The Best Light and Fluffy Gluten-Free Coconut Cake
Coconut Cake is a Southern Classic dessert, developed by former enslaved black people in the 1800's who came to the US with tremendous knowledge of how to break down and cook with coconuts from their African culinary traditions. Coconut Cake is a delicious, well loved dessert that has a very important history that shouldn't be forgotten. Enjoy this gluten-free version at your next gathering!
PREP TIME
1 hour
COOK TIME
25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
17
Serves: 10
Ingredients
- 360 grams360 grams360 grams Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour - Primal Palate, 3 cups, spoon filled and leveled
- 1/2 tsp1/2 tsp1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt - Primal Palate, fine salt
- 3 1/2 tsp3 1/2 tsp3 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 1/4 cup1 1/4 cup1 1/4 cup Lite Coconut Milk - Thai Kitchen, I used coconut milk from a carton.
- 2 Tbsp2 Tbsp2 Tbsp Lemon Juice, the juice of one whole lemon
- 1/2 tsp1/2 tsp1/2 tsp Coconut Extract
- 300 grams300 grams300 grams Granulated White Sugar, 1 1/2 cups fine sugar
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup Sunflower Oil
- 4 whole4 whole4 whole Eggs, 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp2 tsp2 tsp Vanilla Extract - Primal Palate
- 12 oz12 oz12 oz Butter, Unsalted, 3 sticks softened to room temperature
- 8 oz8 oz8 oz Cream Cheese, Full Fat, 1 brick of cream cheese, do not use whipped cream cheese, brought to room temperature
- 1 tsp1 tsp1 tsp Coconut Extract
- 1 tsp1 tsp1 tsp Vanilla Extract - Primal Palate
- 454 grams454 grams454 grams Powdered Sugar, slightly less than 4 cups, sifted
- 85 grams85 grams85 grams Coconut, Shredded, 1 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
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Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results
- Preheat your oven to bake at 350 degrees F, and line 4, 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and lightly grease the cake pans with avocado oil or sunflower oil.
- Remove your butter and cream cheese from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. If your cream cheese is colder than the butter, your cream cheese frosting will separate when you add the powdered sugar. It's important that they are both room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the coconut milk, lemon juice, and coconut extract. This makes a non-dairy "buttermilk". I used Simply Organic coconut extract that has a very milk flavor. If you are using a stronger coconut extract, you may need to use less.
- In the bowl of a your stand mixer, beat together the sugar and sunflower oil on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Beat in the eggs one a time, and then beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the coconut milk mixture.
- Sift in the flour, salt and baking powder, and beat again, scraping down the bowl and beater as needed. Beat on medium speed until the batter is just combined.
- Divide the batter between the 4 cake pans.
- Arrange two cake pans on the middle oven rack in the center of the oven, and the remaining two cake pans on the rack just below that.
- Bake the cakes for 12 minutes, and then rotate the cakes on the middle rack to the bottom, and the cakes on the bottom rack to the middle so they cook as evenly as possible.
- Bake the cakes for a remaining 13 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, and allow them to fully cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese that have softened to room temperature.
- Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, adding in the coconut extract and vanilla extract.
- Scrape down the bowl, and the beater, and then add in 1/3 of the sifted powdered sugar, and beat the powdered sugar into the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed. Start beating the sugar on a lower speed so a cloud of sugar doesn't come out of the mixer.
- Scrape down the bowl as needed, and repeat the process with the remaining powdered sugar.
- Scrape down the bowl and beater once again when the sugar has been fully incorporated into the frosting, and beat the frosting on high speed for 3 minutes.
- Beat in the shredded coconut on medium speed.
- To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake stand, and smooth a layer of frosting over the cake with an offset spatula. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
- Frost the outside of the cake with the rest of the frosting, and sprinkle some extra shredded coconut on the top of the cake if desired.
- Keep the cake refrigerated, but slice and serve the cake at room temperature for best texture.
Notes
This recipe makes 4, 8-inch cake layers. You can divide the recipe in half to make a smaller cake if you would like. I used Trader Joes boxed coconut milk for this recipe, which is a very thin, light coconut milk. I recommend using light coconut milk for this recipe so that the texture of the cake comes out as intended. If using canned light coconut milk, shake the can very well so that you don't have any separation of coconut cream and water.
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My Notes:
About This Recipe
Show nutritional information
Baked Goods Cakes Gluten Free Nut Free Pescetarian Shellfish Free Sugar Alcohol Free Vegetarian| This is our estimate based on online research. | |
| Calories: | 790 |
| Fat: | 58 g |
| Carbohydrates: | 64 g |
| Protein: | 13 g |
| Cholesterol: | 69 g |
| Sodium: | 108 mg |
| Fiber: | 0 g |
| Sugars: | 47 g |
| Sugar Alcohol: | 0 g |
| Calculated per serving. | |
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