Healthy Almond Coconut Cake (Paleo, Naturally Sweetened, Dairy-Free)
This gluten-free almond coconut cake is rustic, healthy, and it’s easy to make with pantry staples. I call it my comfort cake, since it's just the kind of cake I love to bake. It’s sweet and comforting. It’s nutritious and easy. And it feels like a little gift to myself (and to my family). VIDEO BELOW!
Moist coconut almond cake
The easy cake uses almond flour, coconut flour and unsweetened shredded coconut (making it gluten-free, as always!). In fact, there are no added fats such as oil or butter in this cake. The flours and coconut provide enough richness all on their own. The moist texture is amplified by honey, which is also the only sweetener in the cake.
Best almond coconut cake recipe
This is a healthy cake, but that doesn’t mean that it skimps on flavor! The honey lends a subtle floral aroma, and a splash of almond extract gives it an irresistible sweet almond flavor.
Passover almond cake
This cake gets its lift just from eggs. Since it doesn’t contain leaveners, this is the perfect treat for Passover if you celebrate.
How do you make almond coconut cake?
This is a really easy cake using pantry staples:
- Whisk together the dry ingredients, including almond flour, coconut flour, unsweetened shredded coconut and salt.
- Combine 4 egg yolks with honey and almond extract. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Beat 4 egg whites to soft peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter, then bake the cake in an 8-inch cake pan!
How do you serve the cake?
You can serve this cake on its own (with tea, coffee or a glass of milk, if you’d like!) for what has to be the BEST SNACK ON THE PLANET. However, if you want to dress things up, you can dollop the cake with whipped cream or coconut cream and serve it with fresh fruit (in the summer, go for fresh berries and/or peaches, and in the winter think segmented oranges). It’s an elegant, light dessert for nearly any occasion. Oh, and p.s. this cake is awesome for breakfast. Just saying.
Can you make the cake ahead?
Yes! The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day and can be refrigerated for up to 2 days (just be sure to store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly). It also freezes beautifully! I cut it into wedges then freeze them in an airtight container so that I can sneak a slice whenever the mood strikes (just to reiterate: cake slices are the best breakfast ever!).
Tips for making this recipe:
- You’ll need an 8-inch cake pan for this recipe. If you don’t have one you can use a 9-inch pan, but the cake will be thinner (you'll also need to reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes). I prefer light colored cake pans, as dark pans can cause the bottom and sides to brown too quickly.
- I always recommend using an inexpensive baking scale when cooking with gluten-free flours, not only because it’s SO MUCH EASIER (no measuring cups needed!), but also because it’s much more accurate. However, you can measure by the cup if you don’t have one.
Other paleo recipes you might like:
- Paleo Apple Cake
- One Bowl Banana Bread
- Healthy Banana Cake
- Paleo Strawberry Shortcakes
- Easy Carrot Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cassava Cookie Bars
- Paleo Salmon Cakes
- Almond & Cassava Flatbreads
Watch the video!
Get the recipe!
Healthy Almond Coconut Cake (Paleo, Naturally Sweetened, Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
Cake
- Cooking spray or coconut oil, for pan
- 1 cup (110g) almond flour
- ¼ cup (25g) coconut flour
- ¼ cup (25g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ teaspoon plus pinch fine sea salt, divided
- 4 eggs, separated
- ½ cup (167g) honey (plus more for serving, if you wish)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Toppings (optional)
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream or whipped coconut cream
- Fresh fruit, such as berries and/or orange segments
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C) with a rack in the middle. Spray an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray or rub with coconut oil. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment and spritz the parchment with a bit more oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Use your fingers to sift break up any clumps of flour.
- In a large bowl, mix the 4 egg yolks (reserve the whites) with the honey and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they have doubled in volume and have formed soft peaks (the mixture should look thick and white, and when you lift up the beaters you should see a point that flops over). Stir one-third of the whites into the batter until smooth. Using a spatula, gently fold the remaining whites into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes then run a small knife or off-set spatula along inside of pan. Flip the cake onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment (if it stuck to the bottom), then flip it upright and let it cool completely.
- Serve the cake either on its own or with a drizzle of honey, or dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Notes
- You’ll need an 8-inch cake pan for this recipe. If you don’t have one you can use a 9-inch pan, but the cake will be thinner (you'll also need to reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes). I prefer light colored cake pans, as dark pans can cause the bottom and sides to brown too quickly.
