This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
Easy, amazing, vegan coconut flour chocolate cake made with coconut flour, coconut oil, and chickpea flour eggs (in place of regular eggs; a Paleo version with real eggs is also included). The cake is grain-free and gluten-free, too.
Coconut Flour Cake without Eggs
Coconut flour is such a delicious and versatile flour to bake with in a range of recipes. It is naturally sweet and adds a light, fluffy texture to a variety of baked goods. It is relatively inexpensive, too, which is always a boon!
But it is not easy to make coconut flour work in vegan recipes. It has no protein structure, so it requires a tremendous amount of eggs to give it structure. Without the architecture of eggs, coconut flour baked goods are porridge: gooey and flat.
The usual egg replacements –flax eggs, boxed egg replacers, chia seeds, and psyllium husk–do not work at all. Trust me, I’ve done the (failed) experimenting for you.
But one ingredient does work, beautifully: chickpea flour. The combined high protein and high fiber of chickpea flour makes coconut flour cookies, muffins, and cakes rise and hold their shape, as well create a texture akin to all-purpose flour baked goods. Also, the sweet, mellow flavor of coconut flour balances out the flavor of the chickpea flour like a charm.
How to Make Vegan Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake
I put chickpea flour to the test in my eggless coconut flour chocolate cake. Begin by whisking 3/4 cup of chickpea flour with 3/4 cup of warm water until completley smooth. The warm water helps to break up any lumps or bumps in the chickpea flour.
Net, melt 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips with 1/2 cup coconut oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, whisking until blended and smooth. Scrape into a large bowl and whisk in whisk in 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup nondairy milk, and 2 teaspoons each of vanilla and vinegar until blended. Let cool for 5 minutes and then whisk in the chickpea flour mixture until blended.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk 1/3 cup coconut flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture, whisking until well-blended and smooth. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely Then use a plate to invert right side up.
This cake is moist and tender with a deep chocolate flavor. You can frost it, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, or serve it plain with some berries.
Paleo Option
If you do not need the cake to be vegan, you can make the cake Paleo by replacing the chickpea and water mixture with 6 large eggs :).
Happy baking!
More Grain-Free Vegan Cakes to Try:
- Vegan Coconut Almond Flour Cake {grain-free, oil-free}
- Vanilla Almond Flour Cake {vegan, oil-free}
- Vegan Chickpea Flour Chocolate Cake {Grain-Free, 1-bowl}
- Chickpea Flour Banana Cake (Vegan, Grain-Free)
Vegan Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake {gluten-free, grain-free}
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy, amazing, vegan coconut flour chocolate cake made with coconut flour, coconut oil, and chickpea flour eggs (in place of regular eggs). The cake is grain-free and gluten-free, too.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (90 g) chickpea flour
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) warm water
- 1 cup (6 oz/170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) virgin coconut oil
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) nondairy milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup (37 g) coconut flour
- 1/2 cup (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Grease or spray a 9-inch round baking pan (optional: line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the chickpea flour and water until completely smooth.
- In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil over low heat, stirring until melted and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in maple syrup, nondairy milk, vanilla and vinegar until blended; let cool for 5 minutes and then whisk in the chickpea flour mixture until blended.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture, whisking until well-blended and smooth. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely Then use a plate to invert right side up.
Equipment
Buy Now →
Notes
Storage: Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 5 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Paleo Version: Replace the chickpea flour and water with 6 large eggs.
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of cake
- Calories: 281
- Sugar: 18.1 g
- Sodium: 205.9 mg
- Fat: 18.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 14.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.9 g
- Fiber: 4.1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: coconut flour cake without eggs, coconut flour, coconut flour cake, vegan coconut flour cake, chocolate cake, vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, grain-free, gluten-free, chickpea flour
Really good. Bit of a buggers muddle as I used golden syrup instead of maple syrup, and a different tin size, but still very good indeed.
n.b. the blog, as with most American blogs, leaves unit conversions left to the user. Guessing on the different egg sizing Europe to US I used medium and it came out fine.
I love this recipe! I had it at a children’s party and have since made it twice. I even made it into mini muffins for my son’s class. Yummy, simple, and healthier than most sweets. Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful, Renee! 🙂
Hi Camilla,
I made this wonderful cake, never made it before, for a friend’s 65th birthday. I made it into a two layer 9″ x 12″ cake, and changed the amounts just slightly. For the sizes you give, 9″ square, 9″ round or 11″ x 7″ rectangular I just made the recipe as is and added 1/2 again as much of the ingredients.. 6 eggs became 9, 1/2 cup became 3/4 cup, etc. I added a cacao powder/avocado/maple syrup frosting and decorated with toy jungle animals (my friend is an animal communicator/wild animal activist/writer.) She and the 24 other women who attended the party were CRAZY over the results. Thank you so much for offering a gluten-free/dairy-free absolutely comforting dessert!
Keep up the creative, healthful ideas.
:Laurie
Yippee whahoo! Thansk so much for sharing, Laurie! 🙂
Can I use vinegar instead of lemon juice on this recipe?
yes!
Thank you for this recipe. My sad, gluten free, self loved every morsel!
You are so welcome, Christine! HOpe it turns the sad around 🙂
I made these for my daughter’s first birthday and they are delicious. My three year old also lo c especially them. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Yay! So glad to hear it, Elly!
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a long time and finally had the chance to make it today. I followed the recipe to a T and I have to echo Ruby’s words – it turned out moist and airy and rich and so lovely! I am a big fan of dark, bittersweet chocolate so the not-so-sweetness of this cake is perfect for me. I’m gonna have to blog about it sometime. Thank you!
Fantastic, TFC!!!! 🙂
This cake. My. God. I made it for my brother in laws birthday (my mother in law is GF) and I used a marshmallow frosting (not exactly paleo, sorry). It was a total hit from everyone. It held together beautifully and the taste and texture was perfect. Absolutely divine! My husband and I talked about it almost the entire ride home.
AWESOME!!!!! Thanks so much for letting me know, Meredith!
Would I be able to substitute the honey with coconut nectar instead?
Yes! 🙂
Amazing recipe! It ended up being a moist (but not wet) airy and rich cake. It`s so tasty! I ended up using agave nectar instead of maple syrup, which made the cake a little less sweet. But that`s ok, I love the taste of bitter chocolate anyway!
Thank you for the recipe, it`s a keeper!
Yay! So glad you made it and enjoyed it, Ruby! I love my chocolate on the bitter side, too 🙂
Hi Mags, Is this, by any chance, the yummy chocolate concoction you brought to the Hikers’ Christmas dinner??? I’m going to try it for Richards Birthday next week. Kate
I’m allergic to eggs…any suggestions on how to modify?
Hi Sandy! I am working on an egg-free version. Coconut flour is really tricky without the eggs. In the meantime, you might want to try my egg-free vanilla coconut cupcakes. You can add chocolate frosting or chopped chocolate 🙂 http://powerhungry.com/2014/03/vegan-coconut-flour-vanilla-cupcakes-grain-free-gluten-free-dairy-free-nut-free-egg-free/
yeah! so glad you’re back. have been LOVING POWER HUNGRY and am amazed at the recipes and how easy and fast they are to make. KUDOS for your willingness to share it. Keep it up! more fun recipes!
Thanks so much for the inspiring note, Julia–it means sooooo much!