Yes, I continue to roll out the coconut flour recipes. This time it’s gluten free Chocolate Cake. I am having a great time experimenting with this unique flour. I have been doing so for almost two years now and have created a small stockpile of recipes that work well with its light and fluffy texture.
This gluten free, dairy free chocolate cake (nut free too) is a family favorite, with a thick, yummy vegan chocolate frosting.
- ¾ cup coconut flour, sifted
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 10 large eggs
- 1 cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 1½ cups agave nectar or honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon orange zest
- In a small bowl combine flour, cacao, salt and baking soda
- In a large bowl using an electric hand blender, blend eggs, oil, agave nectar, vanilla and orange zest
- Add dry ingredients into large bowl and continue to blend
- Oil (2) 9 inch cake pans and dust with coconut flour
- Pour batter into pans and bake at 325°F for 35-40 minutes
- Remove from oven, allow to cool completely then remove from pans
- Frost and serve
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- pinch celtic sea salt
- In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and grapeseed oil
- Stir in agave, vanilla and salt
- Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to cool
- Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy
- Frost over cake
- Serve
This frosting recipe is one of my all time favorites –I have been known to eat it by the spoonful and like to spread it on gluten free crackers.
The chocolate vegan frosting above is a nice complement to my Vanilla Cupcakes (made from almond flour) recently featured in the Denver Post. Go ahead and see for yourself on your next special occasion or for no reason at all!
Elliejoon says
FYI, I baked it in a Bundt pan and it was FAB!!
Elliejoon says
This has become my NEW fave chocolate cake!! I made it for my birthday, yay, and was super happy! I didn’t have grapeseed oil, so I subbed 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup butter. I was also out of cocoa powder so I subbed six squares of unsweetened baking chocolate, added an extra 1/4 cup of almond meal to balance out the extra liquid. Delicious! Super moist, super luscious!
Emma says
This looks great! Could I replace the shortening with coconut oil, and the orange with lemon?
~B says
Has anybody substituted an unsweetened chocolate baking bar for the chocolate chunks in the frosting? if so, how much sweetener did you have to add and what kind was it?
Jennifer says
Just wanted to let you know, as many people do not seem to be aware: coconut is a tree nut and if people are allergic to tree nuts they are also allergic to coconuts.
natasha says
hi! i’m hoping to make this for my son’s birthday but wanted to substitute the agave nectar with either maple syrup or honey. Can you tell me what the amounts would be for these instead of the agave?
also, can i use coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil?
thank you,
n
Vanja_Slovenia says
Hi Elana
Can I use any other oil instead of grapseed oil?
V
Meghan says
Any chance you know of a good sugar substitute for this cake. My boyfriend and I are not eating sugar or grains and I thought maybe stevia bc it is natural. Do you think that would work and how much would you think to add? Thank you!
Meghan
Jennifer Gillette says
My daughter has celiac’s. Her 16th birthday is coming up in a week she wants strawberry cake. I love coconut flour but I cannot find a recipe for a white of strawberry cake that includes coconut flour. If there is any way you can help me with a recipe I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
Jennifer
kate says
Just made this for my sister for her birthday. It was moist and soooo delicious. I loved it because it wasn’t too sweet. My kids loved the icing.
I had to cover the cake in foil as the sides seemed to cook more quickly than the middle. My oven does seem to cook things more quickly than a lot of recipes.
Most importantly she loved it and was greatful I had catered to her diet.
I recommend your site to so many people. Thank you so much as your recipes make living a healthier life more possible and enjoyable.
Laura says
Hi Elana!
I am excited to bake this cake for my husband’s birthday this week. Do you use unsweetened cocao? or sweetened cocao? Where is the sweet coming from in the cake? (might be silly question because I am new to baking but I was wondering since there is no sugar in the cake recipe)
Thanks so much for your help!
Laura
Saundra says
Laura, the agave nectar is the sweetener in this recipe.
Jennifer Hillegas says
I just made the chocolate cake recipe for the 2nd time this time with magic loaf pans & the cake still stuck to the pan! What can I use to prevent the cake from sticking???
