Coconut Lemon Cake : gluten-free & vegan

Today, I have a beautiful and delicious cake recipe for you. It’s a Coconut Lemon Cake ~ an all gluten-free and vegan cake recipe… and oh so very delicious ~ light, fluffy, with a coconut rich flavour and fresh burst of lemon.

Yes, it is just as good as it sounds. And what’s amazing is that it’s wheat-free, dairy-free, butter-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free…. wow – I think that covers quite a lot! Let’s add Guilt-free to this list also, shall we? A dessert without a wheat-belly and cholesterol and refined SUGAR – yes, I think that makes it a guilt-free dessert, yes? ;) 

GLUTEN-FREE & VEGAN COCONUT LEMON CAKE

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (or light spelt flour)*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (I used So Delicious Original Coconut Milk)
• 1/4 cup powdered stevia or organic raw cane sugar
• 3/4 cup organic coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or grape seed oil)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• + extra lemon zest of one organic lemon for decorating

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*OR use these ingredients for a gluten-free all purpose flour mix:

• 3/4 cup white rice flour*
• 1/3 cup coconut flour*
• 1/3 cup potato starch*
• 1/3 cup arrowroot powder*
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum*

 

Directions: 

Prepare 1 or 2 – 9″ round baking pan(s) by greasing the sides and fitting in a parchment paper disk(s). Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.

NOTE: You will need to bake two cakes to make a two-tiered cake with cake frosting in the middle. If you have two pans of the same size, great, prepare both and you can bake them at the same time. But if you only have one, (like I do) you can prepare one and bake half the batter, then bake the other one separately. (this is a little longer process but still worth it if you want to get by with only one size pan ;)

In a large bowl, sift all the dry flour ingredients, whisk together to combine well and set aside.

In a small pot, melt the coconut oil on low heat until it’s warm but not hot. Turn the heat off.

Add in the sugar and and mix to allow the sugar to melt. Add in milk, apple sauce and stir to combine.

Pour into the dry ingredient bowl and mix well to combine all the ingredients well. You may use an immersion blender and pulse for a few seconds to mix to be sure the batter is nice and smooth.

Fold in the coconut flakes lemon juice and lemon zest and give the batter a final stir.

Let stand for about 15 minutes. (You can make the frosting at this time, recipe follows)

Pour out the batter evenly into two baking pans (or 1/2 into one) and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 20-25 minutes.

Insert toothpick in the centre to check for doneness when the tops look golden and set on top.  

VEGAN COCONUT LEMON CAKE FROSTING

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut milk (So Delicious Coconut Milk) (divided to 3/4 & 1/4 cups)
• 4 tablespoons of raw cane sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons potato starch
• 1 1/2 cups coconut spread (full container of Earth Balance coconut spread)
• 1/2 cup vegan shortening
• 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar 
• extra liquid stevia to taste (about 20 drops)
• 1 teaspoon of natural lemon extract

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Directions: 

In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup of cold milk with potato starch until completely mixed with no clumps remaining and set aside.

In a small pot, heat the remaining 3/4 cups of milk over low-medium heat, add the sugar and mix to allow the sugar to melt completely. Do not allow to boil. Slowly, pour in the 1/4 cup milk with potato starch diluted mixing the pot as you pour.

Continue mixing for about a minute until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely – it will resemble a ‘pudding’ texture. In a mixer, whip the shortening and coconut spread on high until light and fluffy for about 5 minutes. Slowly add in the ‘pudding’ mix one spoon at a time while it’s mixing. Add in the icing sugar also slowly and continue mixing for a few more minutes, turning it off to scrape the sides a few times in between. Add in the lemon extract and continue whipping until fluffy.

Check for sweetness level and add more powdered sugar or stevia if you feel it needs more sweetness. (I personally like the frosting on a low-sweet level as together with the cake it makes for a great combination of flavours and sweetness.) If the frosting has warmed up by now too much and it’s too soft, store it in the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour or until you are ready to frost the cake.

 

To prepare the cake: 

NOTE : It’s best to work with a cake that is freshly baked. But make sure the cake has completely cooled (about 1 hour at room temperature).
And your frosting should be cold – straight from the fridge. For best results, make the frosting a day in advance and just rewhip right before decorating. (You can store the frosting in the fridge for up to a week and it also freezes well for up to 3 months in an airtight container).

Trim the top of one of the cakes (bottom) so it is flat on top. Scoop 1/2 the cold frosting on top and spread evenly. Top with the other cake and add the remaining frosting on top. Sprinkle with lemon zest all over and even sprinkle some on the sides also. To get the long lemon zest pieces, I peeled part of the lemon with a peeler and sliced thin pieces with a knife.

You can get creative with the decorating as you wish. Enjoy!

I hope you will enjoy this cake as much as I did and as much as everyone here that’s been showing up for a sudden tea-time after they heard that there was cake! ;) This cake will be a perfect Easter cake recipe because the gluten-free and vegan trend is quickly catching up with the rest of my family – and hopefully yours ;) (Update: I did make this again for Easter and it was a bigger hit than I anticipated! YES! *)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

♥ Ella