- I always recommend using an inexpensive baking scale when cooking with gluten-free flours, not only because it’s SO MUCH EASIER (no measuring cups needed!), but also because it’s much more accurate. However, you can measure by the cup if you don’t have one.
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I'd love to answer any of your questions and see what you're cooking!! Don't forget to give this recipe a star rating and leave a comment below. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & Pinterest, and be sure to tag @nickisizemore so that I can share your creations!
Hi, This cake looks lovely. You say it lasts in the refrigerator for 2 days. Why such a short life in the fridge?
Hi there (and thank you)!! I find the texture of the cake to be the best within the first 2 days, but it will keep for longer in the fridge. You can also freeze it. I hope you enjoy!
Can you make this without the shredded coconut?
Hi Jessica! While I haven't tested this cake without the shredded coconut, it should be fine without it. You'll lose a bit of texture and flavor, but it will be minimal. Please let me know if you give it a try!
Hi Nicki - Im in Australia and keen to try the recipe tomorrow. Can I make in muffin cases so I can freeze them and defrost one at a time as you suggest similar to cutting the big cake and freezing slices?
Thanks
Fiona
Hi Fiona! While I do think this batter would work in lined muffin tins, I haven't tested it so can't guarantee the results. If you give it a try, start checking the muffins around 12-15 minutes, and keep your eye on them. Please keep me posted!
I tried today and it turned out great.
Hi Anna, I'm so glad to hear!!
Hi Nicki,
I am excited to try your recipe. I have fresh minced coconut. Would it be possible for me to use it for this recipe? If so, how much shall I use?
Thank you in advance
Hi Polina, I'm so jealous that you have access to fresh coconut! I've never tested this recipe with fresh coconut (so can't guarantee the results), but I would try a 1-to-1 swap with the dried coconut (keep the flour the same). Keep me posted!
Hi Nicki,
Well, we did many changes and are very happy with the results! Thank you very much for the great recipe!
We ended up using 1 and 3/4 cup of minced meat of fresh coconut (because that’s what we had), so we quadrupled coconut flour, almond flour, eggs and salt. We only used 1 cup of honey instead of 2 cups and 1/3 cup of amaretto (because we did not have almond extract). We had three baking pans, 10 inches in diameter each. So we divided the batter into three equal parts and baked it until a toothpick came out clean. The cake was not too sweet (which was our intention) and perfectly balanced in terms of moisture. We ate 1/4 of one right away and plan to freeze the other two for Christmas. We are considering pouring a tablespoon or two of Amaretto over one of the cakes prior to serving it for the holiday (to allow it to soak through similar to a rum cake). Thank you again for this fabulous recipe and your prompt reply. Happy holidays!
Wow Polina!! Thank you so much for letting me know and for sending the quantities you used. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
I haven't made this yet but it looks like it will be nice. I am wondering if there is a bit of lost in translation for me, as you have on the recipe almond meal/flour. To me these are 2 different things. Almond meal is ground almonds (quite coarse), and almond flour is alot finer. Which is it, as I have almond meal/ground almonds in my cupboard? I don't have a blender to do any DIY flour.
Thanks,
Sally
Hi Sally, I'm so grateful for your comment! I had originally written this recipe many years ago (I've been making it forever!), back when almond flour was often referred to as almond meal on packaging. That's no longer the case, and I've edited the recipe to just read almond flour, which is what you should use. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Thanks Nicki, I made it today with ground almonds and it was quite flat. I think I will go to the health food shop and get some almond flour. I like the taste and the fact that it isn't too sweet but there is enough sweetness so it doesn't mask all the lovely coconut flavour in it. Am going to have it with raspberry coulis, fresh pineapple and a dollop of mascarpone 🙂
Hi Sally, thank you for your comment! Using almond flour will make for a slightly lighter cake, since ground almonds are heavier. Also, take care not to over-mix the batter when folding in the egg whites. Your toppings sound fabulous!
This cake was absolutely delicious. We added chopped strawberries. It was an awesome healthy choice for the Fourth of July. My question do you have the macros break down on this? Just wondering how many carbs, fat and protein. We are tracking right now 🙂 thank you!
