I attribute my love of baking to my mother. She has an inherent knack for whipping up some sort of amazing bread or cake without any recipe. When she first taught me to bake, she introduced the process as a science. I learned the "laws" of baking and became adept at following a recipe. But, as our diets have evolved (we both avoid grains and dairy), we have individually adapted our baking styles and have shared our lessons and tips with one another along the way.
One of my favorite recipes that I ever made with my mom was far from grain-free and dairy free: A 6-layer coconut cake that called for 2 cans of heavy cream, 2lbs of butter and a lot of flour and sugar. Each layer was glazed, and between the layers was a thick coconut cream. It was one of our favorites. It was such a process to make, but it was worth every bit of work.
So, for Mother's Day this year I decided to try to reproduce this cake without the dairy, grains and refined sugar. I have a feeling it won't be quite the same, but I also know that it contains ingredients that won't leave me feeling sick.
I left out the cream filling between the layers this time, but I will undoubtedly try to make this cake again layers and all (stay tuned for that recipe!).
So, this one's for you, Mom. I love you.
Place entire can of coconut cream in a large bowl and mix to combine water and fat. Place 1/2 cup of cream into a large glass bowl and place in the freezer, along with a whisk.
Empty one 13.5 oz can of coconut milk into a medium sauce pan over high heat, and bring to a gentle boil. Decrease the heat to low, and allow the milk to simmer, whisking occasionally, until it is reduced by half, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
Combine almond flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs and coconut sugar together with a hand mixer for at least 1 minute.
Add vanilla extract and the 1 cup of the evaporated coconut milk (from step 1) and beat until smooth.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, folding dry ingredients completely.
Remove coconut cream from freezer and beat with whisk for at least 2 minutes. Then, fold whipped coconut cream into the batter.
Note: The batter will have a thick, sticky consistency (similar to dough) - this is normal!
Distribute cake batter equally between the three cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Mix one can of coconut milk with granulated monkfruit sweetener and vanilla extract and set aside.
Beat dairy-free cream cheese, powdered monkfruit and vanilla extract and set aside.
When cakes are done baking, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then, gently use a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen them from pan. Place a plate on top of cake pan and invert pan onto plate to remove cake. Be sure to place one layer on the serving dish/plate/cake stand you plan to use for serving!
Use a fork to poke holes 10-12 times on top of the layer that is on the serving dish. Then, use 1/3 of the glaze to coat the top of the layer. Allow glaze to absorb, then place another layer on top of the first layer. Again, poke holes on second layer and glaze. Repeat process for third layer. Allow cake to fully cool for another 15 minutes.
Distribute frosting to surface of cake with a large spatula, and then smooth with an icing knife, or with the non-serrated edge of butter knife. Cover with shredded coconut.
Ingredients
Directions
Place entire can of coconut cream in a large bowl and mix to combine water and fat. Place 1/2 cup of cream into a large glass bowl and place in the freezer, along with a whisk.
Empty one 13.5 oz can of coconut milk into a medium sauce pan over high heat, and bring to a gentle boil. Decrease the heat to low, and allow the milk to simmer, whisking occasionally, until it is reduced by half, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
Combine almond flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs and coconut sugar together with a hand mixer for at least 1 minute.
Add vanilla extract and the 1 cup of the evaporated coconut milk (from step 1) and beat until smooth.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, folding dry ingredients completely.
Remove coconut cream from freezer and beat with whisk for at least 2 minutes. Then, fold whipped coconut cream into the batter.
Note: The batter will have a thick, sticky consistency (similar to dough) - this is normal!
Distribute cake batter equally between the three cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Mix one can of coconut milk with granulated monkfruit sweetener and vanilla extract and set aside.
Beat dairy-free cream cheese, powdered monkfruit and vanilla extract and set aside.
When cakes are done baking, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then, gently use a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen them from pan. Place a plate on top of cake pan and invert pan onto plate to remove cake. Be sure to place one layer on the serving dish/plate/cake stand you plan to use for serving!
Use a fork to poke holes 10-12 times on top of the layer that is on the serving dish. Then, use 1/3 of the glaze to coat the top of the layer. Allow glaze to absorb, then place another layer on top of the first layer. Again, poke holes on second layer and glaze. Repeat process for third layer. Allow cake to fully cool for another 15 minutes.
Distribute frosting to surface of cake with a large spatula, and then smooth with an icing knife, or with the non-serrated edge of butter knife. Cover with shredded coconut.
