This is the best keto coconut flour cake I've ever tasted! Moist, light and incredibly fluffy, this easy sugar free dessert comes in at just 0.8g net carbs per slice. Plenty of ideas for toppings and frostings in the post!
It is no secret that I am crazy about baking. In the Keto Desserts cookbook I just published are tons of cake recipes, from carrot cake to Black Forest cake.
This keto cake with coconut flour definitely would have deserved to be in the book. It is perfect for celebrations and would make a wonderful birthday cake.
It is actually quite healthy, too.
Healthy enough that we have been eating it for breakfast!
I have been getting plenty of reader requests for more pure coconut flour recipes. That's why I recently made these coconut flour brownies and this coconut flour bread.
Coconut flour can be tricky to bake with, because it behaves so differently from almond flour and other low carb flours.
It absorbs around 3 times as much liquid as other flours. It also likes more eggs and more fat, otherwise the end result can be brittle or dense.
With this recipe you'll be able to enjoy a perfectly moist and fluffy cake. I have done all the recipe testing so you don't have to!
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Light, moist and fluffy texture
- Delicious vanilla flavor
- Tastes great with and without frosting
- Only 124 calories and 0.8g net carbs per slice
- Sugar free and keto friendly
- Naturally gluten-free
Ingredients
- Eggs. These should be large and separated. It is really important that your eggs are room temperature. This helps you achieve a light, fluffy batter.
- Butter - I use unsalted butter, which I melt in the microwave for 1 minute and then cool. The goal is that all ingredients have a similar temperature. This prevents the eggs cooking or the butter going lumpy.
- Coconut flour - sifted. If possible, weigh the coconut flour instead of using cups. It is more exact and will give the best result.
- Powdered sweetener - I used an erythritol monk fruit sweetener that is a 1:1 sugar substitute.
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract - choose one that is suspended in alcohol or water and not in glucose syrup. The vanilla also lessens the coconut taste.
- Almond milk - make sure it is unsweetened.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Time to make a light & fluffy coconut flour cake! Line a 18 cm / 7 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
Step 1: Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until stiff.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, cream the egg yolks, vanilla extract and sweetener until pale and frothy. Add the melted, cooled butter and beat.
Step 3: Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the egg yolk mix. Option to also add a pinch of salt. Blend until combined.
Step 4: Fold in the egg whites in batches using a spatula. Carefully stir and fold until well-combined, ensuring you’re keeping the air bubbles intact...
...until it looks like the image above.
Step 5: Pour the batter into the springform and bake until golden.
It is done when a skewer or toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top is raised and feels springy to the touch.
Chef Katrin's Top Tips
Stiff egg whites. Take your time with beating the egg whites. It creates sturdier air bubbles which ensures your batter stays fluffy and the cake does not collapse.
Check during baking. Check the cake after 20 minutes to make sure it does not over-brown. If necessary, place aluminium foil over the top to avoid burning.
Let it cool fully. Keto coconut cakes are very fragile when hot and firm up as they cool. Let it cool fully before you remove it from the cake pan.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, coconut flour is perfect for a keto diet! It is rich in healthy fats, high in fibre and low in carbs. Read more about its benefits here.
It is made from dried and ground coconut flesh. Coconut flour is not only gluten-free, but also safe for most people with a tree nut allergy who cannot tolerate almond flour.
Yes. You could use a loaf pan to make a coconut flour pound cake.
Add 4 tablespoons cocoa powder and 2 additional tablespoons of almond milk. For a single serve version, try my keto chocolate mug cake.
Topping Ideas
You can serve this cake without any toppings. But if you like, choose one of the following:
Sugar free vanilla icing (as seen in the images): Mix ⅓ cup powdered sweetener with about 2 tablespoons of almond milk or 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until you have a spreadable consistency.
Keto cream cheese frosting: Chop 2.2 oz / 65 g room temperature butter into chunks. Whip the butter and 4.4 oz / 125g cream cheese together using an electric whisk until thick. Whisk in ⅓ cup / 53g powdered sweetener and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Place in fridge for 10 - 15 minutes for the frosting to stiffen up.
Lemon glaze: Mix 4 tablespoons each melted butter, cream and powdered sweetener plus the juice of 1 lemon. Let the glaze cool and thicken, then spoon over the coconut flour cake.
... or simply dust with powdered sweetener. Wait until it is fully cooled to prevent the sweetener from melting.
Variations
Dairy-free: Replace the butter with coconut oil and the cream in the frosting with full fat coconut milk (use only the firm coconut cream part).
Layer cake: Slicing the cake in half and fill with whipped cream and sugar free strawberry jam. Or use two cake pans to make 2 sponge layers. Reduce the baking time to about 30 minutes.