Talia says
Hi Elana,
I’m having a birthday party for my daughter tomorrow and I’m going to some of your cakes but I don’t want to use agave or honey, does it affect the consistency of the recipe? Is there another sweetener that you could recommend? I’m planning to use a granulated kind of sugar (it’s not really sugar) or stevia. I want to do it candida friendly. Thanks in advance.
Talia
amanda says
To make a vanilla cake can i just omit the chocolate???
Kate says
I found this website today and I am sooo excited! I am someone who is allergic to Wheat, all dairy (including eggs), and most types of Sugar/sweetener. I can’t wait to try your recipes, starting with this chocolate cake! Thank you for what you do!
Christie says
Can I substitute grape seed oil for coconut oil and would the measurement be the same?
Ange says
Hi Elana,
I would like to make this for my sons birthday (Pirate ship cake)
would it be a good consistency for carving?
Also is the frosting a pipeable consistency?
Thanks for your time and recipes!
Jeanette St.Germaine says
Have just recently gone from gluten-free to paleo and discovered Elana’s wonderful blog! Just wanted to express my thanks for the incredible recipes, which I found just in time to celebrate several birthdays at our house.
If you make this cake with unrefined coconut oil, it turns out tasting like a mounds candy bar – delicious!! (but be careful not to eat too much, coconut oil can have a laxative effect…)
stacey says
This is a family favorite!!! They love this more than a traditional chocolate cake homemade or boxed….It is super moist and delicious!!
Kaitlin says
Hi Elana. I am hoping to use this recipe to make some tiny bundt cakes for a friend’s bridal shower. I plan to experiment in advance to avoid any snafus for the event, but I had some questions. Have you tried to make this as cupcakes or smaller cakes? I am wondering if it would hold up. Also, I will need to grease this pan as well as dust with flour. Do you recommend using Pam, Butter or Crisco? I am fairly new to coconut flour but I know it absorbs moisture like a sponge, which I bet would go for grease too and I need to minimize sticking; ideally they will just fall out of the pan. Finally, I was wondering about the cacao powder you use. I know that there are different varieties from dutch to natural to aristocrat to raw. Which have you found works best? I also understand that some have varied cocoa butter (fat) content which could affect the recipe performance. Thanks for your help!
Kaitlin
Ana says
If I wanted To make this for only 2 people. How would I do that? It’s my second time baking kinda scared I’ll mess it up.
Rebecca says
Question- do you think this cake would still be good without the cocoa powder? As a yellow cake, for instance? I would still do the chocolate icing. My dad wants a yellow cake with choc icing for his birthday tomorrow, and I really want to make this cake. I made the original (chocolate on chocolate) a couple days ago, and it is SOOOO good!!! Would never guess it was paleo! Thank you for the recipe. Just curious if you think it would work as a yellow cake.
Candice says
Thank you so much for your recipes. I have been struggling to make “normal” food for my children and husband while making it healthy, nutritious, and without grains, sugar, etc. I have had some monumental failures with my attempts with nut flours and coconut flour; however, I am so happy to say that the cake I have just made for my daughters party is a sucess with many thanks to you.
Rhea says
I was so happy when my boyfriend said he would prefer a gluten free and healthier chocolate cake vs the usual 7 pound cosco chocolate cake that we always get for birthdays. When I read the ingredients for your gluten free chocolate cake, I almost wanted to change the amount of eggs- it sounded so strange with 10 eggs, but I made it and OMG! It was so great!
