Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake

This Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake is the best gluten free birthday cake (although you don’t need to use a special occasion as an excuse to treat yourself to a slice)! It’s moist, fudgy, made with simple ingredients, and decorated with a homemade chocolate buttercream. 

If you’re looking for a moist and fudgy gluten free birthday cake, look no further than this Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake. Not only is it just as easy and special as my almond flour chocolate cake, but it’s a chocolate lover's dream come true! Each slice is dense, decadent, and quite frankly, the BEST.

Coconut flour is a staple in my kitchen. I’m always using it to make gluten free and grain free baked goods, like coconut flour banana muffins. I love it because it’s low carb, high in fiber, and a great nut-free flour option.

If you’re new to baking cakes with coconut flour, add eggs to your grocery list because it’s a VERY absorbent flour. Even though you need less coconut flour than you would regular flour, you make up for it by needing half a dozen eggs. That may seem like a lot for one cake layer, but coconut flour cakes need A LOT of moisture.

Recipe features

• There’s nothing dry about this gluten free cake. It’s super dense, chocolatey, fudgy, and delicious.
• Quick and easy! It’s a bakery-quality chocolate cake recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes. 
• Grain free, nut free, gluten free, and refined sugar free. It’s (almost) free of most allergens!

Ingredient notes:

• Coconut flour - It wouldn’t be a coconut flour chocolate cake recipe without the coconut flour, which means there’s no substituting it. You might need to sift your coconut flour if it clumps up in the packaging.

• Milk - I used soy milk, but you can use any kind of dairy free milk.

• Eggs - Eggs are vital to making a moist coconut flour cake. For the best results, use room temperature eggs. 

• Maple syrup - I love the natural sweetness maple syrup provides without needing refined sugar. No substitutions here.

• Coconut oil - Your coconut oil needs to be melted and cooled off before making the cake batter. You can use refined or unrefined coconut oil here (unrefined coconut oil has a more robust coconut flavor).

• Vanilla extract - For depth and flavor. The better quality the vanilla, the better the cake will taste. 

• Cocoa powder - This is where all of the chocolatey goodness comes in. If you’re a dark chocolate lover, use dark chocolate cocoa powder. 

• Baking soda - Without it, your cake will fall flat. The goal is a plump, fudgy cake. 

• Chocolate buttercream frosting - You’ll need softened butter, milk, vanilla, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder to make the chocolate frosting. I used soy milk, but you can use any plant based or regular milk here.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Whisk wet ingredients. Whisk the eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. 

Step 2: Mix dry ingredients. Stir the coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. 

Step 3: Combine mixtures. Add the dry mixture to the wet mix and GENTLY stir to combine. 

Step 4: Bake and cool. Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined cake pan and bake. Let the cake rest before turning it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling before icing.

Step 5: Make the icing. First, whisk the butter, milk, and vanilla together. Then add the sugar and cocoa, and whisk until smooth. 

Step 6: Ice cake. Once the cake is cool, place a large dollop of icing on top and ice your cake. Slice and enjoy!

Tips and tricks

• It’s so important that you line your cake pan with parchment paper before adding the batter. Without it and the cake will stick to the bottom. If you want to go a step further, you can grease the sides of the pan with butter or coconut oil.
• Coconut flour needs to be measured precisely because it’s so absorbent. Too much or too little can ruin the cake. 
• Don’t overmix the batter. To keep your cake soft and tender, stir and whisk everything by hand. You run the risk of overmixing if you use an electric mixer. Only mix until the flour is just combined (it’s ok if the batter is a little lumpy).
• To make this a layer cake, simply double the cake and frosting recipes and bake the cake batter in two 8” round cake pans.

Variations

Vegan - I've never tested this recipe without eggs, but feel free to try a vegan egg replacement or flax eggs. Use your favorite plant based butter and dairy free milk to make vegan buttercream frosting. 

Paleo - Use paleo-friendly milk (like almond milk) in the cake and swap the buttercream frosting for your favorite paleo frosting. 

Keto - Replacing the maple syrup with a keto-friendly sweetener, like erythritol syrup, will significantly slash the carb count. 

Can you use almond flour instead of coconut flour?

No. Coconut flour is significantly more delicate and absorbent than almond flour. If you use almond flour, you’ll need to change the amount. Check out my almond flour chocolate cake if you’d rather use almond flour. 

What size can pan should I use?

This recipe was tested using 8” round cake pans. You should be able to use 6” or 9” pans instead. Just keep an eye on the oven as the baking times may differ slightly. 

Storage

• Room temperature: Coconut flour chocolate cake can be kept at room temperature for 1 to 2 days
• Refrigerator: Store the coconut flour cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 
• Freezer: Wrap the baked, unfrosted cake (whole or individual slices) in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure to thaw the cake completely before adding the icing.

More coconut flour baked goods

• Coconut Flour Banana Muffins
• Coconut Flour Cake
• Paleo Brownies
• Gluten Free Zucchini Bread 

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!