Hi Goldyn, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the cake!! I love how you added chopped strawberries. Delicious! Unfortunately I don't have the macros for this recipe. Sorry about that!
Hi Nicki,
This recipe looks amazing, and I am excited to try it again, but I need some help. I followed the recipe instructions, but my batter was not fluid at all, which made it impossible to gently fold in the egg whites and pour into the pan—I had to wrestle it in. I find this is often the case with almond flour—the dough becomes very stiff. I watched your video closely, and I’m wondering what the problem could be because clearly it is possible! Any advice? Thank you!
Hi Darrah, and thank you for your question! How did the cake turn out when you made it the first time? The batter is actually quite thick at first, which is why I have you stir in 1/3 of the whites to start, which lighten the batter considerably and make it easier to fold in the rest of the whites. However, it sounds like your batter was really, really dense, which leads me to believe that you had too much flour. Are you measuring the flours using a measuring cup or with a scale? If you're using measuring cups try a lighter touch when measuring the flours. I hope this helps, and keep me posted!
Hi Nicki,
That must be it—I did use a scale, but it‘s not digital,, so I likely had more flour than needed. I think it‘s time to invest in a digital scale, but to be fair—it was still delicious even though it didn‘t rise much. Thanks for the quick response and the great recipes—I‘m new to the gluten-fee lifestyle and feel so supported and excited to try more (and hopefully get it just right!).
I'm here if you have any other questions! 🙂
Hi Nicki,
Thank you for such a simple recipe. The cake turned out to be really nice. I added dried apricots and reduced the amount of honey to make it almost unsweetened. Would you be able to tell approximately how many calories are in your original recipe please? I’m on low cal / gluten free diet so need to check cal count per day . Thank you
Hi Saima, I'm so glad you liked the cake and I love how you adapted it to your own tastes! Unfortunately I don't have calorie counts for this recipe (I don't offer calorie counts as a general policy), although I think you can find apps that allow you to plug in recipes. Please keep in touch, and happy baking!
Baked this cake yesterday. Turned out awesome and we couldn't wait for the icing. I added orange zest and hint of chocolate shavings for the little boy to make him happy.
I love the addition of the orange zest and chocolate! So happy you enjoyed. 🙂
This looks amazing! Would flax eggs work instead of the regular eggs?
Thank you so much! Unfortunately the eggs are essential to this cake's texture, so I don't think flax eggs would work for this cake.
Would maple syrup work or coconut sugar instead of honey? Recommendations? How much? I’m thinking of making this for my one year old’s birthday (He loves every kind of berry and coconut everything, so I was looking for a coconut cake with berries option with limited sugar and rather not honey yet, even though I’m a beekeeper!). Thanks!
Hi there! Yes, you can do an equal swap of maple syrup for the honey. Happy birthday to your one-year-old (and congratulations to you - it's a fabulous feat for the parents as well)!! I hope you like the cake!
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try it out 😉 I will try a whipped coconut cream and fruit painting on top!
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Hi Nicki, any substitute for the shredded coconut?
Hi there, the shredded coconut lends this cake moisture and richness, so unfortunately I don't think another flour would provide the same results.
I've made this twice now and I LOVE it!!! Such a lovely and delicate treat. I've been enjoying a small slice everyday with my afternoon coffee - the best! 🙂 It's so easy to make, no fuss, and with such good-for-you ingredients.
Nicki, please make more recipes like this!
Hi Jessie, I'm so happy to hear you like the cake!! I love it with coffee too. 🙂
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Oh sure Nicki, you're happy to make a cake when it doesn't involve jelly roll pans, two frostings, and a complex on-set roll-up! (Sorry guys...inside joke involving a particularly trying cake recipe Nicki and I got elbow-deep into!) But seriously -- this cake sounds fabulous, and right up my alley. Can't wait to try it!
Hahaha! That red velvet cake concoction scarred me for life!! I promise this cake won't give you any nightmares (or ulcers 🙂
So excited to try this!
Question, once frozen, how do you serve it? Do you let it defrost in the fridge and then serve it as is? Or do you warm it up?
I hope you like it! I usually defrost the cake at room temperature or in the toaster oven. You can serve it at room temperature, but you could warm it slightly if you prefer!