Make it fruity: Add a handful of blueberries or raspberries into the batter. Or, add lemon zest.
Change the flavor: Try other extracts such as almond, orange or coconut extract.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze individual slices in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight.
Reheating: If the cake is not frosted, reheat single slices in the microwave for 15 seconds.
More Keto Coconut Flour Cakes
- Coconut Flour Banana Bread55 Minutes
- Keto Black Forest Cake Recipe25 Minutes
- Coconut Flour Mug Cake4 Minutes
- Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins35 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Coconut Flour Cake (Vanilla)
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs large, separated, room temperature
- ½ cup / 114g butter melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp almond milk unsweetened
- ½ cup / 60g coconut flour
- ⅔ cup / 107g powdered sweetener
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
Sugar Free Vanilla Icing (optional)
- ⅓ cup / 50g powdered sweetener
- 4 tablespoon double cream (heavy cream) or 2 tablespoon almond milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a 18 cm / 7 inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
- Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff, about 3 minutes. Take your time with this - it creates sturdier air bubbles which ensures your batter stays fluffy and the cake does not collapse.
- In a separate bowl, cream the egg yolks, vanilla extract and sweetener until pale and frothy. Add the melted, cooled butter and almond milk and beat.
- Mix together the sifted coconut flour and baking powder and add to the egg yolk mix. Blend until combined.
- Last, fold in the egg whites in batches using a spatula. Carefully stir and fold until well-combined, ensuring you’re keeping the air bubbles intact.
- Pour the batter into the springform and bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Check the cake after 20 minutes to make sure it does not over-brown. If necessary, place aluminium foil over the top to avoid burning.
Icing
- For the optional icing, mix together the ingredients, adding more cream/milk or more sweetener as necessary until it is spreadable. Pour over the top of the fully cooled cake and spread around the sides. Let the icing set before cutting.
Baazar
This was so so awesome......
I made it. It took forever but totally loved the outcome ( hated the folding process) but it was worth it .
Yummy yummy yummy
Deborah Peaceful
Love this recipe. I decorated using the cream cheese recipe and nasturtiums from my garden
Emma
Hi, can you replace the double cream with lactose free Greek yogurt ?
Katrin Nürnberger
I am assuming you mean the cream in the icing? I guess it would work and add an interesting new flavour dimension.
Shannon Neitch
Wonderfully easy recipe! Cake was delicious. Definitely going in the rotation. I can’t wait to try with lemon extract and zest, then split and fill with lemon curd whipped cream.
emily
is there a way of substituting eggs for just egg
whites in this recipe to lower the cholesterol?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, I think that would be possible. You may need to reduce the amount of coconut flour by a little to adjust for the reduction in wet ingredients.
Agatha
What if you replace with more Egg white....like 6 extra egg whites instead? Would that work?
Katrin Nürnberger
Considering that egg yolks are smaller than the whites, 6 extra whites sounds like too much to me.
John Dawson
This was my first attempt at baking a cake using coconut flour and I'm delighted at how well it turned out. It was light and pleasant to eat with no strange, unwanted flavours. My only question is why the recipe calls for the butter to be melted and cooled rather than being softened and mixed with the sweetener as in many other recipes, and whether it makes any difference to the end result.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi John, glad you like the recipe. I don't think it makes any difference whether the butter is melted and cooled or softened.
Ana
Will it be okay to substitute powdered sweetener with honey? Do I need to make variations with baking time? Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger
I think this may change the texture of the cake quite a bit, because you are replacing a large amount of a dry ingredient with a wet ingredient. My guess is that you will have to increase the amount of coconut flour to achieve the same batter consistency.It will be an experiment.
Teresa
Can you substitute coconut milk for the almond milk?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, that should work too.
Barb
Made 12 cupcakes and cooked for 20 mins. Turned out perfect
Helle
I made this recipe into a lemon drizzle cake using lemon essence and it tasted amazing
Bee
This cake tastes lovely but it sunk in on itself whilst cooling so I had a thin layer of delicious crumb on top and a thick layer of flan/eggy set custard at the bottom. Tasty but not what I was looking for. Any idea what could have gone wrong?
Katrin Nürnberger
It sounds to me that the egg whites were not stiff enough and therefore did not hold up, making the centre sink like a soufflé gone wrong. The whites must be beaten until firm. And if you take time with this, you'll have small, stable air bubbles instead of large ones that then pop. I hope this helps. I have a recipe for keto egg loaf where I experienced exactly the same issue. It was beating the egg whites until stiff that helped the loaf keep its shape even after cooling. Without properly beaten whites, it looked lush straight from the oven and then collapsed.