Coconut Cake

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I have a terrible confession to make...I have been struggling with obvious reactions to chocolate lately.  Anything else, and I would have easily given it up and moved on...but chocolate...it's so hard to move on from chocolate.  Lucky for me, and all of you out there who either can't tolerate the chocolate or have a Sweetie who isn't into chocolate, I have come up with this awesome coconut cake!

How did I end up with a coconut cake you ask? Well, I tried to analyze what it is about chocolate that makes it the best cake...and the best candy...and just the best ever!!  My conclusion is that anything else is just too sweet.  Chocolate has the ability to be the just right ratio of bitterness to sweetness.  So, if you are like me and prefer dark chocolate to any other candy, trying to substitute something with that cloying sweetness is just a miss.

So, why coconut?  Isn't that also cloyingly sweet?  Well, yes.  But this cake cuts back on the sugar...a lot, replacing it with flavor - coconut flavor.  And we start with unsweetened coconut, because the sweetened stuff is way over sweetened.  And many coconut cakes do not actually contain coconut, here we are adding all that fiber in, to also offset the sweetness.  Imagine the difference between eating an apple and drinking apple juice- the juice is going to seem much sweeter.  Its the flesh of the fruit, the fiber, that offsets the natural sweetness.

Then, you can choose to leave this cake naked.  It really does not need frosting, but if you are looking for a dressed up cake for your Valentine, then you will want frosting- pair this with my Coconut Frosting but be sure to also compliment it with some Toasted Coconut.  This adds another layer of contrast to the sweetness of the frosting. Enjoy!

Coconut Cake

Gluten Free

Corn Free

Allergen Free for: Dairy, Egg, Soy, Nut, Peanut, Wheat, Shellfish, Fish


If using your own flour blend:    Flour =140 grams; approximately 1 cups of a gluten free blend

Makes about 1-  8 x 8 or 1- 8 or 9 inch round or 12 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark or coated pans)

Generously grease and 'flour'  8 x 8 or 8 or 9 inch round or 12 cupcakes

(if doing cupcakes- use the parchment paper papers!)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened coconut

4TBSP water + 4tsp sugar

1 TBSP + 1tsp ground golden flaxmeal + 5 TBSP water

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter/dairy free butter  or 1/3 cup solid coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

56 grams superfine brown rice flour

56 grams superfine white rice flour

28 grams potato starch

1 TBSP ground flaxseed (not a flax egg)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Instructions:

combine flax meal and water-set aside

heat water and 4tsp sugar until sugar disolves

add unsweetened coconut and stir until all water is absorbed

remeasure 1 cup sweetened coconut-reserve remainder for toasting (if frosting)

mix dry ingredients

With mixer-Blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Add vanilla

Beat flax egg with a fork until it is thick

and flax egg

Blend until small peaks begin to form

Add 1/2 dry ingredients and blend to combined

add 1/2 coconut milk and blend to combined

add remaining dry ingredients and blend to combined

add remaining coconut milk and blend to combined

blend in 1 cup sweetened coconut

Pour into pan

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Remove from pan (if desired) immediately

Frost with my Coconut Frosting when completely cool.  

(For foolproof frosting, freeze cake for 2 hours before frosting)