A Really Good Birthday Cake Recipe
I have a love affair with cake — I really do. It’s my weakness. I love birthday’s because it is an excuse to bake a cake. This birthday was a little different for me because I found out I am sensitive to dairy and per my naturopath’s orders, am not allowed to have any dairy.
Ugh!
However I was not going to let my dairy sensitivity get in the way of me eating my cake! Thank goodness for coconut milk because it is an easy, delicious substitution to dairy.
I found this recipe searching the web and had to real foodify it. The original recipe had canola oil and all purpose flour. The original recipe also called for a lemon glaze, which I tried, but I think for a birthday cake, a whipped coconut frosting would taste even better. OR, if you aren’t feeling the extra step of making a frosting, it tastes amazing without anything at all!
From the photo, you can also tell I made it in a bunt pan. Don’t do that. I made the cake once before in a regular 9×13 baking dish and it turned out way better than it did in the bunt pan. Trust me. 🙂 Or, you could even fill two round cake pans and then put a coconut cream in the middle… yum!
The cake portion is very similar to a yellow cake. It’s soft, fluffy and moist. Mmmmm!
Enjoy!
- Zester if making lemon sauce (where to buy)
- cake pan (where to buy) or 9x13 glass dish (where to buy)
- 2 cups organic einkorn flour, sifted (where to buy)
- 1 cup organic sucanat (where to buy)
- 3 tsp aluminum free baking powder (where to buy)
- ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt (where to buy)
- 2 pastured eggs
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk in a BPA-free can (where to buy)
- ½ cup refined coconut oil, plus extra for greasing (where to buy)
- 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (where to buy)
- ½ cup sucanat or rapadura (where to buy)
- 4½ tsp arrowroot powder (where to buy)
- 1 tsp grated lemon peel
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 Tbl unrefined coconut oil or butter
- 1½ Tbl fresh lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 375°
- In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
- In a separate bowl beat eggs, coconut milk and coconut oil
- Stir dry ingredients into wet
- Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish with extra coconut oil
- Sprinkle shredded coconut on the bottom of pan
- Pour mixture into baking dish
- Bake for 22-24 minutes or until the center comes out clean on a toothpick
- Combine sugar, arrowroot powder and lemon peel in a small sauce pan
- Turn on medium heat and gradually add water until everything is well blended
- Bring to a bowl, stirring constantly, until mixture has achieved desired thickness
- Remove from heat, add coconut oil and lemon juice
- Mix well, and drizzle on top of coconut cake
What is the reason to NOT use the bundt pan? I was thinking of doing it as cupcakes~ would that be a no-no, too?
It looks good, and the glaze looks more like caramel than lemon (yum).
Hi Laila,
The reason is the shredded coconut does not get browned/toasted completely and the outsides get too brown for my liking. I made it once in a dish and it tasted much, much better. Also, when I made it in a regular dish, the shredded coconut is on the bottom and I liked it way better that way.
Both ways are good, trust me! I just prefer the non-bundt pan. Oh, and I had no problems with the cake coming out of the bundt pan. Actually, it came out so easy I almost dropped the cake! 🙂
I can only imagine that cupcakes would be great! You’ll have to let me know how it works out.
If you grease the bundt pan really well with coconut oil or Wilton’s cake release it should come out just fine. 🙂
I didn’t know they made a product for releasing cakes… yikes. Another reason to make my own cakes! I always grease w/ butter and cakes come out just fine. 🙂
Could I use a gluten free flour other than what’s listed? I don’t have that available to me.
Hi Mary,
You know, I’m not too sure. I’m not really familiar with gluten free flours. I guess you’d have to just experiment!
Mary, did you try this with GF flour? I am so curious because it looks SO delicious!
This looks so yummy! I want to try it. =) Our favorite cookies are made with einkorn too!
Einkorn flour is my favorite. It always makes such delicious tasting baked goods.
I love Einkorn flour as well! So yummy. 🙂
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