Around Christmas a good friend of mine, Margaux, contacted me to ask if I had any good gluten-free cake recipes for her newly gluten-free sister-in-law, Mandy. I realized that I had really never experimented with a full-on cake recipe in all the years of me being gluten-free. How is it possible that in 9 years of eating gluten-free I had never made a chocolate cake? Shame on me, right? This has to be considered sacrilegious.
Cake is something I have never really cared about too much about, most times I find cake to be far too indulgent for my taste. Too sweet and just too much for me. I much prefer a small square of great quality dark chocolate or maybe one good homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. My husband, Mark, however is quite the opposite. That man could live on a slice a cake every single day, that is if I wouldn’t nag him to death even before the excessive sugar would get to him. If there is but a single slice of cake in our house, no matter the flavor, it will haunt him until he finally gives in and indulges. Cake for breakfast is a common occurrence ’round here. Considering there was a time he used to drink several Cokes in one day, and he has stopped that and many other bad habits, I have chosen to pick my battles with this kind of stuff. A little cake in the morning never killed anyone.
When MightyNest contacted me to ask if I wanted to try out their amazing glass bundt cake pan, creating a new gluten-free recipe with it – I was slightly hesitant and a bit intimidated. Not only had it been forever since I made a cake, I have never made a bundt cake. I know, right?
I wanted to create a recipe that would both please my cake-obsessed husband, but would also appeal to me, the fair weather cake eater. German Chocolate Cake is Mark’s absolute favorite. He cannot resist the stuff. It’s his Kryptonite. But even for him, the sweetness level on German Chocolate Cake is often times too much, some bakeries just go overboard, so I wanted to keep all of the amazing flavors of a traditional German Chocolate Cake but lighten things up a bit. I went with a grain-free cake similar to my grain-free double chocolate brownies, but this time around I added coconut flour to soak up some of the moisture to give it a more grainy cake-like texture and less fudgey and I turned to two of my favorites – coconut sugar and raw honey for sweeteners on the cake. I find coconut sugar to bring a really amazing caramel-like rich sweetness, reminiscent of dark brown sugar, I love the stuff. For the frosting, full-fat canned coconut milk replaces the creamy thick, sweetened condensed milk and again I used the coconut sugar.
Mark and I both agreed that this cake was a winner, the cake was perfectly moist and grain-like, full of chocolatey flavor and sweetened just the proper amount. If I wasn’t the one that meticulously measured each ingredient, I would have never actually believed this cake was totally grain-free. I am not sure if I will ever not be amazed at how almond flour and coconut flour work together. Complete magic, if you ask me. The coconut icing was creamy and sweet, but not so much so that you’d get a cavity just looking at it. I stored the leftover iced cake under a covered glass cake stand and I was worried that after a day or two passed it would be too moist, as some baked goods can get. But, quite the opposite happened, the cake got even grainier and even more cake-like each day. It kept nicely for about 5 days and then we finally fought over scarfed off the last piece, yesterday.
The glass bundt cake pan was so very easy to work with, having never made a bundt before, I have nothing to compare it to, but this glass bundt pan is incredible. The pan is so easy to handle and very lightweight, much more so than you would think. I greased it lightly with coconut oil and when the time came to get the cake out, I was obviously worried it might not be easy to get out – on the contrary, the cake just slid right out, so easily, so effortlessly. The cake was cooked perfectly and evenly all the way through, no strange doughy, gooey or sticky middle. I have a feeling I will be making bundt cakes quite often, now.
[print_this]Grain-free German Chocolate Bundt Cake – Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free, Paleo
serves 10-12 – I use this glass bundt cake pan
Chocolate Bundt Cake
- 3 cups blanched almond flour (I prefer this brand)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour (I use this brand)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar or other granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used raw cacao, but regular baking cocoa will work)
- 4 large farm fresh eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup honey (I used local raw honey, regular honey will also work)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted – plus a bit more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup full-fat canned organic coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350º F. position your rack in the middle of the oven. Using coconut oil (or butter) grease the bundt pan well, set aside. I used an 8″ bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, coconut sugar and cocoa powder and whisk together until well incorporated. In a medium sized bowl add the eggs, honey, coconut oil, coconut milk and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients the dry. Using a large spatula, gently mix to combine all of the ingredients together. Fold until well incorporated. Pour the batter into your well-oiled bundt pan.
