Coconut Flour Recipe: Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake

This coconut flour cake is a dream. This recipe produces a deliciously flavorful, moist, and light-tasting cake. Sometimes people avoid the use of coconut flour in baking because they're worried about the finished product being dense or tasting 'eggy' - not so with this recipe!

Learning how to bake with coconut flour takes time and a willingness to experiment. Coconut flour, with its extremely high fiber content and a higher protein content then regular wheat flour, is a natural way to control blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes. The fiber and protein content helps give a feeling of fullness (so you're more inclined to eat less)... and coconut flour is low in net carbohydrates, being mostly fiber. It's a great ingredient to use when creating diabetic-friendly recipes.

Keep in mind that this cake is still a cake! -- and should be eaten in moderation. Portion control is important, as always.

Ingredients

Makes 1 bundt cake or approximately 24 regular-sized muffins

Coconut flour is gluten-free. That means it needs a 'binder' - in this recipe, that's the bananas. With recipes that use common wheat flour, it's pretty easy to make substitutions - not so for recipes that call for coconut flour! Try to stick with what's written here for best results.

• 1 cup coconut flour (break up any lumps)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of coconut sugar (or use granulated)
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar, lightly packed
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup coconut oil or butter
• 3 or 4 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• (Optional) 1 cup of chopped pecans
• Coconut or olive oil, for greasing cake or muffin pan

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease cake or muffin pan with melted coconut oil (or if baking muffins, line the tins with muffin liners instead).
• Sift together coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• If using coconut oil, melt it first, then immediately combine with both sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Don't allow the coconut flour to cool on its own or it will become solid again at room temperature! If using butter, simply beat it together with both sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
• Beat eggs into the coconut oil (or butter) / sugar mixture. Scrape down bowl when necessary. Beat until well combined.
• Mix or beat the mashed bananas into the egg mixture.
• Add about half the coconut flour mixture into the egg mixture and beat until well combined. Add half the sour cream and beat. Repeat with the rest of the coconut flour mixture and the sour cream. Beat until everything is well-mixed.
• Stir in the nuts, if using.
• Pour batter into bundt pan or muffin tins (fill nearly right up to the top). Bake 45-60 minutes (bundt cake) or 25-30 minutes (muffins). Cake should have risen and feel firm when pressed in the middle.

Variation - Lemon-Blueberry Cake: omit cocoa and nuts, and add an extra 2 tbsp of coconut flour. Beat in the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Dredge 1 cup of wild blueberries in a bit of coconut flour, then stir in.

This coconut flour cake tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to meld. The use of coconut flour in this cake makes it a great alternative to regular desserts for people with diabetes. Low carb, high fiber, higher protein ... and just as important, absolutely delicious! There are many more wonderful, lower-carb coconut flour recipes to try, too.