Gluten-Free, dairy free, light and refreshing citrus with the tropical twist of coconut flakes, coconut oil and coconut yogurt. A bite of sunshine in the dead of winter or the perfect summer dessert.
Cake
“I don’t prefer cake,” says hubby! “Chocolates, biscuits, and pies, I prefer,” says my British husband. Biscuits, of course, meaning cookies. Well, every now and then I like to create something new in the cake world to see how it goes over at home.
Citrus Inspiration
A beautiful mound of mandarin oranges were beckoning me at the market, and so I created this cake around them. One bite, and he was hooked! “Oh good heavens,” he said, “you could package and sell this cake!” (wink)
Mandarin oranges are what I used in this, dare-I-say healthy cake, but any orange, tangerine of even grapefruit will compliment the coconut in this recipe.
A good quality orange marmalade is what I used to brush between the layers and on top of the cake with a heavy dusting of coconut flakes to adhere to the marmalade.
Gluten-Free Cake
Oat flour is my favorite flour to use when baking a gluten-free cake or cookies. Yes, its dense and gives a great deal of texture, somewhat like a nut flour would do, but honestly, I am not passionate about many of the ingredients in gluten-free flours I’ve purchased.
If oat flour is not available to you, simply place a package of rolled oats into a food processor and grind it to a flour. There, you have oat flour! Same way to make your own nut flour.
Coconut Cake
Oh My Does This Cake Have Coconut! After all… its January here in Maryland, as I am creating this recipe, 26 degrees in the sun and I am in desperate need of coconuts, palm trees, sunshine!
This tropical dessert is made with coconut oil instead of butter, coconut yogurt instead of cream and sprinkled with naturally sweet coconut flakes that are stuck to the cake with a citrus syrup, instead of an icing. See? It’s healthy!
One bite of this tropical flavored cake, with your eyes closed and you will hear palm trees rustling in the warm tropical air, and swear a tropical cocktail is not far behind.
Once cake has cooled, split cake open (if spring-form) or remove 2 small cakes from cake pans. Spread marmalade over lower layer of cake. Set the top layer in place. Mix powdered sugar and orange juice together, and slowly drizzle across top of cake, and brush around sides of cake. Sprinkle coconut flakes across top, and pat flakes around the sides. Finish with just a little more orange zest across the top. Delicious!
Ingredients Needed
- Oat Flour
- Coconut flakes
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Coconut oil
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Coconut yogurt
- Oranges
- Orange Marmalade
Equipment Needed
- Spring form pan or 2 cake pans
- Mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Cutting knife
- Rubber spatula
Coconut and Citrus Gluten-Free Cake
Ingredients
- Oat Flour – 2 1/2 cups
- Coconut flakes – 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup extra for topping
- Baking powder – 2 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Coconut oil – 1/4 cup, melted, plus 1 tbsp for the pan
- Eggs – 3, separated
- Sugar – 3/4 cup
- Coconut yogurt – 1 1/2 cups
- Orange juice and zest – 1/4 cup juice from 2 mandarin oranges (or 1 navel orange) 2 tbsp zest (save some for garnish)
- Orange marmalade – 8 oz
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- In a medium mixing bowl add oat flour, coconut flakes, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- Whip egg whites until light and fluffy and set aside.
- In a larger bowl mix egg yolks, sugar, juice and zest (save some for garnish). Whisk until light and creamy.
- Slowly stir in dry ingredients, and yogurt. Fold in egg whites.
- Place in an oiled spring-form pan, or 2 small cake pans.
- Bake for 35 – 45 minutes until tester comes out clean.
- Once the cake has cooled, slice the cake open into two layers (if spring-form), or remove 2 small cakes from cake pans.
- Spread half of the marmalade on the bottom layer. Set the top layer in place. Brush remaining marmalade across the top and around the sides of the cake.
- Sprinkle coconut flakes across the top, and pat flakes around the sides. Finish with just a little more orange zest across the top.
Nutrition
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.