Bake 45-50 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 30 minutes in the bundt pan on a cooling rack. Then invert the cake onto a plate to continue cooling. Frost the cake with the German Chocolate Cake frosting (below) and serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.[/print_this]
[print_this]German Chocolate Cake Icing – Gluten-free, Grain-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free, Paleo
- 3 large farm fresh egg yolks
- 1 cup full-fat canned organic coconut milk
- 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped lightly toasted pecans
- 1 cup flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- optional: 2 ounces of dark chocolate, melted – to drizzle over top
Combine egg yolks, coconut milk, and sugar in medium pan. Mix well. Add the coconut oil. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Mix in coconut and pecans. Stir well to combine. Allow to cool before icing the cake. Drizzle melted chocolate over top of the icing or if you still want more coconut, add fresh coconut on top.
Note – You can use all of the icing if you wish or just some, I didn’t use all of it for the photos, since I wanted it to be pretty and still show the cake underneath, but after the photos, I went to town covering it in the icing, as a traditional messy German Chocolate Cake would be. [/print_this]
//*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mighty Nest. The opinions expressed however, are completely my own. This post also contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links – your cost remains the same, but I earn a small percentage to help support this blog. Thank you!//
58 Responses
The cake looks amazing and gf too 🙂
Thanks so much Jill! I am so excited about how it came out.
I’m not that much of a cake person, either, Beth, but I made a banana loaf yesterday with a yummy frosting and really enjoyed it. It was also my first gluten-free effort! I love the sound of your yummy frosting with the coconut milk in it and your photos are absolutely stunning!
Glad I am not alone, some people look at me like I am absolutely nuts when I say I don’t care much about cake. Yum your banana loaf sounds amazing. Thanks for your comment 😉
give up the details on that GORGEOUS cake stand, please!!! I need it in my life!
Deneen, it is from Target, I got it a few weeks ago. Isn’t it just gorgeous? So simple but so perfect.
This looks and sounds amazing! I have been trying to bake with more natural sweeteners (although I do still use whole grains) and look forward to trying this recipe the next time I need to bake a cake!
Thanks Abby. I hope you enjoy this if you make it.
Did the pan work well for you and is there a heat limit? Like the idea of glass. Must try this sometime this week….thanks.
Teresa, the pan worked great! I actually updated the post with a little paragraph about how wonderfully it worked for me, somehow I accidentally left that out. Oops. The heat-limit is 300º C or 572ºF.
This cake looks scrumptious! I love Bundt cakes, just don’t make them too often at all. The glass Bundt pan is beautiful and I would love to make cakes in it.
Thanks Nancy. I am now a super fan of bundt cakes myself too. This pan made it super easy 😉
Your cake looks so delicious! I am going to have to make this. Also, love the glass bundt cake pan you used!
Thanks Melissa. I hope you love it when you make it. The glass bundt cake pan is amazing right? So pretty!
I love Mighty Nest and have been eyeing that glass bundt pan for a while! And I love the name of your blog and this recipe looks fanstastic–I can’t wait to try it, especially the icing recipe. Never seen that combo of ingredients, but it looks like a great idea. Thanks for the recipe and the giveaway (which I of course hope I win, haha!).