Christina Richmond says
Hi Elana,
I love your recipes! I have taken to making the chocolate cake with vegan icing for friends’ birthdays and am now getting requests for cakes from friends of friends. I feel I must charge them something. This falls into “commercial use” of your recipe. I am very happy to give credit where credit is due, but I would like your permission first. Do you do any commercial baking yourself? Might I do some and give credit to your recipe and pay you a percentage if this actually becomes something regular? It’s more likely to be a one-off situation for friends of friends but I want to check this out with you to stay in integrity. I live in Louisville and am a practicing homeopath (main profession) but love to help friends with their gluten-free and dairy-free needs. And I love to bake!
thanks! ~ Christina
Cebon says
This cake… There are not enough good things i can say about it! Its moist, light, and DELICIOUS!!! I love it!!! Absolutely amazing, and far exceeded my expectations, although I have yet to try a recipe of Elana’s which I wasn’t impressed by! Anyway, I’ve choicen to raise my son with healthy eating habits since he began solids six months ago, and wanted to celebrate his first year the same way. BUT, I wanted him to have a typical “messy cake-face” experience, only without him bouncing off the walls afterward. I chose Elana’s recipe after playing with several others (while eyeing this one for months. Why I didn’t go with my gut is beyond me.) I wasted many expensive ingredients on dry, tasteless cake experiments! This one, however… Better than any “regular” cake I’ve ever made. Hands down. I made it with Elana’s coconut frosting, and family friends were asking for the recipe even after discovering it was GF… Of course I sent them here!!!! Thank you, Elana! You helped make my son’s first birthday very special for us! :)
Sandra Schryburt says
Hi,
I don’t have time to read through all the posts so forgive me if it is already mentioned. Can this cake be made without chocolate? If so, would I have to replace the cacao with something else?
Thank you!
Sandra
grace says
this cake looks amazing! i’m trying to find something to make for my (very allergic) son’s birthday and we’ve gone paleo. he’s very allergic to eggs and most of the “egg free” recipes i’ve found only uses wheat flour. do you think it is at all possible to attempt a cupcake version of this with flaxmeal and water instead of eggs? most recipes i’ve found that uses coconut flour recommends A TON of eggs. is it impossible to try with coconut flour egg-free? (i know it says that you don’t answer substitution questions, but i’m kinda of desperate. :o) please help! i have to bring treats to his preschool on thurs!
Ben says
Hi, does the chocolate frosting work with any other oil?
I used olive because it was all I had and the mixture failed to whip. I spent quite a while using a hand blender and it just didn’t respond.
Thanks.
belladune says
I made the cake exactly as stated and am absolutely impressed! It’s cake!! With everything else gluten free I’ve eaten/baked in the past 4 months, I was prepared for something just okay. I am happy to say it’s just as delicious as my Great Grandmas gluten and sugar filled cake recipe I’ve been making for years! (only this is way healthier :D!!) Thank you so much!
** I made a simple ganache as a frosting instead of the vegan, as I was running out of grapeseed oil. I’m sure this cake would be delicious with anything on top, or just as it is :D
Alisha says
Do you think it would be possible to use butter instead of oil? How much do you think it would change the outcome (or at all)? I love coconut flour and I’m looking for a cake recipe for my husband’s birthday. Thanks!
Alicia says
I am having trouble with the frosting. It’s perfect once hand blended, but then melts as I spread it on. Is there any way to prevent this? Does it need to be refrigerated right after frosting?
Thanks!
Kristine says
Hi, I made this awsome chocolate cake tonight, so good. Thankyou
And i made the creamy coconut frosting, but something happened, as it was like melted mozz cheese, and wouldn’t get creamy after freezing. I did use coconut milk from a carton, was that the culprit???? HELP
Thanks
Melody says
Oh I also want to use coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil would that work? Would ratio be different?
Melody says
I’m looking for a gluten free, sugar free recipe to make cupcakes for my sons 1st birthday party. This looks great! Would this work to make cupcakes? And would the baking time be the same?
alicia says
Just wondering if you think coconut oil could be used in your cake and frosting recipes rather than grapeseed oil?? coconut oil has so many health benefits, and the flavour is likely to compliment if anything…?
