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The main reason to make Paleo Cocoa Butter Pound Cake is that it’s delicious! — Like, it’s hard to stop eating it. It’s also dairy-free, yet tastes better than butter (hardly possible, I know). This recipe is also awesome for those of us on grain-free, nut-free, flourless, Keto, Gluten-free or GAPS diets.
Lastly, and amazingly, this cake is a healthier dessert choice because of its two main ingredients: cocoa butter and coconut butter.
Jump to RecipeCocoa butter … in Paleo Pound Cake 
Cocoa butter is an underutilized fat. It is genuinely good for you, has awesome properties, and heck, it tastes like chocolate! Yet the cake comes out a golden blond color.
When she first enjoyed this recipe, my daughter kept saying, “It tastes like chocolate. It tastes like chocolate,” not knowing why.
Yep! Cocoa butter tastes like chocolate and brings with it most of the nutrition the cacao bean has to offer: antioxidants and mono-unsaturated fats. (But without the caffeine and copper that whole chocolate brings.)
Cocoa butter (find it here) is most often used in candy-making. But I am a cake-loving girl and am more intrigued by the role this very hard fat plays in creating the right crumb — which is little discussed or known!
Coconut butter/manna + other ingredients in Cocoa Butter Pound Cake
As you may know, coconut butter* can be used in place of flour in grain-free baked goods!
This is not only a cool nut-free substitute, but, of course, coconut butter
is also exquisitely nutrient dense. Again, we are talking about cake with nutrition.
This recipe combines the properties of an oily “flour” — coconut butter — with cocoa butter — the fat in the cake.
The secret reason this works: Cocoa butter not thinned by another fat will set up too hard in one’s baked good, making the crumb too dry. But diluted, it makes the perfect crumb for pound cake.
Other ingredients:
- coconut flour, which contributes to the perfect crumb
- eggs
- baking soda and quality salt
- honey
- vanilla
The Keto version of Cocoa Butter Pound Cake
If you’re making the Keto version of this recipe, you’ll simply use low carb sweeteners, instead of honey. I give those details in the recipe below.
There are 4 grams net carbs per serving for the Keto version. The nutritional data below the recipe reflects this Keto version.
How to eat Paleo Cocoa Butter Pound Cake
Eat it plain, with butter, or with:
- Dairy-free Vanilla Custard
- creme fraiche
- with berries and whipped cream
- Beautiful Rhubarb Sauce
- Strawberry Sauce
- Vanilla Ice Cream, or any homemade Paleo / Keto ice cream
Or see the Paleo recipe variation in Notes below that adds a streusel topping with optional macadamia nuts, which makes it fun for a brunch baked good!
Which pan to bake Paleo Cocoa Butter Pound Cake in
I like the traditional shape of pound cake, baked in a loaf pan. But this does produce a darker loaf, especially since we are baking with honey as the sweetener.
What size loaf pan? Use a 1-pound loaf pan, like this one. Aluminum conducts heat well. I’ve also used a glass loaf pan or the Pampered Chef loaf pan, which is ceramic stoneware.
You can, alternately, divide the batter between two 9″ cake pans. This will, of course, allow them to bake more quickly, resulting in a lighter exterior. (The most recent photos I’ve added show this recipe made into a simple two-layer cake, with Strawberry Topping and whipped cream.)
More serving ideas based on pan choice …
In this case, frosting the two cakes and layering them is a nice option.
Stabilized Whipped Cream and strawberries is great. This cake makes a great shortcake base with Lavender Ice Cream. And, we love eating it plain, dunking the dark edges in Bulletproof Hot Chocolate or Butter Tea!
(I haven’t yet tried making this loaf with maple syrup or coconut sugar [for those not on GAPS], but that should also create a lighter exterior. Let us know if you do!)
Paleo Cocoa Butter Pound Cake (nut-free, flourless)
Equipment
- cake pans
- oven
- bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1-½ cups cocoNUT butter , melted and then measured, or freshly made and runny
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup COCOA butter , melted* (see how below) and then measured
- ½ cup raw honey ; for Keto: use low carb honey substitute
- 2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Optional Streusel Topping (nice for coffeecake if serving for brunch; nuts are optional; not Keto, find Keto version below in recipe Notes)
- 1 cup cassava flour Otto's or Bob's work the best
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup coconut oil solid at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup macadamia nuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300℉. Lightly grease a 1-pound loaf pan, and line it with parchment paper, leaving the paper taller than each side of the pan (see photo). The ends of the pan do not need to be lined. Set aside.
- Place the coconut flour into a medium-size bowl. Sift the baking soda into it, add the sea salt, and stir the three together. Set aside.
- Place all remaining ingredients into the large work bowl of a food processor (or use a hand mixer with large mixing bowl): just slightly warmed/runny coconut butter, eggs, melted cocoa butter, honey and vanilla.
- Blend until well mixed. Add the baking soda mixture and mix again, briefly but thoroughly, 8 to 10 seconds.
- Pour into prepared pan, and bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or with a teeny moist crumb adhering. Check first at 1 hour for loaf pans. For 9" cake pans, check first after 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool on rack and serve. Use the parchment paper as handles: free the ends of the cake with a metal, offset spatula or knife; then pull up on the paper to easily remove your cake for slicing.
Optional Streusel Topping (nice for coffeecake if serving for brunch; nuts are optional)
- Place flour, coconut sugar, coconut oil and sea salt into food processor. Blend, pulsing to begin with, for at least one minute, until the flour and sugar change color just slightly as they begin to absorb the fat. The mixture will be powdery, not yet clumping together.
- Add optional macadamia nuts and pulse until nuts are in smaller pieces.
