Moist and creamy vegan coconut cake with a coconutty sweet potato frosting which reminds of Raffaello! The recipe is dairy-free, eggless, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, nut-free, and furthermore easy to make. This healthier dessert is the perfect cake for all coconut lovers out there and also a great birthday cake.
Coconut Cream Birthday Cake
Today is not only Mother’s Day but it’s also my mom’s birthday and therefore I baked a cake! Since my mom doesn’t like chocolate (yes, I know… I don’t understand it either, haha) I made a vegan coconut cake because she loves coconut as much as I do. Unfortunately, my mom doesn’t live close (actually over 7500 km away), so this cake is rather symbolic. I know she will still appreciate this little gesture, and I am sure she knows how much I love her!
Gluten Free Coconut Cake
This coconut cream cake is, of course, plant-based, and also gluten-free. I used a combination of rice flour and oat flour, however, I am pretty sure that you could also use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. And if you aren’t gluten-free, you can try using all-purpose flour or spelt flour. Please note, that I haven’t made this cake with any other flour combination, so I cannot guarantee that the result will be the same!
Allergy-Friendly Recipe
If you follow me on Instagram or already subscribed to my blog newsletter, you will know that I share vegan recipes which are, most of the time, pretty healthy! I try to avoid refined sugar, gluten, and oil (or vegan butter) because I just don’t feel good when I consume any of these ingredients.
This vegan cake doesn’t contain refined sugar, oil, eggs, or butter which makes it so much healthier than most other (coconut) cakes. It’s also soy-free, and nut-free, and I am sure you will be surprised if I tell you that this cake contains veggies!
Sweet Potato Frosting
Yes, that’s right, this vegan coconut cream cake contains sweet potatoes! I used Japanese sweet potatoes that have white flesh. Here they are called “batata” and they are totally different from orange sweet potatoes. What is the difference between white (Japanese) and orange sweet potatoes? Well, Japanese sweet potatoes are much drier (they contain more starch) and they are a little bit sweeter than orange ones. They are simply perfect to use in desserts!
I know that Japanese sweet potatoes aren’t available everywhere but if you happen to have them in your local supermarket, then definitely buy them! They are really amazing, and I am sure you will love them as much as I do.
Some people commented that they used orange sweet potatoes for the frosting, which worked fine. Of course, the color of the frosting will be different.
I cannot tell you how much I love the frosting which I made with the Japanese sweet potatoes. It totally reminds me of Raffaello, the almond/coconut candy which was my absolute favorite (besides Bounty) before I went vegan! The cream tastes almost the same, I am not kidding!
How To Make Vegan Coconut Cake?
- First, peel, chop and boil the Japanese sweet potatoes until fork tender. For this recipe, you will need 340 grams of cooked sweet potato (about 1 medium Japanese sweet potato or two small ones).
- Meanwhile, add all dry ingredients into a bowl. Process the wet ingredients in a blender and pour the mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk until combined. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan (I recommend using two) and bake it in the oven.
- While the cake is in the oven, you can prepare the frosting. It’s super easy, as you need to simply process all frosting ingredients in your blender until smooth and creamy.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, frost it and decorate it with coconut flakes.
How To Store
Store the cake covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the cake slices for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature.
Useful Tips:
- Use two cake pans for shorter baking time and to avoid cutting the cake into two layers.
- Add coconut rum or coconut extract for a delicious coconutty taste.
- If you don’t want to use sweet potatoes for the frosting, you can also check out my No-Bake Carrot Cake recipe. It has a deliciously creamy frosting made out of pudding (custard) and soaked cashews!
- The recipe calls for coconut butter. It can be store-bought or homemade. If you want to make it yourself, you will need to process about 3 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut in a food processor until it turns into coconut butter and has a creamy texture (which takes about 20-30 minutes, therefore I would recommend using store-bought coconut butter.
