Coconut Flour Birthday “Smash” Cake
(Makes One 2 layer 4-inch smash cake)
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1/2 cup (60g) coconut flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
5 large (US size) eggs
1/2 cup (112g) coconut oil
1/2 cup (175 ml) honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup raspberry jam (store bought or homemade)
For the frosting:ย Use THIS recipe
Special equipment needed:
Two 4″ round cake pans
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and line pans with parchment paper
2. In a small bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together and set aside. Then separate 2 of the eggs (yolks from the whites), setting the whites aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the 3 whole eggs, two egg yolks, coconut oil, honey or maple syrup, vanilla and lemon juice until they are well combined. Then whisk in the flour mixture till completely smooth, with no lumps.
4. In another bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (looks like softly whipped cream). Gently fold the egg whites into the batter till thereย are only a few streaks of whites visible.
5. Divide the batter into each prepared cake pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until the tops springs back when lightly pressed. Allow the cakes to cool for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove from the pans and cool completely.
6. If needed or desired, trim the cakes so that they are level then fill with about a 1/4 inch layer of raspberry jam and frost as desired.
Thanks for posting…cant wait to try it!
Do you think brown rice flour would work in lieu of the coconut flour? (Or can you recommend another possible gluten-free replacement?)
Coconut flour is very different than all other flours. There is no substitute for it because of how absorbent it is. It takes only 1/2 cup of coconut flour for what would be 2-3 cups of flour with any other flour type.
You would just be best off going with a whole different recipe. There are SO many great gluten free ones out there, especially if you can use grains. We did coconut flour for this one because the mom wanted a grain free and more or less, nut free cake. Otherwise I often use almond flour for my cake recipes.
Did I miss what we do with the egg whites after we whisk them?
No you did not…but I fixed that on the post just now. Just fold them in to the batter.
Beautiful!
My go-to dairy-free, grain-free (but not sugar-free) "frosting" is a coconut milk dark chocolate ganache. Easy and delicious. It could probably be done with unsweetened chocolate and some stevia/honey/coconut sugar.
YES, YUM.
The chocolate makes the frosting so much more workable too!
This cake is unbelievably gorgeous, and the baby is stunning too. I was gasping as I looked at each picture!
Beautiful. Cake and baby. ๐ Sounds like it all came together great in the end. I would love to try this for my baby's birthday, too!
i was thinking, what's a smash cake, but that last photo answered it for me! cool!
Thank you for posting this (delicious!) recipe!! We made it for my little boy's 1st birthday party today and it was fantastic! No problems with the cake or frosting. Everything was great! Thanks again ๐
What if I wanted to give this cake a taste of sweet potato? In other words a sweet potato cake. Do you think that would work? Where would I add it? Was just wanting to put a different twist to this, but I look forward to making it as is for my little one's 1st birthday.
What if I wanted to give this cake a taste of sweet potato? In other words a sweet potato cake. Do you think that would work? Where would I add it? Was just wanting to put a different twist to this, but I look forward to making it as is for my little one's 1st birthday.
Hi I'm thinking of making this for my daughter's first birthday next week. How do you think it would turn out if I used the coconut butter glaze you used on the recent donut post instead?
I think iit would taste amazing as a glaze. If you try it, I would LOVE to hear about your results!!
I tried the glaze from the donut post on this cake for my baby's birthday and it turned out just fine! Thought that was a good idea – the glaze sounded simpler to make. Dripped nicely over the edges and tasted good together. She wasn't much interested (guess I can't complain!) but the kids & adults there enjoyed it, even "non-real-foodies."
This cake was a HIT at my daughters first birthday party! Everyone loved it from young children who love sweets but have allergies to the least crunchy guests there. Thank you for creating and posting this recipe. A delicious cake that looked and tastes just like a birthday cake but had none of the things my daughter is sensitive to. Very grateful.
Awesome! I considered trying that (yea, WAY easier) I just haven't got around to it. I was thinking petit fours! Can't wait to try it.
Elizabeth, when you made this for your daughter's birthday to serve to everyone, did you still make it a 4 inch cake or did you increase the size of the recipe? I was thinking maybe even doubling the recipe and making cupcakes for ease. But I am so done with doing trials of grain-free cakes and cupcakes for his birthday…if I do this one I'll just trust and hope it works out on the big day! Thanks!
