This keto coconut cake is incredibly moist and coconutty, with just the right amount of shredded coconut in each bite.
It's easy to make, too - I simply drop the ingredients into the food processor and quickly mix them. It only needs about 30 minutes in the oven.
I adore this cake! It's moist, fluffy, and coconutty. And so easy to make! It's just perfect with a cup of coffee ☕, and I'll go ahead and admit it - I sometimes like to have it for breakfast, especially on weekends.
When I started experimenting with gluten-free baking I fully expected to compromise on taste and texture. But I'm happy to report that this keto coconut cake is at least as good as traditional cakes.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty 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 in this recipe.
Sweetener: I use stevia. You can use a granulated sweetener instead if you wish.
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 every 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.
Instructions
Making this coconut cake is so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Your first step is to simply place all the ingredients (except for the butter) in your food processor and process them until combined.
Now, transfer the thick batter to a buttered 9-inch glass 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, around 30 minutes in a 325°F oven.
Cool the cake for 15 minutes, then slice it into eight slices and serve.
Expert tip
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.
Frequently asked questions
Unfortunately, you can't. Coconut flour behaves differently than any other flour. It requires more eggs and more 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." 😀
You could, of course, add frosting if you wish. Simply mix together 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of a 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.
Please don't. It's too dry and will not work at all in this recipe. In fact, the moister the shredded coconut you use, the better.
Yes, you can. Its texture will be a bit coarser, but it should still be very good.
I think so. The amount of stevia I use in this recipe equals ½ cup of sugar. Although I haven't actually tried it, I believe that 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 extremely thick (though it should be quite thick), try adding 1-2 tablespoons of water.
Variations
The only variation I make when baking this cake is that sometimes I use vanilla extract instead of coconut extract. However, if you like coconut, I do recommend that you use coconut extract.
Serving suggestions
This cake is wonderful all by itself. As discussed above, you can frost it if you wish. You can also dust it with a powdered sweetener to make it look prettier, as I do in the video below.
Storing leftovers
Once completely cool, you can keep the leftover slices in the fridge, in Ziploc bags, for up to 5 days.
I very briefly warm them up in the microwave prior to enjoying, 10 seconds per slice. You can also freeze individual slices in freezer bags.
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Recipe card
Keto Coconut Cake
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter 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 sugar)
- 1 teaspoon pure coconut extract
- 1 cup (packed) unsweetened shredded coconut not reduced-fat (60 grams)
- ½ cup coconut flour (56 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate with butter.
- Add the remaining ingredients to your food processor. 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 and a toothpick inserted in its center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan on cooling rack, then slice it into eight slices and serve.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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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. 