This keto coconut cake is incredibly moist and coconutty, with just the right amount of shredded coconut in each delicious bite.
It's easy to make, too - I simply drop the ingredients into the food processor and quickly mix them. This quick cake only needs about 30 minutes in the oven.
I love coconut and use it in many recipes, including coconut haystacks, coconut clusters, and coconut macaroons.
I especially adore this coconut cake. It's moist, fluffy, and coconutty, and it's so easy to make! It's just perfect with a cup of coffee, and I'll go ahead and admit it - I sometimes have it for breakfast, especially on weekends.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this cake. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Butter: I use unsalted butter to grease the pan.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in almost all of my recipes, this one included.
- Canned coconut milk: Make sure you use full-fat coconut milk.
- Sweetener: I use stevia. You can use a granulated sweetener instead.
- Coconut extract: It's important here. It adds a lot of flavor to the cake.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut: Make sure you don't use reduced-fat coconut. It's too dry.
- Coconut flour: Try to measure it by weight and not by volume. It's extremely absorbent, so each gram makes a difference.
- Baking powder: Make sure it's fresh. And if you need it to be gluten-free, please verify that it is.
Variations
- You can use vanilla extract instead of coconut extract. However, if you like coconut, I do recommend that you use coconut extract.
- After mixing the batter in the food processor, add ¼ cup of dark chocolate chips and stir them into the batter by hand.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this cake:
Simply place all the ingredients (except the butter) in your food processor's bowl and process them until combined.
Transfer the thick batter to a buttered 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the top out.
Bake the cake until it's wonderfully fragrant, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes in a 325°F oven.
Cool the cake for 15 minutes, then slice it into eight slices and serve.
Expert Tips
- Since coconut flour is extremely absorbent and can easily dry out baked goods, I highly recommend that you measure it by weight and not by volume. Look at the photo below - the cake's crumb is wonderfully moist and tender. You don't want to mess it up by adding too much coconut flour.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut is drier than sweetened, but if you have a choice, please pick a brand that looks as moist as possible. And definitely avoid reduced-fat shredded coconut - it's way too dry.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately, you can't. Coconut flour behaves differently than any other flour. It requires more eggs and liquid. This recipe was written specifically for coconut flour, so it won't work with any other flour.
It's true that I don't frost this cake. I think it's unnecessary, as it's so very good just as it is. Plus, adding frosting would force me to reclassify it from "breakfast" to "dessert." 😀
Of course, you could add frosting if you wish. Simply mix together 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of powdered sweetener (or the stevia equivalent), and 1 teaspoon of coconut extract. You can mix it by hand with a hand whisk, but be thorough and whisk until very fluffy.
Yes, you can. Its texture will be a bit coarser, but it should still be very good.
Yes. The amount of stevia I use in this recipe equals ½ cup of sugar, so you can use any granulated sweetener to equal ½ cup of sugar (¾ cup if you like your baked goods sweet).
You can simply add the sweetener to the food processor with the remaining ingredients. If the batter seems too thick (though it should be quite thick), add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
Serving Suggestions
This cake is wonderful all by itself. It's lovely with any beverage, including coffee, iced coffee, iced tea, and mint tea.
As discussed above, you can frost it if you wish. You can also dust it with a powdered sweetener to make it look prettier.
Storing Leftovers
Once completely cool, you can keep the leftover slices in the fridge, in resealable bags, for up to 5 days.
I briefly warm them up in the microwave prior to enjoying, 5-10 seconds per slice. You can also freeze individual slices in freezer bags.
More Coconut Recipes
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Recipe Card
Keto Coconut Cake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter - soft, for the pan
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup canned coconut milk - unsweetened, full fat; mix it well before using
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite - equals ½ cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure coconut extract
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut - packed, not reduced-fat; 60 grams
- ½ cup coconut flour - 56 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder - fresh; gluten-free if needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate with butter.
- Add the eggs, coconut milk, stevia, coconut extract, shredded coconut, coconut flour, and baking powder to your food processor bowl. Process until smooth, for 30-60 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the top out.
- Bake the cake until it smells amazing (it will smell like toasted coconut), and a toothpick inserted in its center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then slice it into eight slices and serve.
Video
Notes
- Since coconut flour is extremely absorbent and can easily dry out baked goods, I highly recommend that you measure it by weight and not by volume.
- The same is true for the coconut. Shredded coconut brands greatly differ in their fluffiness and nutritional info, so it's best to go by weight, not by volume.Â
- Please don’t use reduced-fat shredded coconut in this recipe. It’s too dry.
- You can dust the cake with a powdered sweetener if you wish.
- The amount of stevia I use in this recipe equals ½ cup of sugar, so you can use any granulated sweetener to equal ½ cup of sugar (¾ cup if you like your baked goods sweet). If the batter seems too thick (though it should be quite thick), add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
- Once completely cool, you can keep the leftover slices in the fridge, in resealable bags, for up to 5 days. I briefly warm them up in the microwave prior to enjoying, 5-10 seconds per slice. You can also freeze individual slices in freezer bags.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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