- Top cake with about half the topping (or a pie with all of it), pressing down slightly so topping sticks to itself. (Reserve any leftover for other uses, such as topping muffin batter before baking!)
- Proceed with baking the main recipe.
Notes
How to melt and measure cocoa butter
Use one of two methods:- Place estimated amount of cocoa butter into pyrex (oven-proof) or metal bowl. Place bowl in preheating (300℉) oven until fully melted. (This is my favorite method, easy!) Measure out ½ cup and melt a bit more if needed.
- Place estimated amount of cocoa butter into top insert of double boiler. Make sure water in lower half of double boiler does not touch bottom of insert. Heat water and simmer over medium-low heat until cocoa butter is fully melted. Measure out ½ cup and melt a bit more if needed.
How to melt coconut butter
Store-bought or leftover coconut butter can be melted by placing the jar in a hot water bath, then stirring, until the entire bottle is liquidy. Making fresh coconut butter in your food processor or blender will yield a recipe-ready finished product.Keto Streusel Topping
Ingredients- 4 Tablespoons coconut oil (or butter), melted
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup Brown Swerve
- 2 Tablespoons Allulose sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This looks delicious Megan! And I’d like some with your amazing lavender ice cream too 😉 xo
Megan Stevens says
🙂 Thanks, Emily!!
Renee Kohley says
Oh neat! So good with the cocoa butter!
Megan Stevens says
Yes, sooo lovely! The best of pound cake with the perfume of chocolate. 🙂
Dr. Karen Lee says
this sounds amazing! we love pound cake and would love to make this!
Megan Stevens says
Thanks, Karen!
hippygirl says
this sounds absolutely amazing!!!!
Megan Stevens says
Thank you!! 🙂 It really is… hard to eat just one piece (unless it’s topped with ice cream and a side of coffee. 😉 )
Tash @ HolisticHealthHerbalist says
Sounds amazing! I love toasting the pound cake before adding a scoop of ice cream 🙂
Megan Stevens says
Oh, me too!! I have not tried it with this recipe and will have to!
Sylvie Shirazi says
Such a great idea to use cocoa butter!
Megan Stevens says
Thanks, Sylvie!
Chloe says
This looks amazing! I will be saving this recipe for when I reintroduce honey.
Megan Stevens says
Great Chloe, what fun! 🙂 Honey’s only been back in my diet recently. Slow but progressive, this journey.
Katie | The Antidote Life says
I ADORE pound cake – cannot wait to try this!
Megan Stevens says
So glad!! Hope you love it as much as we do!
Veronica says
Oh dear – was just about to make this but am confused on the ingredients list: coconut butter 1.5 cups, versus cocoa butter 1/2 cup. These are not the same ingredients? I have a jar of Nutiva Coconut Manna (which I think is the first ingredient called for), but I’m stumped on what cocoa butter is. Help?
Megan Stevens says
I hear ya! When I was writing the recipe I was tempted to use caps and bold face and italics every time I wrote those two ingredients so it would be easy to spot them and that they are different! I’m sorry for the confusion. Yes, what you have is good~ coconut manna is indeed COCONUT butter. BUT then the other exciting focus of this recipe is the COCOA butter, which tastes like chocolate and comes from the same bean as chocolate. There is a link for where it to buy it. It is sublime and healthy and IT is what gives the special pound cake texture to this cake. You can also buy it from certain natural food markets. Good luck. It’s worth making, if you want the new ingredient experience. Cheers!!
Melissa says
I’m so excited to try this recipe, but how long do you bake it? Do you have a ball park estimate for when to begin checking for the cake to be done? Thanks so much for all of your hard work Megan. I just bought your book, and I’m so excited to try the recipes. 🙂
Megan Stevens says
Hi Melissa, you’re welcome; so glad you have the cookbook! 🙂 Start checking the cake at 60 minutes, for done-ness. This one bakes up dark, which is why the baking temperature is so low. Cheers. I *love* this cake! 🙂
Melissa says
Thanks for the info on baking this cake. Mine took about 65 – 70 minutes. What is the best way to store this cake? I baked it today, and I am taking it to a potluck at church tomorrow. Should I keep it tightly or loosely wrapped? It seems very moist; I just don’t want it to get soggy. That would be so sad! 🙁
Megan Stevens says
I love refrigerating this cake! It firms it up a bit, in a good way, like pound cake should be. So, just cover it and put in fridge. Thanks for sharing your cooking time! 🙂
Maretta Zonio Delacruz says
Has anyone tried this egg free? chia egg? flax egg? aquafaba?
Maura says
Hi! Sorry, Megan, but I can’t find the cake recipe on this page. Can you help me? Thank you for all this delicious information 🙂
Megan says
Yes, Maura! I’m so glad you said something!! I’m not sure why it disappeared, but I put it back! You’ll find it now! 🙂 Thank you and enjoy!
Marnie says
Just took this beauty out of the oven. Can’t wait to try it! Smells amazing! Switched out honey for maple syrup as I’m not sure about reacting to honey yet. And thank you so much for the added diy manna instructions. I buy my coconut in bulk for baking so that’s great, you just saved me spending $15 on a jar of store bought manna!
Update: The bread tastes like heaven! Everyone in the family loves it. Also I threw in 6 cups of coconut into the food processor and it perfectly refilled my 425g jar of store bought manna.
Megan says
Great, Marnie, thanks so much for sharing your experience! This cake is one of my personal favorites. 🙂 I’m so happy you and your family love it!! And yes, yay for making homemade manna and saving SO much money! 😉
Rosemary Cutbush says
You don’t say what size loaf pan and there are a number of them. I have 4 different sizes.
Thanks
Megan says
Hi Rosemary, I updated the recipe to include that. Sorry for the omission. A 1-pound loaf pan works great.