Should you give this vegan coconut cake recipe a try, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see how it turned out! And for more easy vegan cake recipes, definitely check out the following recipes:
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- No-Bake Carrot Cake
- Baked Cheesecake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Vegan Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups (180 g) oats (gluten-free if needed) ground into flour
- 3/4 cup (120 g) white rice flour (*see notes)
- 1 1/2 cups (130 g) shredded unsweetened coconut ground into flour (*see notes)
- 1 cup (150 g) coconut sugar (or use 150 g of regular sugar)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup (160 g) apple sauce or 160 g peeled zucchini
- 1 1/3 cup ml) (320 ml) coconut milk canned
- 4 tbsp (80 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 tbsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Frosting:
- 340 g (1 medium or 2 small) (340 g) Japanese sweet potato (*see notes)
- 2/3 cup (160 g) coconut butter (*see notes)
- 1/3 cup (105 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk canned
- 4 tbsp (40 ml) coconut rum or use more coconut milk (*see notes)
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale.
- Peel the Japanese sweet potato and chop into 1-inch cubes. Boil in water until fork tender. For this recipe, you will need 340 grams of cooked sweet potato (about 1 medium Japanese sweet potato or two small ones).
- Meanwhile, process the oats and shredded unsweetened coconut in an electric spice/coffee grinder or blender. Then add all dry ingredients into a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 356 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) or 7-inch (18 cm) cake pans (or springforms) and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Process the wet ingredients in a blender and pour the mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk until combined.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. It can still be a little bit crumbly but shouldn't be wet! If you use just one cake pan the baking time will be much longer (about 50-55 minutes) but I definitely recommend 2 cake pans.
- While the cake is in the oven, you can prepare the frosting. Simply process all frosting ingredients in your blender until completely smooth and creamy.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, frost it and decorate with coconut flakes. Chill in the fridge for about 3 hours before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please use shredded unsweetened coconut, also known as desiccated coconut. Do NOT use coconut flour, as it's completely different and dries out the batter! You could use 130 grams of ground almonds (or other ground nuts of choice) though.
- Rice flour: Some people reported that they used regular flour instead of rice flour with good results.
- Frosting: I used Japanese sweet potatoes for this recipe. Japanese sweet potatoes have white flesh and are much drier than orange sweet potatoes. They are furthermore sweeter and perfect for desserts. If you don't have access to Japanese sweet potatoes I would recommend making the frosting of my No-Bake Carrot Cake but make sure to increase the amount of ingredients by about 50%.
- Some people commented that they used orange sweet potatoes for the frosting, which worked fine (I haven't tried it). Of course, the color of the frosting will be different.
- The recipe calls for coconut butter, not coconut oil. The coconut butter can be store-bought or homemade. If you want to make it yourself, you will need to process about 3 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut in a food processor until it turns into coconut butter and has a creamy texture (which takes about 20-30 minutes, therefore I would recommend store-bought coconut butter.
- If you don't want to use coconut rum, then use more coconut milk. You could also add a little coconut extract for an enhanced coconutty flavor.
- You can also check out my Vegan Coconut Cups Recipe.
- Nutrition facts are for one slice (of 12).
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Hi Ela,
Instead of rice flour, could I add more oat flour or maybe tapioca flour?
Thank you
Hi Melissa! No, I wouldn’t recommend it, as it would turn out too dense. 🙂
Hello,
Interested in making this! I have a ton of oat flour, any suggestions?
Could I use oat flour instead of grinding my own oatmeal?
Of course! That’s totally fine. 🙂
Thank you so much!
Hi ela 😊. Should I measure the potato when is raw or cooked ?thanks
Hi Patricia, it’s explained in step 2 in the recipe instructions. You need 340 grams of cooked sweet potato. 🙂
Hi Ella I am in love with this cake and want to make it in a 10” springform. Is there a way of calculating how much more I would need of every ingredient? Thanks so much in advance
Hi Patricia, if using a 10” springform, I would recommend using 50% more of every ingredient, for example, instead of using 150 grams of sugar, use 225 grams. Or instead of 1 tsp baking soda, use 1 1/2 tsp. 🙂
Hi! I was wondering if there is anything I can’t replace the white rice flour with?
