Last Updated on August 29, 2021 by Chef Mireille
Pumpkin Coconut Flour Tea Cake – A more savory than sweet tea cake that is gluten free and low carb!
If you are a foodie, whether you choose to practice a modified diet like gluten free or low carb or not, you have to be living under a rock to have not heard of the coconut flour craze. Coconut flour recipes are everywhere, so I have finally come up with a unique delicious coconut flour recipe for you. The uniqueness happened by accident which I will describe – it is one of those occasions when being a little absent minded produced a delicious result I otherwise, would not have even imagined.
..but before we get to my story , a little about Coconut Flour…
Coconut Flour
I first tried to make something with coconut flour several years ago, when I first noticed it in the market. I always like to experiment with new ingredients, so I was game. Back then, it was a very new item so there weren’t a bunch of recipes online for me to use as a guide. I pretty much replaced the same quantity of coconut flour as I would use with regular flour and boy, was it a disaster. I gave up and eventually threw out the rest of the bag of coconut flour as I just didn’t know how it worked and to tell you the truth, it wasn’t exactly a priority for me.
Coconut Flour has a very high absorption rate, which means it absorbs liquid fast and to its fullest potential. You will generally need about 1/4 cup of coconut flour to replace 1 cup of wheat based flour in any recipe. Without the gluten from the flour, you also need to increase the number of eggs in cakes to get the desired rise.
OK now let’s get back to how I came up with this cake. Recently, I have been seeing so many recipes with coconut flour. It is a great option if you need to maintain a gluten free or low carb diet. Since so many recipes are available online and one of my BM buddies uses it quite a lot, I decided to go to Gayathri for a base recipe and then changed some of the flavorings to make my own Coconut Flour recipe. However, I neglected to read the part where she said she used bananas for sweetness and as I was multi-tasking and cooking other things simultaneously, it did not even occur to me that there is no sugar in this cake.
Boy was I surprised when I took a bite of it after it came out of the oven. I then took a second bite and I was happily but unexpectedly shocked at how much I liked it. It just wasn’t the sweet cake I was expecting. It’s kind of hard to describe, you taste the salt yet it’s not salty like a cracker and it does have a little natural sweetness from the pumpkin. The result is a cake that is neither sweet nor salty, yet tastes more savory than sweet.
It’s something you are just going to have to taste yourself to find out what I am talking about. However, it went perfectly with a cup of green tea, which I had infused with some cardamom. Although I don’ understand it, there are some people who weren’t born with a sweet tooth and don’t like sweets. If you are one of those people, this is the tea cake for you!
However, if you still think it needs a little sweetness, pair it with Cranberry Sauce and it makes the perfect holiday treat…or you can do like my Mom did when I gave her some and have it with peanut butter but she puts peanut butter on everything, so that is only if you are a peanut butter lover like her!
I actually loved it paired with the Cranberry Sauce and the perfect seasonal treat for holiday season!
The cake has a really light and porous texture!
Pumpkin Coconut Flour Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 6 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Spray 4 of the cavities in a 6 cavity mini loaf pan with non stick spray.
- in a large bowl, combine butter, pumpkin puree, eggs and vanilla.
- Beat well until well combined
- In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Add to wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide batter into 4 cavities of a mini loaf pan.
- Put a little water in the empty cavities to ensure even baking.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until a tester inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool. Remove from pan and slice, to serve.
- Serve on its own with a cup of tea or with cranberry sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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Mir , the cake texture has come out so well , I mean it really looks fantastic ! If you wouldn’t say no one would know you have used coconut flour ! Kudos you guys rock !
thank you – I have now become an instant fan!
I had a similar experience with coconut flour when I bought it for the first time few years back. After seeing all the new recipes, I want to give it a second chance.
Your pumpkin cake looks so airy and fluffy. I would love to give this recipe a try.
ok cool so I’m not the only one! Give it a second change – you will be so happy you did!
Love bakes with coconut flour and sure it tasted as rich as it looks!! Such a mindful bake..
thank you and yes this is something you can enjoy with no guilt!
Am yet to cook or bake with coconut flour, hope a day i will bake something interesting as much as like you guys. And i love the texture of this tea cake. Pumpking coconut flour cake rocks.
I am loving using it. I am sure you will too!
Yet another recipe with coconut flour,the cake got a very nice texture.Guilt free cake to enjoy..
Yep – I’ve joined the coconut flour craze!
Gayathri is literally on fire when it comes to recipes with coconut flour! I have a pack to finish and can’t wait to try some of her recipes… Love the pumpkin flavor and how the final loaf turned out to be… looks just good!
Yes she is but I have now become a fan also!
Knowing about coconut flour was definitely a life changer. I am so glad that you joined the bandwagon. Hoping to see a lot of delicious treat from you Mir. This tea cake with pumpkin puree sounds so flavourful and love that amazing texture of the cake.
yes I have become a fan of the coconut flour
I can just imagine the happiness that comes when a recipe turns out good and I can so love this cake, I am not a sweet loving person if you don’t consider chocolate. However, when it comes to these, I would love it..I am yet to get on the coconut flour gang..should experiment..
if you don’t like sweets, you will definitely love this tea cake!
Pumpkin coconut flour looks so delicious.
thanks – yes it came out so good!
wonderful texture on the cake mir! I m also a big fan of gayathri’s coconut flour bakes, looking forward to see some more coconut flour treats from you too!!!
thanks I am learning to love this coconut flour so much!
Coconut flour is so popular! I have never baked with it before. Must try it something.
yes – I have become a fan. You should try it
Such a soft texture of the cake. Would be perfect with my tea. I too have to start with coconut flour and your recipes and clicks are tempting me too.
I am sure you will begun to love coconut flour as much as me.
The pumpkin flavored coconut flour cake looks delicious.
After seeing Gayathri’s recipes this month, I have come to realization that I need to look for egg substitutes as well in these coconut flour recipes but it seems hard when used in such large quantity. 🙁
yes eggs are definitely a requirement with coconut flour recipes.
Everytime I see Gayathri’s bake which has coconut flour, I am tempted to try but never did. Your cake has come out so well and now I want to bake these. Looks so so good
yes – she has me on the coconut flour bandwagon now also
The cake looks so good, no one can say it’s a coconut flour based cake.. beautiful texture!!
thank you Swati
Pumpkin and coconut flour cake looks yummy and baked perfectly. Thanks for sharing.
sure – thank you
not yet baked with Coconut flour, but learnt so much from this recipe and the bakeathon that this is a verstailr flour to use and the tea cake looks fab, Mir !
thanks – yes I am definitely becoming a fan of the coconut flour