Hi Eva – thank you so much. I am seriously in love with this pan, I already cannot wait for my next bundt cake 😉
I made this delicious grain free German chocolate cake when we were all snowed in on the east coast the other day. I have been gluten free for 3 years and grain free for a year. I miss good chocolate cake!! This recipe is the best grain free cake recipe I have tried….it was delicious and moist with wonderful flavor. I served it to a friend who was snowed in with is who is not gf , and she could not tell the difference and had a huge piece. It also passed with flying colors the reluctant husband/children test. I sent some with my husband to a colleague of his at work today, and she ate it for breakfast and loved it. I will definitely be adding it to my regular recipes. I would not hesitate to serve this to guests who are or who are not gluten or grain free…it’s that good! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
Hey Bethany – I am so so glad you liked this recipe so much – thanks so much for taking time to share your thoughts!! <3
Oh wow, that looks so good I swear I can smell the chocolate! I found you, and this recipe just in time, I LOVE German chocolate cake and my birthday is less than 2 weeks away…I have found this year’s cake! Woohoo! I shall report back, as I’ll trying this as a double-layer cake instead. (No bundt pan over here!) I’m sure it will work fine, it seems like a yummy recipe! 🙂
Yay!! Happy Early Birthday!! You MUST make this for yourself, it’ll be the best present you get, hahah 😉 Please report back. I think a double layer cake would work perfectly. I actually can’t wait to try this myself so please let me know how it works for you. Thanks again enjoy your b-day!
Haha! Thank you! I should put a big fancy bow on top! LOL
I will definitely report back and let you know how it works out! 🙂
This will be a treat that gets taken to a potluck, possibly the next one I am invited to. Love German Chocolate Cake but I don’t need that much of one! Question, your chocolate drizzle looks wonderful on your cake. Any tips on how to do this so it looks good? Mine always ends up kinda gloppy in places….. Any special tool you use? Tips? Tricks? It looks beautiful and good enough to eat!
Hey Karen, yay I hope everyone at the potluck loves it, I am sure they will, it has been a hit over here. Hmm I wish I had some special tips on the chocolate, I just melt it over a double boiler or quickly in the microwave, if I am in a rush. I make sure it it totally melted and smooth then I grab a spoon and I just drizzle away, moving quickly with my hand so it doesn’t drop a ton in just one spot. Hope that helps a little.
Looks fabulous! One question what size bundt pan did you use – 8″ or the 10″. I need a bundt pan and these look fab. Thanks
Hey Sandra, thanks for the comment, I am so sorry I didn’t mention that in the recipe, I didn’t realize there were two sizes. I used the 8″ pan. I updated the post to reflect that. Thanks again for the question.
Looks beautiful! I’m going to at least try making the cake… the icing sounds too dangerous! 🙂 I’d like to know about your experience with the glass pan, too. Did the cake slide right out? Did you need to loosen the cake around the edges? No problems with being gooey in the middle? Difficult to hold on to the pan when taking it out of the oven? Was it heavy?
Hey Cat – thanks so much for the comment, the glass bundt pan worked out soo great! I actually updated the post with a little paragraph about how wonderfully it worked for me, somehow I accidentally left that out. Oops. In a nut shell – cake slid right out, no need to loosen the cake, no. No gooey moist middle, it was perfectly and evenly cooked all the way through. The pan is super light and very easy to handle. Thanks for the questions, I am not sure how I forgot to post that paragraph! xo
Wow, I’ve never seen a glass bundt pan. I love a small piece of cake with my morning coffee. just a little something sweet to jump start the day. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe.
I’ve been looking for a cake for my daughter’s second birthday. She loves chocolate… 🙂 I’ll bake it flat and put Curious George’s face on it… Can I still enter the giveaway since it won’t be bundt?
So Excited! It’s in the oven as we speak… can’t wait for dessert tonight! I’ll let you know how it turns out! YUM!
[…] and I am a happy girl! This cake made me very happy! I will be using this recipe again, for sure. I found it over at Tasty Yummies, as a bundt cake recipe. Spellcheck really needs to learn that a bundt cake is an actual thing. […]
OK, wow! This cake is so delicious!! I tried it as a double layer cake and it was awesome! Nobody would ever guess this is grain free, it’s a moist and delicious chocolate cake. Totally made my birthday, thank you! I posted it on my blog with a link back over here for the recipe. 🙂
So good…really I mean SO GOOD! I’m going to bake this again, brush it with espresso and frost it with mocha frosting. I suppose I should finish eating this one first though, haha…let me go do that now…
Haha I just was over there commenting. Thanks again and YAY Happy Birthday!! I cannot wait to make it as a layer cake. Great idea. xo
LOL, thanks for visiting! 🙂 For the record, I make my own almond and coconut milks, and use the pulp to make the flours. So, this recipe works great with all of that too! It’s the birthday cake that keeps on giving…giving me slices of cake, that is, haha!!
