Gluten-Free Danish Dream Cake With Coconut (Drømmekage)
A gluten-free and dairy-free version of Denmark’s favorite homemade coconut cake.
Equipment
- 20 × 30 × 5 cm baking pan (about 8 × 12 × 2 inches)
Ingredients
For the batter
- 200 ml plant-based milk about ¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. and 2 tsp.; you can use the same amount of cow’s milk
- 50 g plant-based butter about 3½ Tbsp.; you can use the same amount of butter
- 4 eggs
- 300 g sugar about 1½ cups
- 4 g vanilla sugar 1 tsp.
- 350 g gluten-free flour blend all-purpose or for cakes (about 2¾ cups, depending on the blend)
- 13 g baking powder 3 tsp.
For the coconut topping
- 150 g plant-based butter about 10½ Tbsp.; you can use the same amount of butter
- 100 g shredded coconut unsweetened; about 1¼ cups, depending on the shred
- 250 g brown sugar the moister, more syrupy type (about 1¼ cups packed)
- 50 ml plant-based milk about 3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp.; you can use the same amount of cow’s milk
Instructions
Baking the cake base
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) on the conventional Bake setting.
- Put the milk and butter in a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Don’t let the mixture get too hot.The cake is just as delicious with plant-based milk and plant-based butter, and you use them exactly the same way.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer until foamy. Beat on high speed until pale, thick, and foamy.
- In another bowl, mix the gluten-free flour with the baking powder.
- Alternately sift the gluten-free flour mixture into the egg-and-sugar mixture and pour in the milk mixture, gently folding with a spatula.In my experience, gluten-free flours tend to form more lumps, so watch for that and add and fold in the flour in smaller batches. I first add one-third of the flour in two additions, then the milk and remaining flour in five additions each, folding thoroughly but gently each time so there are no lumps and the batter stays airy.
- Pour everything into a parchment-lined baking pan measuring about 20 × 30 cm (8 × 12 inches).
- Put it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for about another 20 minutes (about 30 minutes in total).Check it after 10 minutes: if it’s only light brown, you can leave the oven at 400°F (200°C), and it will be ready sooner. But if the top is getting dark, lower the temperature to 350°F (180°C), as described here.Every oven is different, the pan size can vary a little too, and different gluten-free flour blends can behave very differently. Check whether it’s done with a skewer or fork. Don’t overbake it at all—it’s even fine if the inside isn’t quite completely dry yet, since we’ll bake it again with the coconut topping. But it does need enough structure to support the next layer.
The coconut topping
- While the cake is baking, melt the coconut topping ingredients together in a saucepan, stirring occasionally: the butter, shredded coconut, milk, and brown sugar.Plant-based milk and butter work perfectly here too, behaving just like regular milk and butter.Before the cake base finishes baking, turn the heat up a little so the topping is almost boiling. Make sure it doesn’t burn!
- Take the cake base out of the oven and spread the coconut topping over it with a spoon. Turn the oven up to 435°F (225°C).At this point, you can prick the cake with a skewer or fork so a little of the buttery coconut topping soaks into the cake.
- Bake the cake for another 5–10 minutes at 435°F (225°C).Be sure to check it after 5 minutes. The top should have a nice dark color, but it shouldn’t burn. Depending on your oven, your taste, and how hot the topping was when you poured it on, the final bake with the coconut topping may take 5–10 minutes in total. At this point, the coconut topping will be bubbling in the oven.
- Let it cool in the pan. Cut it into squares to serve.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!