Lily Tinkle says
Elana, my twins (6yo) and I baked your gluten free chocolate cake today… as your recipe serendipitously popped up when I was searching for coconut, orange, and chocolate recipes. It’s an amazing cake. SOooo moist, easy to make, and happily soy free and high in protein, which are two major thumbs up for me. I substituted 2 c. sugar for the agave as I have some concerns about fructose, and used half coconut oil and half grass fed butter for the fat. Next time, I might reduce the coconut oil by a 1/4 c (or more?) and substitute applesauce because it was exuding a bit of oil. I also put it in a bundt pan and baked for 55 minutes, and there was no trouble – baked through, perfectly level, and popped out of the pan easily.
Perusing the rest of your blog happily occupied my day. Really really really adore the community that you foster with your friendly and yummy food creations and advice that you share so generously. Thank you for sharing with all of us. Can’t wait to make just about all of your recipes, lol.
-Lily
Natalia says
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.
I was searching for a recipe that used coconut flour, which I just bought. I do better when I avoid wheat, and we just recently found out that my nephew can’t eat dairy.
The frosting recipe would be fantastic for his birthday cake!!!
Do you think it may work using coconut oil instead of the grape-seed oil? I guess I better try it out eh?
I am hoping for a frosting that will set a little, like ganache would. Can’t use ganache because of the dairy content.
Anyway, I will checkout the rest of your blog, your recipes are sounding fabulous!!!!
Mariessa says
Made this for my daughter’s first birthday. It was awesome! She has a dairy and tree nut allergy, but coconut does not bother her tummy. Also, we are a grain-free family, so we use coconut flour all the time. I used honey instead of agave to make it paleo friendly. My extremely skeptical, non-paleo in-laws loved every bite, and commented on the moistness. My daughter was in chocolate heaven!! Thanks!
Sharon says
Cake made and in the oven, icing in the freezer! It looks awesome! A special treat for my daughter’s 7th birthday party…I call this the Million Dollar Chocolate Cake – it comes with a hefty price tag! :) LOL
Amy says
Just made this yesterday for my daughter’s 12th birthday, wondering how such a liquidly mixture was going to hold up, but it was perfect. So moist and spongey! Slathered with chocolate frosting it was a great hit. And it holds up beautifully in the fridge for late night visits. Thanks for such a great cake recipe.
Timothy Anders says
Elana,
Have you ever had a nutritionists check out the nutritional facts of your products? We are curious. We know that our customers are going to ask, and was just wondering.
elana says
I don’t have the nutritional info for my recipes. However, there is information about this on my FAQ page.
Timothy Anders says
Elana,
I personally want to thank you for making these awesome recipes. We have just recently opened a bakery in Springfield VT called Springfield Almond Bakery. Some people area little weary of this because it is new. All gluten free and sugar free products. But once they eat it, their eyes open up and they buy form me. These are AMAZING recipes and I thank you so much. I am about to make this cake now. Cannot wait to try it. I have more people asking me how I make these products. This bakery is THE ONLY bakery in town. :)
Your new cooking friend,
Tim Anders
I am on Facebook along with Springfield Almond Bakery.
Diniz says
Hi Elana,
I’m from England and I love your site! Could you please post a Pecan and Maple Danish recipe or can that be found in your recipe book?
Thank you!
Diniz
Carla says
I made this in the crockpot and it came out perfectly! I put it in a silicone bundt pan, took the liner out of the crockpot, put it in for a few hours with the lid on (I put a layer of parchment paper between the cake and cover) and it was perfect. It popped right out and everyone in the house thought it was regular cake (as in flour and sugar cake), lol! Wonderful recipe!
Melissa says
This.cake.is.amazing.
Seriously, I just ate some pieces that got stuck to my metal pan (still came out pretty whole, just didn’t oil the pan quite enough!); I could have sworn I was eating cake made with wheat flour!
The frosting came out amazing too; I added about 2 tbsp of whipping cream after it had frozen, and the texture is to die for!!! I just wish that I had used real 70% dark chocolate; never use the “dark” chocolate baking wafers that are found at bulk stores, as they are very sweet (definitely not 70%) and don’t taste that awesome.
A bajillion stars for this cake recipe, Elana!