You can use all-purpose flour, as mentioned in the recipe notes. 🙂
Hi, I’m from France and I want to do your cake recipe but I have a problem with the icing. In fact, Japaneses sweet potatoes are very rare in France, even in Paris. This recipe seems so good that I want to try it for my birthday, but some of my friends are allergic to diary and nut so I can’t do the icing of your carrot cake. Do you have an idea that I could use for substitute? Thank you so much
Hi Lea, you could make the cream layer of my “Chocolate Lasagna“, though it isn’t as firm.
Another option would be to make a vegan buttercream, check out this Peanut Butter Cake for the recipe.
I hope this helps. 🙂
What if you’re allergic to oats what can you substitute oats with? Thanks!
Hi, you could try buckwheat flour, or maybe sorghum flour. 🙂
Hi! As I don’t have 2 pans of the same size, can I devide ihe batter and bake them one at a time? Will something happen to the one is resting? If I can, for how long should I bake them?
Thanks!
Hi Andrea, I think that should be ok (I never tried it though). The baking time is the same as mentioned in the instructions (30-35 minutes). 🙂
Hi Ela, it would be good to insert a picture of the Japanese sweet potatoes. Where do you buy them in Germany, which store?
Hi Nevana, I don’t live in Germany. But many of my German readers bought them in an Asian store. You can read the comments on my German site. 🙂
Hi Ela! You think I could use agave nectar instead o a granulated sugar? Do you think the result would be much different? I really want to make this cake! It looks so delicious! Thank you!
Hi Patricia, it might work just fine, but I never tried it. I would reduce the amount of coconut milk a bit, otherwise, the batter might turn out too thin. 🙂
This cake is sooooo good!!! I made it with agave and brown rice flour and it turned out great. I did as you said and used a little less coconut milk. Amazing!
That’s awesome, Patricia! I am so glad you loved it. 🙂
Hi Patricia! Do you mind letting me know how much you reduced the coconut milk by? I am really excited about making this cake for a friend’ birthday, but would like to use honey instead of the coconut sugar. Thank you so much in advance!!
This frosting is deliciously addictive. How did you get your’s to be so white? I used white sweet potato, but it still turned out kind of a khaki/tan color… Any tips to enhance the whiteness?
I am so glad you liked it! I am not sure, we have two different kinds of sweet potatoes here. The flesh of one variety is a little yellowish and the other one is pretty white (that’s the one I used). Also, my coconut butter was pure white. 🙂
I’m a little confused. Does the recipe call for coconut milk, or coconut cream?
Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Sio, I meant coconut butter in the comment (not cream). I will edit it. 🙂
I hope you will like the cake!
I have the same issue with the color of the frosting. But who cares, it’s sooooo delicious! I’m currently licking the bowl and can’t get enough of this frosting. It’s my second time making this cake and I gotta say, this is the best coconut anything on the planet. I used two 9″ pans and used 2Tbs of Coco Real (Cream of Coconut) and 2 Tbs of coconut Malibu Rum for the frosting. The rest, I followed the recipe.
So glad you liked it, Sherri! 🙂
Hi Ella .. I’m making it now ,,but I had to do some errands and asked mi husband to put the batter in the oven 🙄 I know big mistake.
He forgot to split the batter and only used one pan. Should I bake it longer ? Same temperature? I’m afraid of the batter burn on une outside and be raw inside.
I guess I have to cut it .
Please help me 😳
Yes, you will need to cut it, but please let it cool completely first.
I let it cool but unfortunately it broke 😳. My bad. I will make it again 😊thanks Ella for your answers ..❤️
Aww, I am sorry to hear that, Patricia. I hope the next try will be much better. 🙂
Hello Ela,
I made your sweet potato coconut frosting 3 times so far, and I got a different texture each time. Do you let the sweet potatoes cool before blending? Should the butter be hard or soft before blending?
Thanks for your help!
Kavita
Hello Kavita! Yes, I let them cool. And the coconut butter was softened. Depending on the starch content of the sweet potatoes, the result might differ. 🙂
Thanks Ela, I will do the frosting as you have instructed😊.
