This healthy yellow cake is gluten free and made with almond flour, sweet potatoes, and nut butter and is moist and slightly sweet, making it a delicious and indulgent healthy treat.
Yellow cake with chocolate icing. I dare you to try and name a better birthday cake combination, but I quite frankly don't think it exists. I was never a cake girl growing up, my mom always bought be a Carvel ice cream cake for my birthday (those crunchies!) UNLESS it was a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
And it had to be homemade, because I couldn't get down with store-bought cake. I guess I was a picky dessert girl, but I knew what I liked!
So when I posted my paleo chocolate cake with vegan frosting a few weeks back, I immediately knew I wanted to make a yellow cake version for Tom's birthday because he too loves yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
In that recipe I used orange sweet potatoes, so I just swapped out the orange for white sweet potatoes and it turned out fantastic. The recipes to the two cakes are very similar, just no cocoa and no orange sweet potato, so I had a feeling it would turn out equally as good - well it did!
This cake is so moist, flavorful, and the only 'flour' used is almond flour making it completely paleo and grain free. If you haven't made a paleo cake from scratch, don't be intimidated! It's actually quite easy!
Let me know if you guys make this cake, and be sure to try my Healthy Lemon Olive Oil Cake too (it is gluten free)!
Healthy Yellow Cake (Paleo, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare by greasing two 9 inch cake pans.
- In a small bowl, mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda.
- In a larger bowl, whisk sweet potato with eggs until very well combined and smooth.
- Add in syrup, oil, cashew butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until fully combined.
- Pour into greased pans.
- Bake at 350F for 21-23 min.
- My favorite trick for telling if it's ready is to stick a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean - they are ready.
- Let cool completely before icing.
- Use my recipe for vegan chocolate frosting to ice the cakes.
- Store on counter for 2-3 days or fridge for 5.
Madison says
Absolutely delicious. I made a coconut cream chocolate frosting and I substitute the coconut oil for grassfed butter. I also add about 1/4-1/2 cup of coconut sugar to it. This is now my favorite cake recipe and anyone I make it for is amazed it’s actually healthy for you! Currently baking it again because I’ve been craving it!
Erin says
Hi Madison, so happy you loved it and made it your own!! 🙂
Jean says
Thank you for this recipe! I really enjoyed them and my kids ate them 🙂 (My kids say they hate sweet potato.) I used 2 eggs + 1/2 cup applesauce (price of eggs these days). I think this made the batter too wet because I made them as muffins and it probably took 30 minutes for them to cook. I was out of vanilla so I used a little almond extract(so yummy). I think I'll use this to make a spice cake next.
Erin says
Hi Jean, so happy you all liked it and made it your own!
Brienna says
Excellent cake. Super moist. Full of flavor!! And best of all healthy and delicious!!
Erin says
Hi Brienna, so happy you loved it! 🙂
www.fooddoz.com says
Great recipe. Thx
Erin says
Hi, so glad you liked it!!
Orma says
Looks amazing!!! How can I turn this into cupcakes?
Erin says
Hi Orma, just pour them into cupcake tins and I'd say to bake for 10ish minutes and just check until the centers are fully cooked with a toothpick. Let me know how they come out!
jackie says
Have you made this cake without eggs or can you suggest an egg substitute?
Erin says
Hi Jackie, I have not but you can try flax eggs or applesauce. Let me know how it comes out!
Grisel says
I am not able to find Japanese sweet potato. Could I make this using orange sweet potato instead?
Erin says
Hi Grisel, yes that should be fine. Let me know how it comes out!
Christine says
This recipe looks great and surprisingly easy! I have a question - do I cook the potato before mashing it? Or do I leave it raw (and probably use a food processor to mash it)?
Erin says
Hey Christine! You cook the potato before mashing - good point and I will make it more clear in the recipe! Thank you 🙂
Madison says
For whatever reason my town doesn’t have white sweet potato so I always use orange. It’s just as delicious, just seems to make the cake a little darker.
Erin says
Hi Madison, so happy you still love the cake!!