Homemade Paleo Vanilla Cake (with Almond Flour)

Name: Homemade Paleo Vanilla Cake (with Almond Flour)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 cups blanched almond flour (240g) sifted, spooned & leveled; 1/2 cup arrowroot starch/flour (58g); 2 Tbsp coconut flour (15g); 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 2 tsp Paleo baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 large eggs (refrigerated); 1 cup almond milk; 1/3 cup avocado oil; 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract; 3/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (126g); 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (about 3 oz); 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Published: May 21, 2021 · by Katie

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This homemade Paleo vanilla cake is made with almond flour and covered in a dark chocolate frosting. It is grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free - perfect as a healthy Paleo birthday cake or celebratory dessert.

To say I'm proud of this Paleo vanilla cake is an understatement. This is literally the BEST Paleo vanilla cake recipe! And I'm so excited to be sharing it with you.

Not only is this cake healthy, but no one will guess that it's made with almond flour and completely grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free.

This is one of those recipes to surprise your non-healthy eating friends with. Pretty sure they'll be shocked to find that the cake you served them is Paleo friendly.

I made this healthy cake three times and they all turned out perfect (besides under-baking one of the batches). Served it up to my family (parents and brother included) and they all agreed it is an amazing vanilla cake recipe.

Here are some highlights...

Recipe Highlights

Paleo friendly: this will definitely be my go-to Paleo birthday cake recipe
Grain free & gluten free: made with almond flour, tapioca flour & coconut flour
Dairy free: contains avocado oil (no butter)
Refined sugar free: sweetened with coconut sugar
Easy to make: no tricky steps or odd ingredients (eggs don't even need to be room temp)
Moist & fluffy: is extremely moist and has a nice crumb texture

I really have nothing bad to say about this gluten free cake - I'm a HUGE fan!

paleo-vanilla-cake-with-chocolate-frosting

Ingredients in Homemade Paleo Vanilla Cake

The Paleo cake recipe is made from a few simple ingredients. Here's what you need for the cake:

blanched almond flour
arrowroot starch/flour (or substitute with tapioca flour)
coconut flour (a little is needed for texture purposes)
coconut sugar (or substitute your favorite granulated sugar)
Paleo baking powder (I make my own)
baking soda
salt
large eggs
avocado oil (olive oil will probably work too, but I've only tested avocado)
almond milk (or any plant based milk)
vanilla extract

Ingredients in Paleo Chocolate Frosting

This almond flour cake is frosted with a homemade chocolate frosting. The frosting is thick and hardens at room temperature - kind of like fudge.

Here's what you need for the frosting:

non-hydrogenated shortening: I use Nutiva shortening which is a mixture of palm oil and coconut oil and has a fairly neutral flavor.
dark chocolate chips: I recommend 65-75% dark chocolate
maple syrup: for added sweetener, flavor and texture
vanilla extract: for flavor

Frosting Alternatives

If you prefer a softer, coconut cream based chocolate frosting then use the one for my chocolate tigernut flour cake.

Prefer Paleo vanilla frosting? Then take a look at my almond flour cupcakes and Paleo chocolate cupcakes, which are both topped with vanilla frosting.

Don't want to make your own frosting? Simple Mills has some great tasting chocolate and vanilla frosting. Now, they are not 100% Paleo because they contain organic powdered sugar, but they are my number one frosting choice when I'm in a pinch and don't want to make my own.

How to Make Paleo Vanilla Cake

This homemade vanilla cake is SO easy to make. It takes just two large mixing bowls, a whisk, measuring cups/spoons and the necessary ingredients to make the batter.

Here's how it's done:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line three 6-inch pans with parchment paper. (Note: I have stainless steel cake pans. If you have aluminum pans the baking time may be slightly different. Also, I have not tried baking this cake in any other sized pans.)

Make the Cake Batter

First, combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This includes the almond flour, arrowroot starch, coconut flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. I recommend sifting the almond flour to remove any clumps.

In an extra large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients. This includes the eggs, avocado oil, almond milk and vanilla.

Next, pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and whisk until smooth.

Then, pour the batter into the three parchment-lined cake pans.

Bake the Cake

Place the three cake pans on the middle rack of your oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

When the cakes are done, they should have slightly browned tops and should not jiggle in the middle.

Next, cool the cakes in their pans for 5-10 minutes. This lets them set a little more and will make removing them from the pan easier.

Lastly, remove the cakes from the pans and cool them on a wire cooling rack. They must be completely cooled before frosted.

how-to-make-a-paleo-vanilla-cake-with-almond-flour

How to Frost a Cake

Make the Frosting

First thing's first, you must make the frosting!

Place all of the ingredients for the frosting in a small sauce pan. Then, set it on the stove top and melt over low heat, stirring every so often. Once the chocolate chips are fully melted, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove top.

Chill the Frosting

Next, chill the frosting. This frosting recipe is thick, almost fudge-like, and will harden at room temperature. You can either wait a few hours for the frosting to set at room temperature, or place the frosting in the fridge to chill.

In the fridge, the frosting takes about an hour to reach the right consistency for frosting your cake. However, that time will vary depending on how warm the mixture got in the first place.

The frosting is ready when it has a thick, buttercream-like texture. (See photo below.) If the frosting has hardened, then place it back on the stove top and warm over low heat for a couple minutes. Stir until smooth.

Frost the Cake

Once the frosting is ready, frost the cake.

Grab the bottom cake layer and set it on top of a cake plate or whatever platter you want to serve the cake on. Scoop the frosting onto the cake and spread it out in a nice, even layer starting at the center of the cake and working it out towards the edges.

Then, grab the second layer of cake and place it on top of the frosted bottom layer. Again, scoop the frosting onto the middle of the cake layer and spread it out in a nice, even layer from the center towards the edges of the cake. Repeat this for the third layer.

Use the spatula to place frosting on the sides of the cake. Run the spatula along the edges of the cake, adding more frosting as needed.

Add decorations (sprinkles, chopped nuts, bee pollen, dried fruit, etc.) before the frosting has a chance to harden.

Best way to Store Cake

This cake is preservative free and moist. Which, makes for a fresh, fantastic cake, but not one that lasts long at room temperature.

I recommend keeping this cake in the fridge after 24 hours. Keep it in a sealed, air-tight contain in the fridge up to one week. Or, slice the cake and keep it in the freezer up to one month.

More Paleo Cake Recipes

I'm working on building my collection of cake recipes. In the meantime, here are some Paleo cakes and cupcakes already on the blog:

Enjoy!