Kind Regards,
Kavita
You are very welcome, Kavita. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe!! My daughter has a ton of allergies and her birthday is in a couple days. Just did a dry run of the frosting using purple sweet potato. It came out so pretty & delicious!! Can I store the frosting in the fridge? And does it thicken up a bit? Mine seems a little thin – more coconut butter? Thank you again! I’ve been sharing your recipe with my friends in functional medicine! 🙂
Sounds great, Rachel! Yes, you can store it in the fridge. You could use less coconut milk to make it thicker next time. 🙂
Ela, I’ve been craving coconut cake since the lock down began here in March and this cake 100% hit the spot. To say that it was incredible is an understatement. I have a bit of a sweet tooth and was worried it wouldn’t be sweet enough but the coconut, maple, and sweet potato made a divine combo that was perfect without additional sugar. Thank you so much for sharing!
You are very welcome, Maya! I am so glad you like the cake. 🙂
OMG Ela, thank you so much for this recipe. This cake is a heaven. My partner said he never eaten better one in his life. So that means I made better one than my mother in law 😂 Thanks for you, is so delicious and easy to make. We ate it in 1 day, mostly my partner 🙈
Didn’t look as nice as yours but never mind, the taste was amazing. I’ve replaced coconut butter to cashew butter and put regular sweet potatoes instead of Japanese. 🙏🎂🎂 I can’t wait to try your other recipes as well.
Suzi
Aww, that’s awesome, Suzi! I am so glad it was a success! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
I made this cake for a birthday party and it was delicious! The birthday girl couldn’t believe that it was vegan. Her jaw dropped when I said there was sweet potato in the frosting. To me it tastes like sweetened condensed milk.
It’s a very good recipe, though I had to buy a few things that I didn’t have in my pantry, but now that I have them, I’ll be making this for sure more often.
Thank you for posting the recipe.
Yay, that’s amazing, Gerry! I am so glad you guys liked it. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Ela.
Thank you for a very nice recipe. My husband really enjoys this cake. I baked one yesterday and weighed everything and measured the liquids with a glass jug. I have been baking glutenfree for a long time and doing it your way, is the only way.
Just one small problem that I cant seem to correct. The cake yesterday was baked in a 7” x2 pans.
As the cake was still in the oven it started doming and cracking. The doming told me to use a bigger pan. Nevertheless I glued it together with icing and not a crumb was wasted.
This morning I baked another one using 8”pans. Much better but still cracked and it is now cooling on racks and really cracking right through while cooling.
Please can you advise me as to what could be the cause. My oven…thermofan…was 180 degrees, it baked for 30min. It is not dry…yesterday the very badly cracked one was divine too, not dry at all. Holding thumbs that you have an answer for me. I used my vitamix to make flour from gfree oats and. From dessicated coconut.
Normally a gfree cake cracks if it is too dry, ingredients not weighed properly and too little fluids. That is definitely not the issue here..
Hoping to hear from you.
Once again thanks for sharing your recipe.
Kind Regards
Mariana Van Wyk
Hello dear Mariana! Thanks so much for your thorough feedback. I am so glad you loved the cake. 🙂 Sorry to hear about the cracking. Did you use applesauce or zucchini?
May I ask where you live? Altitude and humidity can often make a huge difference. I live close to the ocean at sea level in a tropical, very warm, and humid climate. 🙂
Maybe it would help if you put a water-filled bowl into your oven to create steam?
Kind regards,
Ela
Hi Ela,
Sorry I forgot to mention that I used Apple sauce.
Thanks🙂
Hi Ela.
Thanks for you response. I live in Cape Town at the sea. So maybe your suggestion of water in a bowl will do the trick.
You replied on my phone but I only receive emails on my Ipad. However I saw your reply on my phone. My Ipad was in for repairs.
Thanks for your feedback.
I will add my email address now on the Ipad.
Regards Mariana
Yes, definitely try the water in a bowl trick. 🙂
Hi again 😊. I made it yesterday… delicious.