I made it, but I substituted applesauce for coconut oil and …..it was good! What I really liked about it is that it not only looks delish, it is delish! Furthermore, it had just the right amount of sweetness. This cake is definitely one I would be proud to bring to a potluck or give as a gift!
I made it, but I substituted applesauce for coconut oil and …..it was good! What I really liked about it is that it not only looks delish, it is delish! Furthermore, it had just the right amount of sweetness. This cake is definitely one I would be proud to bring to a potluck or give as a gift!
This cake was phenomenal. Not too sweet, but all the goodness of a German Chocolate cake. My grain eaters were pleasantly surprised there is no grain, gluten or dairy in it. What a hit!!
I have been wanting a glass bundt pan for ages. So happy you shared the link to MightyNest.
I am going to link to them from my website too. I often tell parents of the children who come to Natureplay Preschool that we only cook in glass and now I have a great site to share with them.
[…] Grain free German Chocolate Bundt Cake […]
Can i substitute coconut sugar for more honey? Thanks in advance x
What can be substituted for almond flour? I have nut allergic people in my house, which makes cooking like this tons of “fun.”
Julia – you could try another nut flour like cashew or macadamia nut, but I haven’t sampled this myself at all, so I cannot say for sure that it will work. A great substitute for almond flour in some recipes when you need it to be totally nut free is finely ground sunflower seeds, but in a recipe like this one, it may not work quite right.
I say experiment a little and see what works for you.
this looks amazing…. do you know if i could substitute the coconut milk with whole milk? i’m not a big fan of coconut 🙁
I bet you could and it would work just fine.
Any thoughts on how to adapt this for a ‘yellow’ cake? I love chocolate myself, but I need a light colored cake for next weekend… I was thinking of trying to alter it to a lemon blueberry, or strawberry… any suggestions? Thanks!
Sarah
Just put it in the oven added pecans let you know how it goes:)
Yum worked out great served it with a lemon coconut cream cheese topping !
Yay so glad you liked it. That topping sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing.
This looks amazing !
I like chocolate cake.Thanks for the recipe.
If I leave out the cacao does it become a “regular” cake or do I have to replace it by something else?
Maja, it would probably work to give you a more traditional vanilla cake, but you would have to adjust your other dry ingredients to make up for the missing 3/4 cup cacao. I would suggest adding another 3/4 cup almond flour, however I haven’t tested this out myself yet, to know for sure if that would work.
This looks delicious. I making this cake for my son’s birthday party, can I use a regular Bundt pan?
I give this recipe my highest rating. Everyone, and I mean everyone, loved this cake at my son’s birthday party
Did you use a regular bundt pan?
I link to the pan I use in the recipe 😉
Hello! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for the great information youve got right here on this post.
I will likely be coming back to your blog for more soon.
Apparently the pan is no longer available. Could you tell me the capacity so I can use a different pan? Thanks!
Awesome…made for hubby’s B-day…so perfect I finally have a gf dairy free go to chocolate cake recipe! So happy. Best ever, better than any store bought cake, cupcake or donut. Not any harder or time consuming than any scratch cake. Pretty & delicious…just a little sweet not overwhelming. I followed the cake recipe to a “T” but ran out of coconut sugar for icing. (This was a spur of the moment bake). I substituted with 1/4 cup coconut sugar & 1/4 cup of maple syrup & reduced the coconut milk by 1/4 cup. Worked fine and I didn’t need to open a 2nd can of coconut milk! Drizzling chocolate would be over the top wonderful…next b-day!