Melissa
Melissa says
Okay, so I just scarfed down my first piece of this cake; it was soooooo good! I enjoyed it more than any cake I’ve ever had (including cakes made with flour). Even with the low quality chocolate I put in the frosting, it tasted fabulous! I followed the recipe to a tee.
A few tips for anyone making this:
– If you’re using a metal pan, make sure to oil it really well.
– If you’re using a silicone pan, it takes an extra 10 minutes to cook (I used 1 metal, 1 silicone).
– Wait until the cake is completely cool before frosting it; I didn’t, and the frosting was melting into the cake! Luckily, refridgerating the cake for an hour before continuing frosting the cake made it all better :).
– For between the two layers, I put about 1/4 of the frosting in a seperate bowl, added 3-4 tbsp of unsweetened flaked medium coconut, and added about 12 chopped maraschino cherries (and a spoonful of the juice). I spread this mixture over the bottom cake layer before putting on the top layer. It tasted amazing!
– Did I mention this is the best cake I’ve ever had?
Contemplating “sampling” a second piece…
<3 Melissa
Gabrielle says
This frosting is absolutely delish! I’m not a frosting lover typically and this one was a home run for ALL in my family. Will definitely make again and have already shared it with a number of others! Mmmmm. Thank you!
Eric Sanders says
Hi Elana,
I hope you had a great Holiday Season!
Sadly, the holidays did a number on me. I have been suffering from sugar overload, and even a major slip-back into gluten foods.
Upshot: I am starting a Paleo Challenge on Jan 15, so I will be sugar, grain, legume, and dairy free very soon.
My birthday is Jan 23. In accordance with my Paleo requirements this recipe looks 99% perfect. The downside is the dark chocolate in the frosting (sugar). Do you have any ideas on how to create a frosting with cocoa powder?
Thanks!!
Eric
Claire says
When I made this cake, I followed the directions exactly (just added a bit more of zest!), and was thrilled when it first came out of the oven. The middle had risen more than the sides, but otherwise it looked great. About 30 minutes of letting the cake sit outside in the cool, I took it out of the pan. A big surprise awaited me… the middle was still gooey! It tasted fine, so I just left it, stacked the two layers, let it cool some more, and then frosted it. I expect now (I haven’t eaten it yet!), the middle will be sort of like a fudge filling, which I dont mind, but I was just wondering what could have gone wrong? I didn’t want to bake it any longer after puling it out, because the sides looked just a little dark, and I was starting to smell burn.
But other than that, the cake turned out beautifully and I know the whole family will love it! :) Thank you for another great recipe!
christiane says
I mean a clean PAPER grocery bag.
christiane says
I am very excited to try this cake! I am allergic to wheat, cane sugar and dairy and have been missing cake dearly.
I have suggestion for those whose cakes are sticking. Trace your cake pan to get the right sized circle on a piece of parchment paper and place it on the bottom of the pan after oiling and flouring the pan. It works well on traditional cakes. You can also use a clean grocery bag for this if you have no parchment paper.
Bethany says
Thank you so much for the tip on parch paper!! I love this cake and bake it for most of our birthdays (we have 5 kids), and I always have sticking issues. I’m so excited to use the paper!!!
Jen Crippen says
This recipe is fantastic! I made it yesterday and it is moist and the flavor is delicious. I served it to people who eat wheat and they said they would never have known it was gluten free unless I told them. They loved it!
I used turbinado sugar instead of agave in the batter at same ratios and it came out great. In the frosting I used raw honey instead of agave and it was out of sight!
Cat says
Hi Elana! I was wondering if you had ever tried to make a cheese danish from almond flour (the kind you have when you are little and Starbucks sometimes sells them) with the cream cheese on top? I have been searching endlessly for a recipe, can you please help!?
elana says
Sheryl, oh my goodness! That sounds amazing.
Sheryl says
I made this cake last night for my youngest daughter’s birthday. It was delicious! Everyone devoured it. I have to admit, I cheated and made icing with Amish butter, organic powdered sugar, cocoa and raw milk :) Made my cane sugar free stomach hurt, but the kids and hubby were loving it!