I I used buckwheat flour instead of rice
( trying to avoid white flours ) at the begging the frosting was kind of watery (a little to liquid ) but I put it over the cakes and put it back on the refrigerator and leave it overnight and today was perfect. I decorated on top iwith blueberries around and a huge strawberry in the middle. And at the base I incrusted slices almonds ..
the only think I notice is that if is not for the frosting ,,the cake will be kind of dry.
Any suggestions to add a little be more moist ? Thanks 😊
Hi Patricia, I am so glad it turned out delicious. Yes, you could add a little oil to the batter next time. 🙂
Thanks .. I will 😊
Hi 😊. I will try to make it today again And I would like to know if Should I replace the applesauce with the oil ? Or just add oil and the applesauce ? If I had to add both how much oil should I add. ? Thanks
Hi Patricia, I would suggest using 1/3 cup applesauce and 1/3 cup oil (80 grams each). I hope it helps. 🙂
Hi Ella 😊. I will make it tomorrow for my son’s wedding
He is in Ecuador and due to the pandemic the wedding will be via zoom… so it will be more as a symbolic cake.
I will decorate it with edible flowers and almond brittle .. and I want to freeze it for him.
How long does it will last in the freezer ? Thanks 😊
Maybe I should decorate it after I defrost it ?
Hey Patricia! That’s a nice idea. 🙂 You can freeze it for a few weeks, but I would definitely recommend decorating it after defrosting. 🙂
Hi Ela,
I’ve read through all the comments and couldn’t find my answer.
Can I sub almond flour for oat flour instead of buckwheat or quinoa? I can’t eat oats or buckwheat unfortunately.
It looks amazing and I’m really hoping to make it!
Hi Jessica, I never made this recipe with almond flour, so I am not sure it would work. I believe sorghum flour or millet flour might work better. 🙂
Hope this helps!
Couldn’t find the Japanese sweet potatoes but going to attempt the frosting with purple ones, fingers crossed…
I bought cashews just in case it doesn’t work.
Please report back how it worked with purple sweet potatoes. I bet it will look lovely! 🙂
Hi Ela,
This cake looks amazing and I’m super excited to make it. Just want to check whether you would recommend trying aquafaba to make the cake more fluffy or whether you would avoid it as it would change the flavour?
Thank you!
Hi Maja, I never tried aquafaba in this recipe, so I am not sure how it would turn out. You could try adding just a few tablespoons. 🙂
Hi ela 😊. What kind of rice flor you recommend? White , brown , seer rice ? Thanks
Hi Patricia! I used white rice flour as mentioned in the recipe 🙂 But I think brown might work too (never tried it though).
OMG! The most delicious coconut cake I’ve ever tasted in my life! Everyone asked for seconds. So moist, coconuty, and delicious. And that frosting…Mmmmm…can’t wait for another excuse to make this. Thank you!!!
Awesome! I am so glad you loved it, Sherri! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Hi,
The recipe says 2 cups of instant oats. If I already have oat flours how many cups / gms should I use?
Thank you!
Hi Shivani, please use 180 grams as mentioned in the recipe. 🙂
This coconut cake is so delicious and the frosting is lovely (can’t believe it’s made with white sweet potato). I made it for my sons birthday family gathering and everyone went back for seconds.
Love this cake, it looks impressive and will definitely make again. I used all the ingredients Ela used in her cake.
I am so glad you loved it, Sonja! Thanks for your amazing feedback. 🙂
Hi Ela!
I really wanna try your recipe because I love cocunut but cannot eat wheat or lactose! Although I do eat eggs, can I substitute the zucchini to eggs? Or that is not the right alternative?
