If you’re looking for a quick and easy nut-free paleo birthday cake recipe, look no further. This Gluten Free Birthday Cake was devoured by the boys and their friends, and I thought it was amazing, too. Who can resist chocolate cake smothered in rich, creamy chocolate frosting? I can’t!
Both of my boys are well into high school now, so I am absolutely cherishing each and every birthday we celebrate before they are off to college! Between the two of them, I can count the number of high school birthday celebrations that remain on one hand. Goodness, how time flies.
Even though the boys are super independent now, and I have more time on my hands, I still have a commitment to creating simple recipes with as little fuss as possible. This homemade birthday cake recipe has only 7 ingredients, and the batter is thrown together in a food processor in a couple of minutes. This cake recipe is easier to make than one from a mix.
Gluten Free Birthday Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
- Pulse together dry ingredients in a food processor
- Pulse in wet ingredients
- Grease two 6 inch springform pans with coconut oil
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans
- Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes
- Cool and frost with a double batch of Chocolate Frosting
- Serve
This Gluten Free Birthday Cake recipe is based on my Paleo Chocolate Cupcake recipe. The batter I created above will fill two 6-inch cake pans, which are significantly smaller than traditional 9-inch cake pans. I like to use a smaller sized cake pan as it results in a cake that is elegantly tall. The height of this cake really seems to impress the boys and their friends. On that note, this recipe won’t work for standard 9-inch cake pans as you will end up with a pancake, rather than a birthday cake.
I experimented with this Gluten Free Birthday Cake recipe and made it with butter which worked incredibly well. The texture was unbelievably moist and the flavor very sweet. If you want to use butter it is a 1:1 substitute for the coconut oil in this recipe.
This gluten-free, dairy-free birthday cake yields around 10 servings and is absolutely amazing with my dairy-free Paleo Chocolate Frosting. During one test batch of the cake, I changed up the frosting and created an easy chocolate buttercream recipe, which I’d be happy to post. Leave a comment and let me know if you’d like to see it here on the blog! Update: the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe is now live!
If you’re in the mood for easy, gluten-free desserts, take a peak at my second book Gluten-Free Cupcakes. It has everything from Red Velvet Cupcakes to Triple Chocolate Cupcakes, and oh so much more.
Here are some of my other nut-free paleo dessert recipes for you!
Beth says
Can you recommend a substitute for coconut flour? I can’t eat coconut anything. Otherwise the recipe would be perfect. :-)
Also, would a mixer work just as well instead of a food process? From reading the recipe it sounds fine but there might be a reason I’m not considering that requires a food processor.
Thank you!
Elana says
Hi Beth, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do please let us know how it goes :-)
Natalie says
Hi,
I don’t have a food processor, can I use a blender or stand mixer for
This recipie?
Thank you
Elana says
Natalie, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do please let us know how it goes :-)
Adila says
Hi Elena,
Is it possible to use almond flour for this recipe? Can odourless coconut oil be used?
Thanks
Elana says
Adila, unfortunately that won’t work. For more info please see this post:
https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-baking-almond-flour-vs-coconut-flour/
Enjoy!
Elana
Melanie says
I am making a birthday cake for a friend who has a very restricted diet. I told her I was up for the challenge, now I’m not so sure….
On top of being gluten-free, refined sugar-free she is also VEGAN. Is there **ANYTHING** that you think can replace the eggs in this recipe?! It’s so close to perfect for what she wants…
Elana says
Melanie, I haven’t tried that so not sure. Here’s a link to my Egg-Free Recipes page for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/egg-free/
Happy Birthday to your friend!
Elana
Rebecca says
If your friend is a vegan, honey is also a no-no. It’s an animal byproduct, therefore not vegan..
Natalia says
Dear Elana! Thank you so much for this recipe! I made this cake last night.. Oh.My.Gosh, it’s so good! I did not use to like coconut flour, but thanks to you now I will be using it a lot. Thanks again!
Elana says
Natalia, so glad to hear you are enjoying baking with coconut flour and that this recipe was so good!
Katrina Morton says
HI ya, wanting to try making this recipe but if I double the mixture realistically how many eggs would you use given there are a lot in this initial recipe?
Elana says
Hi Katrina, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment please let us know how it goes :-)
Renuka says
How many eggs did you eventually use in the doubled recipe?
Barbara-Anne says
Has anyone added Honey or molasses to the icing for a bit of sweetness?
Elana says
Barbara-Anne, if you use the chocolate recommended in the frosting recipe it will be fairly sweet :-)
Anna says
I asked my gluten-free, paleo-ish younger daughter what kind of cake she wanted for her upcoming 3rd birthday and she promptly replied, “tsocolate!” I’m excited to have found this recipe because I know your recipes are pretty foolproof and reliably delicious, and because I know coconut flour and eggs make for a kid-friendly birthday cake! Thank you!
Elana says
Anna, you’re welcome and happy birthday to your daughter :-)
Barbara-Anne Kelly says
Is the cake more like a souffle? I am going to make it for my daughters birthday and haven’t done any Paleo recipes before. Do I need non-stick pans?
Elana says
Barbara, as you can see in the photo above this cake is just like a regular birthday cake. No need for non-stick pans, just grease regular pans as instructed in the recipe. Enjoy!
Natasha Williams says
Can you sub maple syrup for honey?
Elana says
Natasha, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment please let us know how it goes!
Teresa says
I wanted to know if you could swap the honey as well since I want to make for my daughters first birthday and honey is not recommended for young children….
Thanks and if not let me know if there is another recipe that is more appropriate!
Elana says
Teresa, thanks for you comment! Here’s a cake recipe that does not use honey for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-vanilla-birthday-cake/
Happy birthday to your daughter!
Elana