By Cheryl Ainslie-Waldman, Dietetic Intern with the University of Minnesota/The Emily Program Dietetic Internship
I seldom use my Bundt cake pan, and I am always looking for the perfect excuse to make a cake – this recipe is a great solution! In general, I follow vegan recipes at home for ethical and environmental reasons, so I appreciate especially delicious vegan recipes like this one.
This cake is very moist, and the amount of sugar can be reduced or the glaze omitted, if you prefer a less sweet cake.
One reason I like this recipe is because it uses coconut in three different iterations: coconut flakes, coconut milk, and coconut oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature because it is a saturated fat. However, it is not the same type of fat that is found in meat or butter. The fat in coconut is primarily medium-chain fatty acids, rather than long-chain fatty acids, which are found in most other foods. There is some evidence that medium-chain fatty acids are metabolized differently in the body, being burned off for energy long before being stored as fat. So replacing some long-chain fatty acid sources, like butter, shortening, or vegetable oils, with coconut may help with weight management in addition to being delicious!
Note: Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so it may need to be softened before measuring. I like to place the jar on top of the oven while it is preheating to liquefy it a bit.
Vegan Coconut Bundt Cake
Adapted from LunchBoxBunch.com
(Makes 1 cake with glaze)
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 3 c. white flour (preferably organic)
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1 T. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. salt
- 1 c. fine coconut flakes, unsweetened
- 1 c. evaporated cane juice (or vegan sugar)
- ¼ c. maple syrup
- 1/3 c. coconut oil, softened
- 1 T. vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ c. full-fat coconut milk (sold in cans in the Asian food section of most grocery stores)
- ½ c. water
- 2 T. flax seeds + ½ c. water
- 1 t. apple cider vinegar
For the glaze:
- 1 c. organic powdered sugar
- ½ c. coconut flakes, unsweetened
- A few splashes of remaining coconut milk
- 2-3 T. coconut oil, softened
- 1 T. lemon juice (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- A few drops of vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease Bundt pan with coconut oil.
- Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coconut flakes in a large mixing bowl.
- Briskly stir the flax seed with the ½ c. water and set aside.
- Gently beat the sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, coconut milk, and water.
- Fold the flax mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir until smooth.
- Fold the dry mixture into the wet until smooth. Fold in the apple cider vinegar last.
- Pour mixture into the Bundt pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until the top is bubbled and brown and a toothpick can be removed cleanly from the center of the cake.
- Allow to cool 20-30 minutes before removing from Bundt pan. Set aside to cool.
- Beat together the ingredients for the glaze. It is okay if the glaze is a little watery, as the coconut oil will firm when it cools.
- Pour glaze over the cake. Chill in the fridge between servings.
