Last updated - ; Published - By Rhian Williams 123 Comments
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ThisGluten-Free Vegan Coconut Cake ismoist and fluffy,sweet and creamy andwonderfully coconutty! It's made in one bowl, is easily customisable and is refined sugar free too. Perfect for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, baby showers and bridal showers!
Where does the coconut flavour in coconut cake come from?
You can add coconut extract to this cake if you like, but I didn't find it necessary. Plus, not many other recipes require coconut extract, so I didn't want to buy it just for this cake only for it to never be used again. Instead, I chose to use desiccated coconut and coconut whipped cream for coconut flavour.
You can use toasted desiccated coconut if you prefer, although if going down this route I'd definitely recommend using a frying pan on a low heat rather than the oven to toast your coconut. That way, you can stir it very regularly and make sure it doesn't burn, which can be harder to do in the oven, which can burn it very quickly!
Can you use coconut flour to make coconut cake?
You can also get coconut flavour by using coconut flour in the sponge. But be careful with the amounts! To do this, you can replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
How to make thiscake
Scroll downto the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: Use a measuring jugto measure out the plant-based milk.
- Transfer into two 18 cm / 7 inch sandwich baking tins.
Tip:Line the tins with greased baking paperto make the sponges easier to remove afterwards.
- Bake in the oven for15 minutes.
- Transfer onto a cooling rackandleave to cool completely before applying the frosting.
Tips for making the frosting
- Keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight(or for at least 12 hours) for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom.
- Make sure you use full-fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won’t happen and you won’t be able to whip it up.
- Open the tin upside down – the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid.
- Save the watery liquid you pour off for adding to soups or smoothies.
- Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl along with the other ingredients (maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla extract).
- Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip until light and fluffy.
- Make sure not to over-whip as you don't want it to be curdly.
- Make sure the sponges have cooled completely before applying the frosting, otherwise it will melt!
How to assemble the cake
- Once the sponges have cooled completely, place one sponge on a large plate or cake stand, and use a palette knife for frosting to cover with just less than half of the frosting.
- Place other sponge on top and use remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
- Cover the top and sides of the cake with the desiccated coconut.
How long does this Coconut Cake keep for?
This Coconut Cake tastes best fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
- You can use plain flour,wholemeal (whole wheat) flouror spelt flourinstead of the gluten-free flour if you're not gluten-free.
More gluten-free vegan cake recipes
- Tropical Carrot Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Cherry Bakewell Cake
- Matcha Strawberry Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Orange Cake
- Strawberry Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Almond Cake
- Olive Oil Cake
- Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
- Yogurt Cake
- Ginger Cake
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog,I’d really love to hear anyfeedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes onInstagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this recipe
Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Cake
ThisGluten-Free Vegan Coconut Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and creamy and wonderfully coconutty!
4.19 from 159 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free coconut cake, vegan coconut cake, vegan coconut dessert
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 438kcal
Author: Rhian Williams
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice *
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the frosting:
- 400 g (14 oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk ***
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
To decorate:
- 6 tablespoons desiccated coconut ****
Instructions
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry.
Transfer mixture between two small greased baking tins lined with baking paper (I used two 7inch/18cm baking tins).
Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Once out the oven, immediately remove cakes from baking tins and transfer onto a wire rack to cool.
For the frosting:
You'll need to keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom. Make sure it is full fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won't happen and you won't be able to make this cream!
Open the tin upside down - the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to soups or smoothies).
Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl.
Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip up the coconut cream until light and fluffy.
To decorate:
Once the sponges have cooled completely, place one sponge on a large plate or cake stand, and cover with just less than half of the frosting.
Place other sponge on top and use remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with the desiccated coconut.
Best when fresh, but keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
*The lemon juice is crucial as its acidity needs to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the sponge fluffy. If you don't want to use lemon juice, substitute with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar instead.
**You can alternatively usealmond flour.
***You can alternatively use 200g (7oz) coconut yogurt.
****You can use toasted desiccated coconut if you prefer, although if going down this route I'd definitely recommend using a frying pan on a low heat rather than the oven to toast your coconut. That way, you can stir it very regularly and make sure it doesn't burn, which can be harder to do in the oven, which can burn it very quickly!
You can also get coconut flavour by using coconut flour in the sponge. But be careful with the amounts! To do this, you can replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 438Calories from Fat 279
% Daily Value*
Fat 31g48%
Saturated Fat 19g95%
Sodium 78mg3%
Potassium 231mg7%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 4g16%
Sugar 20g22%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 133mg13%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Anna
I'm hoping to test this out this weekend for my son's first birthday coming up.
I've read in the comments I can replace the flour for coconut flour and the almonds for coconut flour... but two separate comments. Can I replace both ingredients with coconut flour? If so how much coconut flour?
I saw you mentioned 1/4 of a cup for the flour but what if I also replace the almonds?
Thanks!My son has to be on a vegan diet and I haven't tried nuts with him yet because he's been so sensitive with dairy and eggs we've had to take food introduction so slow. So I'm really excited to try this out!!
Reply
Rhian Williams
Hi Anna, thanks for your message. Happy first birthday to your son! Either the almonds OR the gluten-free flour can be substituted with coconut flour, but not both. If in doubt, I would say it would be better to substitute the almonds with coconut flour than the gluten-free flour. For either, I would substitute with 1/4 cup coconut flour as coconut flour soaks up a lot more moisture than other flours. I would love to hear how you get on thank you!
Anna
Whoops! I commented twice.. didn't think the first one went through.
Thank you so much for your quick reply! I'll give it a shot. So excited!
Reply
Rhian Williams
No problem, hope it goes well! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Anna
Can I use Coconut milk instant of almond milk?
Reply
Rhian Williams
Yes, as long as it's coconut milk from a carton not a tin, so same consistency as almond milk!
Claire
I made this for my mum's birthday a few weeks ago and it was do delicious I'm making it again for mother's Day. I hope it goes ok as I've decided to make it as cupcakes and a mini heart cake. They're in the oven as we speak. I'll let you know how it turns out. I always put 1 cup of almond and 2teaspoons of coconut flour and it's always worked great especially for the coconut cake!
Reply
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much for your feedback, so glad you like this cake! That sounds delicious to add the coconut flour, thanks for sharing!
Carly
Hi, I really like this recipe! I am looking for a cake recipe that is sugar free and dairy free but not necesarily entirely vegan as we are not vegan. I am concerned about not using eggs and I was wondering if I were to add eggs to this recipe how I should do so. I brought a vegan cake to the last family party and they were very critical! (It was too dry) So i like the maple syrup instead of sugar and coconut products instead of milk or butter but I would still like to add eggs if possible to make it fluffy. What do you think?
Reply
Rhian Williams
Hi, thank you for your comment! I haven't personally tested this recipe using eggs, but I think it could probably work using 2 eggs instead of the plant-based milk. You may have to add a tiny bit of plant-based milk if the batter looks dry though. Would love to hear how you get on!
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