Deana Gunn says
Elana,
Thanks so much for the heads up on this recipe. I have to admit that I have never heard of or used coconut flour! Can’t wait to find some (!?) and try this out.
Deana
elana says
Hi Deana, just click on the word “coconut flour” in the recipe and you will be taken straight to the source (for purchase). Hope this helps :-)
elana says
Hannah -This combination sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing it with all of us :-) Happy Birthday in advance to the hub.
Hannah says
Elana-
I made this for my daughters 2nd birthday and it was/is amazing!!! I wish I could figure out to send you a picture…
So, I followed the cake recipe, used the vegan chocolate frosting on top, though I poured it on top while it was still semi-liquid to get a nice, smooth surface with which to decorate. Then I used your Cream Cheese Frosting recipe and put that in the middle, between the layers and decorated the cake with that as well. I made my own food coloring out of beet juice and blackberry juice and added that to the cream cheese frosting to decorate the cake (that is my daughters favorite part!)
We have no dietary sensitivites, but that didn’t stop me from making this cake- so delicious! My husband is very picky about his cakes, and he requested this one for his birthday, which is in a few weeks.
I still had issues with the cakes sticking to pans, despite generous oil and flour (and non stick pans), and letting them sit overnight, but I can’t bake anything without it sticking… I am baking-challenged in that regard.
This recipe was wonderful- I will be recommending it a lot! Thanks for this amazing recipe, Elana!
elana says
Hi Abby,
Be sure to generously oil the pans (I use grapeseed oil) and dust them thoroughly with coconut flour. I would also recommend purchasing an oven thermometer
to make sure your oven is working properly. We just made 6 of these the other night in a cooking class I taught and they came out fabulously. Also make sure you allow the cake to cool completely before you remove it from the pan –which can take up to a couple of hours.
Hope this helps and please let me know how it goes if you try it again :-)
Elana
Abby says
Hi Elana,
I had a little trouble with the cake and was wondering if you had any suggestions. It toke much longer then 40 minutes for it to be completely done. It was till liquidy in the center at 40 min.? And then I had trouble getting it out of the pan so I had to scrape it out and then it was all broken. What do you use to oil your cake pans? It tasted fabulous though I just want it to look as pretty as yours. :)
Thanks,
Abby
Robin Freeman says
Elana- I have to admit, I was a little skeptical never having used coconut flour before… the chocolate cake & frosting was AMAZING!!! I substituted half coconut oil for grapeseed oil so the frosting was stiffer than perhaps with just oil, it was fantastic. Our family has some pretty hard to beat chocolate cake recipes but my teenage daughter said this one was the ‘best ever!’. Thanks!!!
Abigail says
Yum!! I only put in a half cup of agave nectar and replaced the rest with grapeseed oil since I really have to limit my sugars. I made cupcakes and a small bread pan of the cake. I also made a chocolate pudding to serve over it. Thank you for the recipe!!
mel says
hi has anyone a resipie for coconut flour pasta???
im on liter life and your allowed no carbs but on maintance its low carbs all the way
elana says
Sarah,
Your cake/filling/frosting combo sounds AMAZING!
Thanks for stopping by and for letting us know about your adjustments to the chocolate frosting.
Elana
Sarah says
I just made this frosting…it is sooo yummy! I’m going to put it on a banana cake and I’m going to use the coconut frosting for the filling. I can’t wait to eat it all together!!
I did add about 2tbs coconut milk to the chocolate frosting while I was blending it. It made it a bit thicker and added a creaminess I was missing.
Thanks for the great recipes!
elana says
Eileen,
Please see my faq’s for more info on substitutions.