Hi Clara, I cannot answer your question since I am vegan and haven’t tried it. The recipe calls for applesauce OR zucchini though, so I offer two options. 🙂
Hi Ela,
Thanks for this recipe it’s good! I followed your instructions for the cake but the only thing I changed was that I used brill brown rice flower instead of white. The cake was tasty but did not rise and wasn’t moist. I Wonder if that was because I changed the flour? Is it supposed to be the same measurements? Thank you! x
Hi Camila, I never made the cake with brown rice flour. White rice flour is lighter than brown rice flour, so it actually does make a difference in gluten-free baking. I am glad you liked the taste. Maybe you will give it another try with white rice flour. 🙂
I find the Japanese sweet potatoes at Whole Foods Market. They are soooo good. These are the only ones we’ve been buying of late. I bake them cut in half, seasoned and oh so yummy. I cannot wait to bake this cake recipe using these for the frosting! YUM!!!
That’s awesome, Rochelle! I am glad they are available at Whole Foods Market. 🙂
Hi
I’d love to try this one but I don’t have coconut butter can I substitute it with something?
Thanks
You could use cashew butter or make the frosting of the carrot cake which is linked in the recipe notes. 🙂
Hello Michaela,
Made this cake today, & it is fantastic! Thank you so much for the recipe! I usually don’t like to add any sugar, but I did use the whole cup of coconut sugar, and it added just the right amount of subtle sweetness! I used oat flour along with a gluten-free flour blend, and it worked very well. I live in the US, and purchased the potatoes at Trader Joe’s. They are called Murasaki Sweet Potatoes. Could you tell me how long you boil the potatoes? I think I may have overboiled them and caused my frosting to be a bit runny. I also used coconut cream, as I think that may be the same thing as coconut butter.
Hi Cara! Thanks for sharing the name of the sweet potatoes. I boil them until they are fork-tender, but not too soft. Coconut cream is softer than coconut butter and it’s not the same. Coconut butter is also known as coconut manna. I am glad you liked the cake! 🙂
I can’t get Japanese sweet potatoes, what else can I use?
Hello Dianna, it’s explained in the recipe notes:
Dear Ela, I made this cake for my birthday and it turned out so great! I had to vary the flours a little, since a friend of mine has problems to digest regular oats (and I needed to empty the shelf a little 😉 ) I used spelt flour, shredded rye oats and cornstarch and the dough turned out great. A little rustic, but I liked that a lot. Besides, I was happy that it had worked, I was a little worried with this really different mixture. Also, I reduced the amount of sweetness and added lemon zest to the frosting, as well as a layer of blueberries in the middle. I think just pure coconut would have been to heavy for me. The lemon really lightens it a little. – Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for being such an inspiration. I am always looking forward to your new recipes and I love what you do. Thank you 🙂
Sounds lovely with the lemon! I am so glad you enjoyed it, Gretchen. Thanks for your great feedback and happy belated birthday. 🙂
Thanks for this yummy recipe!! I thought I bought white sweet potato (hard to find where I live) but when I got home, discovered they were orange inside. The idea hit me then to make the icing orange flavoured using 2 teaspoons orange rind & the juice from the orange along with the rest of the original icing ingredients. It turned out beautifully! I’ve noiw taken it to two church potluck lunches and it disappears even though many who eat it aren’t special diet. My husband doesnt like special diet food normally (our daughter has severe allergies) but he likes this cake! Just thought I’d share the orange icing idea if white sweet potatoes aren’t obtainable.. Thanks again, Donna
Thanks so much for sharing, Donna! An orange coconut cake sounds wonderful! I am sure it also looked very pretty. 🙂
Sorry just read about coconut flour
But late
Already mix it together
Hey Ella ! Ready to cook this magic! Coconut flour from shop is suitable in this recipe as I got ? Thank you ❤️
Hey Irene! Why coconut flour? The recipe calls for shredded unsweetened coconut! Please read the recipe notes:
If I have coconut rum, do I use the rum and a dash of coconut extract as well? Or just stuck to using the rum? I’m going to make this in a couple days and I’m so excited!
I would also add a dash of the coconut extract because it’s so lovely! 🙂
I tried this recipe, without the icing as I was unable to find the batata.
My cake was not very moist though and I am wondering if your measurements for the dry ingredients are in whole state or ground state. For instance, should I measure the oats, and then add them to the processor? Or should I first make oat flour, and then measure the amount.