Is there a replacement for palm shortening? I can't find any here that is not sold in 30lb tubs! I made the cake though and it's delicious!
My question too. Was wondering if I could use butter instead of palm shortening in the frosting? Planning to make this for my daughter's 2nd birthday in a few weeks.
Just saw this! Yes you could use butter. Also some have said that whipped coconut oil worked, I haven't tried it though. My guess is it will melt even easier.
has anyone tried making this with just straight coconut oil?
Do you know if using real butter for the frosting instead of coconut butter would render similar results? I know it's a dairy-free recipe but I think my little man can handle butter for his 1st birthday cake…just curious! Thanks!
Hi Megan, did you try it with the butter? How did it turn out?
Made this for my son's first birthday baby cake and it came out delicious! I adapted the recipe a tiny bit… I didn't have lemon juice so I put cinnamon instead also I made a slightly different frosting using only coconut cream, coconut oil & honey ๐
Im going to do this for my sons 1st birthday. Do I need to worry about any allergies? Honey? coconut flour?
Not unless he has allergies to these things.
So, this is kind of weird, maybe, but could you use sucanat or unrefined sugar instead of honey in the cake? I'm not comfortable giving honey to my baby on her first birthday.
You would need to go with something like maple syrup then. A liquid sweetener would be easiest to sub.
Do you have an idea on how to adapt this to cupcakes? What would you suggest for temp and time?
Probably same temp just shorter baking time. 12-18 minutes I guess or till they spring back from being pressed.
I have made this cake twice and I have to say THANK YOU for sharing this great recipe. I do bake it in a 6 inch round cake pan instead and then slice it horizontally in half when cooled since I do not have smaller pans. It works great. Thanks again :o)
How long did you bake in the 6 inch pan?
Just bake until the top springs back when gently pressed.
Is there a way to sub the eggs in this recipe? We have an egg allergy.
Not with the coconut flour cake, no. They don't really hold together witout eggs….and lots of them. Even almond flour cakes are pretty iffy without eggs. It has to do with the lack of starch and absorption rates of the flours.
have you ever tried any natural colorings for the frosting? Was thinking beet juice could tint it but not sure if it would ruin frosting or how to add it.
You could use IndianTree brand. I'd you make your own beet coloring I recommend biking the juice down till it thickens slightly. Otherwise it waters down the frosting a too much. I just run my beets through my juicer then cook down the juice. You may like this recipe better if looking for pink frosting and it will hold up to coloring better.If you can't get freeze dried fruits you can omit them and just add beet juice or coloring. http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/2013/02/strawberry-or-raspberry-whipped-not.html?m=1
Hi! I was wondering if I could double this and do it in 2 8 inch pans? Would it use a different cooking time? My son's first bday party is Saturday and I am not wanting to do cupcakes for another party. I thought I'd do a little one for him and a big one for everyone else. What do you think?
It looks like there is a red filling layer in between the 2 layers of cake? If I'm seeing that correctly, what did you use for that?
The link to the filling recipe is in the directions.
I don’t see a link to raspberry filling, just spread jam….is there a filling recipe? I know this link is old, so perhaps thats the issue. I see a recipe for raspberry glaze…is that it…I thought that was in lieu of making this frosting.
Thank you, THis looks great and I want to make for my Granddaughter’s first birthday!
The raspberry in this was for the filling not as a glaze. You could use this recipe I have for skillet blackberry jam ( https://theurbanposer.com/blackberry-skillet-jam/ ) but use raspberries instead, or purchase your favorite raspberry jam. If you wanted to make a glaze though, you would have to strain the seeds out while the jam is still hot.
What is the brown powdery looking stuff around the top of the cake? I made this last year for my daughter's first birthday and EVERYONE loved it!
So glad you enjoyed it! That was gold dust. Sadly it didn't come across in the pic well though.
Ok, I am making this cake for my daughter's birthday today (birthday is tomorrow) and I am confused by coconut oil and coconut butter. I bought "coconut oil" at the grocery store. It is hard and made from coconut meat. . .it also boasts on the label that it does not have a coconut flavor. I could not find coconut butter at the store, but did find a liquid coconut cooking oil. . . .so which is which? I thought coconut oil was liquid and made from just the oil of the coconut, whereas coconut butter was hard and made from the meat of the coconut. . . but this product has me confused. Help!!