Thanks,
Elana
Eileen says
This looks very good. I am wondering how the cake would taste with coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil and if it would work the same. I’ve never used grapeseed oil before and I have plenty of virgin coconut oil. Would the coconut be overpowering? Perhaps a combination of the two? Also about substituting coconut oil in the frosting. Thanks.
nancy says
Kathleen in MT, I did some research for you and it looks like you can make pasta out of Almond Flour. I found a site that had a recipe, but it used sugar. Although, you may be able to use other natural sweeteners. Good Luck.
elana says
Lorraine-
So glad you stumbled on us over here! Thanks for reporting back on the recipes you’ve made and for letting us know your additions to the bread –sounds delicious.
Elana
lorraine rafuse says
Hi Elana,
Sure glad i stumble apon your website
have tried the choc chip cookies and the easy bread.
i did add cranberries and raison to the bread
was very good
Thanks Lorraine
elana says
Kathleen -That is indeed a challenge. I have not ventured into the pasta making realm as of yet, nor do I plan to in the near future. Maybe if you posted this question in the forum, someone else might give you a better answer.
Elana
Kathleen in MT says
OK here is a challenge. I am trying to eat a grain free diet and don’t tolerate bean flours well. So do you think that coconut flour could make egg noodles??? I so love and miss pasta and I am sorry but zucchini ribbons just don’t fill the gap. I follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
Sara says
It has been some time since this post and I am wanting to make egg noodles with coconut flour (also following a grain-free diet). Any luck with this? Any recipes to pass along?
elana says
Ana -Thanks so much for your kind words and feedback; they are much appreciated. Cake is such a good thing!
Elana
Ana says
Thank you, At 41 I just discovered I have wheat allergies and I love cake and baking. I thought there was no hope to enjoy cake again. I feel I now can look foward to eating cake again.
elana says
~M,
Thanks for the update, things sound busy, though if anyone can handle it, you surely can.
Thanks also for the report on your conversion of this cake into cupcakes. I’m so glad you liked it!
Elana
~M says
Hi Elana!
I hope your summer is going well. Things are very busy over here – I’m in the throes of bar study crunch time, wedding planning (my mom is a huge help with this though), arranging for movers, and finding a new home in Chicago. This holiday weekend, however, was a breakthrough – we found a unit and are about to sign a lease! While my fiancé thinks the best part is the in-unit washer/dryer (he does the laundry), I am convinced the best part is the electric range stove (no more obnoxious coils)! :) I figured we deserved to celebrate with chocolate!
Anyways, I wanted to convert this recipe into cupcakes since a layer cake is just too much cake to have around for two people. I made 2/3s of the recipe (except we added extra orange zest) and made the normal amount of frosting, which made for 12 large and heavily frosted cupcakes. I baked for about 30 minutes, I think. Yummy success – this translates very well into cupcakes! I really adore the combo of coconut flour and cocoa powder; the cocoa powder really helps with the structure/crumb and flavor. Thanks again for such an amazing sugar-free recipe!
elana says
Hi ~M,
Hope your seder was lovely. We had a wonderful time. Per the baking time, I’m not sure if honey works the same way, so that might have altered it somewhat. I will make a note for the next time I bake the chocolate cake to check the amount of frosting the recipe calls for –thanks for letting me know about that. I will also check on the cakes sticking to the pans, I don’t recall that happening here, though will make a note. I am so glad that the cake was a hit and enjoyed by all. Yes, a piece of this for breakfast with a cup of tea –YUM.
~M says
Hi Elana,
I hope that your seder went well. It’s so generous of you to offer to help at your son’s school, especially during this hectic time of year.
I didn’t get around to baking this until Saturday morning, since I’ve been so busy. Like I said, I prepared this cake with Bob’s Red Mill brand coconut flour, and used 1 cup agave and 1/2 cup honey (ran out), but otherwise followed your directions to a T. I used 9″ springform pans. I needed to bake the cake for 10 minutes longer than normal and it seems somewhat spongy. Next time, though, I’d only bake 5 minutes longer than called for. During baking the middle rose more than the sides, but it fell to be the same height after cooling down. I needed to keep the frosting in the freezer longer, and I would also make 1.5x the amount of frosting since I didn’t have enough to frost the sides (or maybe use raspberry jelly between the layers instead and just frost the top and sides). Last, I would try to find two matching silicone cake pans, since the cake stuck a bit to the greased and floured springform pan sides.
