would like to avoid wasting expensive ingredients etc. Thank-you in advance 🙂
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Faiza! I wouldn’t recommend adding strawberry puree here – there’s a very fine balance of fats and liquids here with the coconut flour that any small deviation is enough to potentially throw everything off. Adding that much strawberry puree would likely make for a very soggy cake that I don’t think would set.
However, I do think you would be able to successfully add ground up dehydrated strawberries with a little food colouring (natural food colouring if needed). They are more on the pricey side and can be tricky to find (if you can’t find them in store you might have luck looking on Amazon) but I do think that would work out much better because you wouldn’t really need to add or subtract any other ingredients.
Marce says
Hi Sarah!!!
I loved your recipe, taste lovely! I just can’t get it to rise normally as your pic! mine stays very dense and moist in the center so it won’t rise.
I followed all the steps! do you think it might be my oven? or (I used homemade coconut milk ) maybe it didn’t have much fat?
thank you!!!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Marce! Thank you so much – I’m so glad you liked it!
It is possible that using homemade coconut milk made your cake turn out a little different. That being said, this cake really doesn’t rise too much baking. There’s a small lift, but not much. I think your cake might benefit from staying in the oven an extra 3-5 minutes though so it’s not quite so dense and moist in the middle. I think the slight differences in oven temp might be the possible culprit here.
Hope that helps!
Trish says
We made this cake and turned it into a trifle for Christmas dessert (almond milk custard and jelly made with blueberries and gelatin). It was a big hit! Added 1/2tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter for a Christmasy touch. Will definitely make again.
Sarah Nevins says
That sounds lovely! So glad you enjoyed it! Hope you have/had a wonderful Christmas!
Debi says
I made this as a cinnamon cake. I love coconut flour this was the first time for baking with mostly it since following AIP. I thrilled with how moist everything turned out. I did cut the coconut sugar in half; then mixed 1/2 c. Coconut Butter, 1/4 c. Honey, and 3 T. Ceylon Cinnamon really well to put on the hot cake when it came out of the oven. (I used only the one cake pan.) Finally cinnamon cake! I cannot thank you enough for the base recipe.
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! Cinnamon cake sounds so good right now! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you liked & what you did differently!
Maddy says
I tried the cinnamon cake version based on the comment… although it tasted okay. It was very very dry. I think adding a bit more coconut milk is necessary, perhaps 1/4cup.
P.S. I love these recipes! I recently learned that I need to be gluten, nut, dairy, grain and egg free. This recipe is perfect!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Maddy! So glad you’ve enjoyed what you’ve tried so far! Also – that’s really good to know about the cinnamon!
Miki Cook says
I’m on a strict elimination diet (no grains, dairy, eggs, nuts) and finding any compliant recipes for breads or cakes is challenging! I’m giving yours a try. I’d love to hear if you have a similar recipe for banana bread.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Miki! I don’t have anything like that yet but you’ve given me something to work on now!
Kim says
https://www.themicrovorediet.ca/single-post/2019/01/18/Coconut-Flour-Banana-Muffins-Vegan-Paleo-Gluten-Free
This has become our new household staple 😉 I’m sure you can put in a loaf pan vs muffin pan. I’ll be making this cake tomorrow!
Kim says
Also note: I subbed the maple syrup with coconut sugar. And for the 3/4 water, I did half hot water, half vanilla almond milk and then mix the coconut sugar in the warm liquid to melt and still be a “liquid” ingredient. I think if one just used sugar vs syrup the mixture would be way too dry.
Sarah Nevins says
Ooh thanks Kim! I’m going to have to try those muffins myself – they look delicious!
Anushka says
Hi Sarah, thank you for coming up with so many lovely recipies. Can I follow the exact same recipe and ingredients but leave out the coconut sugar? Or will this affect the texture? Thought I would just cook it slightly longer but not sure this will work x
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Anushka! I’m not too sure – I do think it will change the texture at least slightly but I’m not sure how much different it will be. If you try it please let me know how it goes!
Celia says
THANK you! It’s so hard to find something AIP complaint that doesn’t have me spending nine dollars a pound on cassava flour, or making gelatin eggs. Can’t wait to try this!
Sarah Nevins says
Totally know what you mean! I hope you love it!