A fluffy, not-too-sweet vegan coconut cake, with orange juice, zest, and a whipped chocolate ganache. This is one of my favourite layer cakes, and one I often make for birthdays or other special events, especially for coconut lovers.
With three types of coconut – shredded, milk, and oil – the cake tastes very much like coconut. All elements can easily be made in advance and assembled the day of serving, so it can be a low-stress dessert.
The cake base here is spelt flour and added sugar (maple syrup in this case) is kept to a minimum – 1/2 cup in the entire cake! – but the coconut makes it sweet enough. A whipped vegan chocolate ganache frosting balances the coconut nicely.
For some more fabulous coconut recipes, try my no-bake chocolate coconut balls, vegan rice pudding with coconut milk, and coconut panna cotta.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Spelt flour: use light spelt flour. Plain white flour can be subbed 1:1 for the spelt. I don’t recommend trying to make this cake gluten-free.
- Arrowroot: cornstarch or tapioca starch can be used in place of arrowroot flour.
- Vanilla: you can use two teaspoons of vanilla extract in place of the vanilla powder in the cake. Just add it to the wet ingredients.
- Orange juice: I recommend using fresh juice if you can. If your oranges aren’t very juicy, then top it off with juice from the fridge, but certainly don’t use from-concentrate.
- Maple syrup: the cake has been tested with runny honey, but substituting it for maple syrup makes the cake a bit too sweet.
Recipe Notes
The trick with this vegan coconut cake is to make the elements the day before and then assemble everything the following day. You could hypothetically made it early in the morning but I think it really helps to reduce any stress if you do it all beforehand.
The cake itself is very forgiving and won’t dry out overnight if it’s in a sealed container, and has to cool in any case, as does the ganache. But it’s a simple cake to make and the whipped ganache is a bit more forgiving than whipped coconut cream in my books, because coco cream can be a bit fiddly depending on the brand you’re using.
Regular cake pans should be fine instead of spring-form, but I haven’t tested with them. Grease well to make sure the cakes release.
How to Store
Storage: while the cake can be refrigerated in a sealed container for a couple of days, the frosting will solidify as it’s chilled. Either let it warm up at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving, or plan on serving it the day you make it.
Freezing: the cake layers can be frozen, without the frosting, in an airtight container for about three months.
Newsletter
Expert Tips
- Don’t over mix: spelt flour is a bit more delicate than white flour, being lower in gluten, and will make for a tough cake if over-mixed. Stir until just combined.
- Choose organic: unwaxed, organic oranges are best here as you’re using the zest along with the juice. Wash well before zesting.
- Prepare in advance: make the ganache the day before, and I recommend making the cake a day in advance, too, so that it can cool fully.
- Sift the dry ingredients: this helps to prevent over-mixing, especially as light spelt flour tends to be a bit clumped.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Lemon Rhubarb Cake
Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Strawberry Elderflower Scone Cake
Hazelnut Fig Cake
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Vegan Coconut Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Vegan Coconut Cake with Orange
- 300 grams light spelt flour
- 150 grams shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 250 ml orange juice from about four oranges
- 125 ml maple syrup
- 140 grams coconut oil melted
- Zest of 4 organic oranges
Chocolate Orange Whipped Ganache
- 500 ml coconut cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
- 150 grams dark chocolate 70% cocoa or higher
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- Zest of an organic orange
- Pinch salt
Instructions
Vegan Coconut Cake with Orange
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease two 20 cm (8 inch) springform pans with coconut oil. In a large bowl, sift together* the spelt flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla powder. Stir in the shredded coconut and make a well in the centre.300 grams light spelt flour, 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder, 150 grams shredded unsweetened coconut
- In another bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, orange juice, maple syrup, and orange zest. Slowly add the coconut oil in a steady stream, whisking, until incorporated. Doing this keeps the coconut oil from solidifying into large chunks as it’s added.250 ml coconut milk, 250 ml orange juice, 125 ml maple syrup, Zest of 4 organic oranges, 140 grams coconut oil
- Pour the orange juice mixture into the dry ingredients and gently whisk until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Pour half of the batter into one prepared pan and the other half into the second pan. Shake gently to level the batter and then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and pulling away from the edges of the pans. If you're not sure, do a toothpick test.
- Place the cakes onto a cooling rack and cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing the sides. Cool for another 30 minutes before carefully flipping and removing the base of the pan.
- Cool completely before placing into a sealed container to keep before icing and serving.
Chocolate Orange Whipped Ganache
- Chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl, then set aside. Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium to a simmer. Pour the milk over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds, then whisk to combine.500 ml coconut cream, 150 grams dark chocolate
- Add the vanilla, orange zest, and salt, then whisk again. Cool in the refrigerator overnight or for at least four hours.1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder, Zest of an organic orange, Pinch salt
- When you’re ready to assemble the cake, take the ganache out of the fridge. Use a hand-mixer to whip on high for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy. It will seem too hard at first but the beaters will manage.
- Place one cake onto your serving dish or board, add about 1/3 of the ganache, and spread it out in an even layer.
- Place the second cake on top and use the remaining ganache to coat the top and sides of the cake.
- Top with melted chocolate (I chose dark orange chocolate), orange zest, and some shaved or grated chocolate. Serve immediately. The cake keeps well in the fridge for up to three days, but it will have a denser texture after being refrigerated.
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
This post was first published in November 2017. It has been updated with no changes to the recipe as of January 2023.
The Food Blog says
Happy Birthday! Such a beautiful cake, and it sounds delicious, too.
Elaine says
What a beautiful way to celebrate a birthday! Your cake look fabulous. That whipped ganache recipe was a game-changer for me when I discovered it, as like you, whipping coconut milk can be an exercise in frustration! Pinning!
Leslie-Anne says
My husband would adore this cake. He's a huge chocolate orange fan. I love baking with spelt for my kids, so this cake is super appealing! Happy Birthday!
La Cuisine d'Hélène says
That's a wow cake. I would love to have a piece. Happy Birthday!