I first processed the ingredients so they were in “flour” state, and then I measured. I am thinking this is why the recipe was too dry,
additionally, is this cake intended to be fluffy?
Hi! Please ALWAYS measure the ingredients in grams for an accurate result. That’s really crucial for gluten-free recipes! However, if the recipe says two cups of oats, then you need to measure oats and not oat flour. As you can tell from the photos, the cake is rather dense and moist. If you want it to be fluffy and light you would need to use regular flour. Hope this helps!
This recipe rocks! I made this tonight. The only changes I made was to to 1/2 cup almond flour and in replace of some of the coconut flakes and reduces the sugar from 1 cup to 1/2 ish and reduced the maple syrup to 2 tbsp and in the frosting I used 2 tbsp and added lemon juice to lift it up a touch. Thanks for a brilliant recipe
I am so happy you loved the recipe Cara! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Made this last night. Soooooo delicious. Substitutd some tapioca and garbanzo flour for the rice flour. It’s divine!
I am happy the coconut cake turned out very delicious! Thanks for your great feedback, Sarah. 🙂
I was so excited to see this recipe but it’s loaded with fat and sugar so it’s not really healthy unfortunately. I know the fat can’t be helped because it’s coconut. But have you tried making it with the sugar substitute like stevia?
You can always use any sweetener of choice. Erythritol, Stevia, Xylitol, date sugar can be used instead of coconut sugar.
Is there anything could replace the coconut butter in this recipe?
Maybe cashew butter would work.
Is it possible to make this as cupcakes? How long to bake the cupcakes? Thank you!!
Sure! It depends on the size/depth of the cupcake pan though. I would bake them maybe for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean!
What is a decent sub for rice flour? It doesn’t need to be GF.
Thanks!
You could try regular wheat flour or spelt flour. Please note that I never tried it though. 🙂
Best cake I have ever made, so moist and good! I totally recommend to anyone, vegan or not (especially the non vegans because it was better than any cake I had before being vegan)
Yay! I am so happy you loved the recipe, Stephanie! Thanks for your wonderful feedback. 🙂
Hi Ela!
I usually don’t leave notes but this time I really felt I had to. We had friends over for dinner yesterday and I made your cake and served it for dessert. I have a lot of dietary restrictions but I could make the cake without making any changes. Honestly I didn’t know Japanese sweet potatoes exist but I found them in the Asian store.
Back to yesterday night. Everybody loved your cake. Even though I was the only one that had to eat a vegan cake. My husband, normally very skeptical to vegan desserts, ate two pieces. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He doesn’t even like energy balls! This is truly the best commendation you can get!
I just made one little change to the frosting. I added the juice of half a lime. Made it a little bit fresher.
Oh, and I had to pass on the recipe! So thank you for this delicious cake recipe. I will surly make it again!
Sabrina
Wow, that’s such a nice compliment! Makes me so happy that you all enjoyed the cake. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback, Sabrina! I really appreciate it. 🙂
Holi can I make this cake without the blender ?
I am afraid that won’t work, Lorena.
Hi Ela!
So just checking: you used raw sweet potato?
Thanks,
Maja
Hi Maja, you need to cook the sweet potato. It’s actually mentioned in the first instruction step: 1) “Peel the Japanese sweet potato and chop into 1-inch cubes. Boil in water until fork tender. For this recipe, you will need 340 grams of cooked sweet potato (about 1 medium Japanese sweet potato or two small ones).”
Wow! This cake looks delicious. Once every other month some friends from church and I meet at each other’s home to potluck and fellowship. On our next meeting I will surprise them with this cake and I’m sure that they are going to love it. But I would like to know if there is something I could use other than sugar?
Thanks!
That’s awesome, Tony! You can use Xylitol, Erythritol or a combination of Stevia and Erythritol. 🙂
Awesome cake, espacially tried for my birthday!
It taste amazing and even the rest of my family who is not vegan loved it.
Furthermore it is easy to make !!
Thank you very much for sharing this Ela.