Both the cake and the frosting were a huge hit. Everyone was so impressed that I made my first layer cake on Pesach! Thanks so much for answering all of my questions and for posting such a delicious recipe. Mmm, leftovers sound good … you know, if you can’t eat bread, you might as well have cake. And chocolate for breakfast = yummy!
elana says
~M -74 matzo balls and 100 servings of charoset later, I reply to your comment. My apologies and I don’t know if you will get this since it’s Shabbos. I having been cooking non-stop for the past two days in preparation of my son’s school seder –100 people will attend.
In terms of the cake, I let it cool for a couple hours (sometimes even overnight) before I frost it. If I were to make it a couple of days in advance, I would frost it (after letting it cool) and then place it in the fridge before serving. Normally, though, if I’m making this for Shabbos, I bake it Thursday night, frost Friday am or afternoon and serve Friday night (with no fridge storage), then I do place the leftovers (if any) in the fridge after Friday night dinner. I hope this helps and have a lovely seder!
~M says
The coconut flour arrived just in time! Whew! Do you think it would work to prepare this cake in advance, say Thursday evening for Saturday, or would it get too dry? It would really help my cleaning efforts to smell something chocolaty baking in the oven while I clean tonight! If so, how would you wrap it and store it (in fridge or room air)? Would you frost it in advance? As always, thanks Elana and take care!
elana says
Sarah –Happy Birthday! Glad you liked the cake.
Smudge –Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words. I am glad to be of help. I don’t have good conversions for wheat to almond flour. My FAQ page goes into it a bit more. I plan on posting some good cashew milk ice cream recipes this summer –stay tuned…
~M –Always nice to see your ~. The cake is not all that crumbly. It is cakey –not crumbly and not so fudgy, it is somewhat light. Very moist, to me at least, I do NOT like dry cakes at all. If you make it, let me know your opinions as compared to mine, thanks.
~M says
Hi Elana!
My brother is sending me some (Bob’s Red Mill) coconut flour! Three quick questions before I jump in and make this:
– how crumbly is the cake?
– is there a crumb to this cake or is it more fudgy?
– how moist is this cake? I hate dry cakes.
It’s so good to see a pareve cake that doesn’t rely on margarine. Thanks for sharing!
smudge says
I’m dairy-free (definitely highly sensitive, possibly allergic) and interested in gluten-free, and I’m finding myself on many specialty diet websites like yours which are amazing & inspiring. But, I’m still new at this. I am a HUGE fan of almonds (almond milk is to die for- I want to see if I can create almond milk ice cream). My question to you is can you use Almond flour cup for cup of wheat flour? I am trying to find ways to alter my current cookbook recipes as I learn new recipes. If you have any other tips for adjusting recipes to dairy-free or gluten-free without always defaulting to soy, I’m happy to take the advice!
Thanks for your time. I have much to learn from you.
-SMudGe
Sarah says
Wow! My husband made this for my birthday and it was amazing!!!! Thanks!
Elana says
Beth- Yes, the coconut flour recipes are both high in protein and fiber!
Beth says
Hi Elana,
I just took a look at the blueberry muffins recipe. I’ve made some muffins with coconut flour too. It’s pretty amazing the ratio of flour to eggs used with coconut flour isn’t it? These recipes probably have a lot of protein.
Beth
Elana says
Hi Beth,
You are so welcome. Did you see the coconut flour recipe for blueberry muffins as well?
Elana
Beth says
The cake looks yummy! I bought some coconut flour because it’s high in fiber but not many recipes call for it. I will have to add this to my list to try. Thanks for sharing!
Elana says
Hi Margot,
Thanks for stopping by, I am so happy you did because now I have found your site CoffeeandVanilla.com!
Elana
Coffee and Vanilla says
Very interesting, I have never heard of coconut flour before… I must try it some day… great blog!
Margot