It is coconut butter…the solid stuff not the oil.
what about coconut sug instead of honey?
A liquid sub would bear when subbing for a liquid.
i made this for my sons first bday last week. it was soooo good. one thing i should have done was take it out of the fridge a while before he ate it bc it was a little hard. i used coco sug instead of honey. I am making this recipe again for easter! my mother loved the cake! I might add some pineapple to it or cinnamon
sending this again- hopefully it's not put through twice. Can you give any tips on doubling the recipe? I am looking to make a large cake for my daughter's birthday.
Doubling it should be fine. It's the tripling and beyond that can get iffy.
If I make this icing in advance does it need to be refridgerated? Or can I store it at room temperature until I chill it?
I like your post so much. Now you can get 1st birthday cake online by monginis in India. http://www.monginis.net/occasions/1st-birthday-cakes/
I followed your recipe exactly and baked for 25 minutes. However, it was not set up at all and still quite runny. I've made many grain free recipes before with no issues. Any tips or advice?
Sadly this frosting did not turn out at all. It was yellow and tasted terrible. Even with my Whole Foods ingredients it was a disappointment. Maybe you could post pictures of the exact products you used for the frosting portion?
This is the exact photo pf the final product. Those are the only kinda of photos I take. Many people have loved this recipe. I am sorry you had trouble with it. As to it being yellow…. it has all white ingredients so I am not sure how that is possible. Even maple syrup would not result in a yellow color.
The Cold Pressed Palm shortening I have is yellow. My frosting turned out a buttery yellow color. Maybe that’s what happened with the previous poster. I however, found it absolutely delicious. I added the max vanilla plus a splash more and an extra tablespoon of maple syrup (didn’t use honey) and it sweetened it up nicely. Thank you sooooooo much for posting this recipe. I’m excited for my little guy to try it at his party on Sunday.
Yea it should be white unless it is the butter flavor. It may be off white too.
This recipe looks great. Though I think I may have done something wrong. It’s cooked for well over 25 minutes. The edges are getting really brown but the center is still really loose. For step 5 for making the cake; it says to pour half the batter into the prepared cake pans bit doesnt say what to do with the other half of the batter. So, I assumed the direction meant to split the batter between the 2 pans. Is this where I went wrong?
Also, how long should it take to beat the egg whites with the electric mixer? Maybe I didn’t get the egg whites to the correct consistency before folding it in?
Thanks so much!!!
You divide the batter into the two small pans listed in the ingredients and equipment part of the recipe. There is no specific time for beating egg whites, this will vary depending on your mixer, humidity, speed, temperature of egg and more.. You just beat them till they are as described in the instructions.
Can’t wait to try this recipe out for my son’s 1st birthday. What are your thoughts on baking in advance? Or is it best if I bake in the morning for an afternoon smash? Thanks! Love all of your recipes
The cake holds up well in the fridge, even better in my opinion. So you could easily make it a day ahead. The cakes unfrosted freeze really well too.
amazing, cake smash party
For the smash cake for babies, can flax eggs be substituted?
Not in a coconut flour cake. Sadly it just doesn’t work.
How long will this cake last in the fridge? I baked the cake 3 days ago and it’s been wrapped up (unfrosted) in the fridge. Will it still be good today or how long before it goes bad?
I actually have no idea. I think it would depend on the fridge. But my guess is, it’s fine. The sugar in a cake, slows the breakdown process.
I made this with some changes because I wanted it to have strawberry flavor. I also used coconut sugar instead of honey or agave….I processed a full “bag” of whole Food’s freeze dried strawberries and added to that processed fresh berries for moisture. I doubled the recipe and used six inch pans. Lovely smash cake for my granddaughter. Thank you so much! I used the gold dust as well and a vegan butter substitute frosting. The little one year old loved it. We salvaged the other side of the cake and had with coffee and WOW!!
Any tips on using two six inch pans? I don’t want to have to buy new pans.
Thanks! I’m excited to try it.
Ahh i just saw Susan’s comment about doubling and USING THE siX-inch Pans, so i’ll try that. Thanks!