That’s wonderful! So glad you loved the cake, Laura. 🙂
What can i use to replace baking powder and baking soda
Hi, there is actually nothing you can use instead of baking powder and baking soda, as far as I know. You can just leave it out, which will make the cake dense.
I use yeast in my cakes, Ive had some friends who made some lovely cakes that way.
One of the things I like best about this recipe was that it’ was so fun to make! Japanese sweet potatoes as the base for frosting?! So cool!!
Both plant based and non-plant based family loved the cake. Dense and moist, perfectly sweet. Thank you thank you, I’ve had so much fun with your recipes.
Yay! I am super happy it turned out delicious and that you and your family loved it. Thanks for your amazing feedback! 🙂
Hi Ela, I am making this today, looking forward to it! I haven’t worked with coconut sugar, I generally only use honey as a sweetener. Think the substitution will be too runny? Add more flour perhaps? Appreciate your two cents, Jessica
Hi Jessica! Good question, I also believe the batter would be too runny. I would suggest adding a little bit more flour, maybe 1/4 cup each. Let me know how it turned out if you give it a try. 🙂
Jessica
Ela,
this cake is a dream! I love coconut in desserts and I adored Rafaello too when I was a kid.
I’m definitely making this beauty. I’d wanna use the brown rice flour that I always use. Do you think it should work as well?
Lots of love,
Maja
Thank you so much, Maja! Yes, brown rice flour should work as well. 🙂
Much love, Ela
Thank you! It turned out d e l I c i o u s?
Awesome! I am so pleased the cake turned out delicious! Thanks for your feedback, Tanja. 🙂
This cake looks so delicious Ela ?
Love coconut too! I wish I could have a slice now ?
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Thank you, Bianca! I would love to share the coconut cake with you! ?
This looks amazing! Would love to make this for my mums 50th. Could I swap the rice flour for something? I’m gluten and rice intolerant until further notice haha
You could try using buckwheat flour or quinoa flour. 🙂
Amazing I’ll try the quinoa. Thank you!
Great, I hope it turns out delicious! 🙂
Can I replace that sweet potato with so some of else? Thank you o
Hi, Stefania! I have already answered your question in the recipe notes and linked to a different recipe to make a cashew based cream.
I can’t wait to make this! Is it possible to replace the oat and rice flour with just regular flour? If so, what would I need to adjust? Also, where do you buy your coconut butter?
Thank you!
Hi, Aspen! I have already answered the question in the blog post. Regular flour probably will work but since I didn’t try it, I cannot tell you how the result will be. The batter shouldn’t be too thick and also not too runny. So simply add more milk if it’s too thick and more flour if it’s too runny and then see if it works. 🙂 I bought coconut butter at iHerb.
Thank you so much!
You are very welcome! 🙂
Okay, Ela, this is MAGIC! Coconut cake was my absolute favorite as a kid, and this is bringing back memories!! The frosting is incredible, and I love the layers 🙂 Can’t have coconut cake without at least 2 layers!!
Aww, I am so glad you like it, Britt! And I agree, 2 layers are a must! 🙂
I looove coconut! Seems like I have all the ingredients (except sweet potato, but I think I have seen it in local market). I really want to make it for my birthday which is on the 25th May! My birthday – my way and I don’t care if somebody doesn’t like coconut, am I right? Haha
Haha, yes, exactly! Please report back once you make it. 🙂
This looks delicious! Before becoming vegan I loved coconut cake., its great that you shared this recipe. I will be making this in the very near future.
Yay sounds great! I hope you will like it, Ferlie. 🙂
Hello,
I’m in love with your vegan coconut cake on the picc ??.
I will try to make it to. It’s easy for me if I can see it how that is, if you’re making it in a video.
Do you have the video of your vegan ? ? ?
Thank you ?
Thank you, dear! I didn’t make a video of this recipe but if I make it again in the future I will definitely make a video. 🙂
Is it possible to replace oats with something else?
You could use more rice flour but then you would need to use less plant-based milk otherwise the batter will be too runny. You could maybe also use buckwheat flour instead of oat flour but I haven’t tried it out myself. Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Thanks! I promise I will !