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Flourless Berry Sponge

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I have developed this flourless berry sponge because I am asked time and time again to help many of you who need nut free recipes. It is difficult to stay low carb if you have a nut allergy, and for those of us who have children at schools with nut free policies, we need plenty of school lunch box ideas.

Note On Nuts :: “The FDA lists coconut as a tree nut but in fact, coconut is a seed of a drupaceous fruit. Most people allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut.

Coconut allergy is reasonably rare. If you are allergic to tree nuts, talk to your allergist before adding coconut to or eliminating coconut from your diet.”

So how about a nut free, sugar free, grain free, gluten free flourless berry sponge? And of course, it is low carb.

Finally a flourless berry sponge that is nut free!! Yes, no almond flour here, just simple easy coconut flour, eggs and berries. | ditchthecarbs.com

Flourless Berry Sponge

Finally a flourless berry sponge that is nut free!! Yes, no almond flour here, just simple easy to use coconut flour.Click To Tweet

Most flourless sponge cakes use almond flour or cornflour (high in carbs). I am beginning to use coconut flour more and more.

It is light, incredibly absorbent, easily flavoured and personally I don’t think the taste of coconut comes through. I like to add copious amounts of vanilla to my flourless berry sponge and plenty of butter.

If you cannot tolerate dairy, you may wish to use coconut oil instead of butter, but add a pinch of salt and some extra flavouring as the butter does add a rich taste to the flourless sponge.

I have added raspberries but you can easily adapt my recipe using your favourite berry, or whatever is in season at the time. Frozen berries are an economical and easy option. I always have a few bags in the freezer.

TOP TIP :: When I add frozen berries to a cake, I wait until the mixture is in the baking dish, then press the frozen berries in the batter so they are evenly distributed and don’t colour the cake batter.

Finally a flourless berry sponge that is nut free!! Yes, no almond flour here, just simple easy coconut flour, eggs and berries. | ditchthecarbs.com
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Flourless Berry Sponge

Flourless berry sponge is my go-to sponge recipe. You can vary the berries and bake as a cake, a slice or as cupcakes. Why not add some lemon zest to the mixture too?

Course Cakes and desserts, Coconut Flour Recipes, Lunch box, Snacks
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 176 kcal

Ingredients

Metric grams - US measurements

Instructions

  1. Mix the melted butter, coconut flour, sweetener, vanilla and baking powder together until smooth.

  2. Add the eggs one by one, mixing in between each addition.
  3. Pour into a prepared baking dish, I use a silicon cake dish.
  4. Press each frozen berry evenly into the cake. This allows the berries to be evenly distributed and not clump together. It also stops the cake from turning pink!
  5. Bake at 180C/350F for 20-25 minutes until cooked in the centre.
  6. Serve with yoghurt and berries.
Nutrition Facts
Flourless Berry Sponge
Amount Per Serving
Calories 176 Calories from Fat 124
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13.8g 21%
Total Carbohydrates 7.2g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3.6g 14%
Sugars 2.3g
Protein 5.6g 11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Ingredients ::

Finally a flourless berry sponge that is nut free!! Yes, no almond flour here, just simple easy coconut flour, eggs and berries. | ditchthecarbs.com

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Finally a flourless berry sponge that is nut free!! Yes, no almond flour here, just simple easy coconut flour, eggs and berries. | ditchthecarbs.com

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Comments

  2. I have made this cake! Thanks!!!

    – I used only 3 eggs and the batter is very liquid (even after some standing time) — maybe different brand of coconut flour has varying liquid absorption? So I stopped at 3 eggs and it baked well, happy!!

    – the cake was quite soft and spongy when it first came out of oven, but after putting in the fridge (it was meant to be my friend’s birthday cake the next day) it became very hard and very dense… is this normal? is this cake meant to be consumed quickly?

    the taste is real good. i love it. will try again. thanks you !!

    Reply

    • It has become dense because you didn’t use all the eggs that the recipe requires. They make it light and sponge like. The eggs and coconut flour thick to a lovely cake batter consistency. If it doesn’t work for you, try another coconut flour. I make this all the time so I know the ratios work (in fact my kids make it too). I’m glad you loved the taste, now let’s see if we can get the texture to improve for you.

      Reply

      • Thanks Libby!
        Yes I think it’s my coconut flour… it absorbs much less liquid.
        The batter was actually quite runny and watery (this time I used 3.5 eggs).
        I have bought a 4lb-bag though! So I will try another brand next time 🙂
        Good news:
        This time after taking the cake out from the fridge, I reheat it in the microwave (just 20 seconds) and WOW! Soft and spongy and so yummy!

        PS. your pancake is super easy-to-make and I never need to search recipe for pancake anymore! Thanks!!

        Reply

  3. Has anyone ever tried to make muffins with this recipe? Also, I am wondering if full fat Greek yogurt could substitute for some of the eggs to add moisture with less “egginess”? Thanks!

    Reply

  4. I have no idea what size cups you are using, is there any way the recipe could have measurements in grams all the way through in the same way you have for butter?

    Reply

  5. I made this last night and it has a lovely flavour. Only problem is in the middle and the bottom it had a much eggier structure whilst along the edges it seemed more of a sponge. I did mix it well (I thought) but perhaps not enough, the one thing is I used desiccated coconut rather than coconut flour as in the UK this isn’t something I’ve come across before. Do you think this would have had an impact on the result? I wondered about adding more ? Either way it still tasted lovely, not too eggy and have rebranded this attempt as a pudding rather than a cake! Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    • Desiccated coconut is completely different to coconut flour I’m afraid. This article on low carb flours might help you. It is available in the UK, it may be in the health aisle or “free from” aisle. Coconut flour is amazing and absorbent. I also think it works out cheaper than almond flour/meal because recipes require such a little amount. I’m sure you’ll have success with the next batch. A bag of coconut flour will last you months, so hunt it down and enjoy some coconut flour waffles next. You will love those.

      Reply

      • You can get coconut flour in the UK. It is widely available in almost all supermarkets, Amazon, Holland and Barrett .

        Reply

    • Gem, you can get coconut flour from Holland & Barrett or Grape Tree health food shops here in the UK. I use Grape Tree’s own brand (but not Holland & Barrett’s – Try instead Tiana or Biona brand, sold there)
      Look forward to trying this recipe myself.

      Reply

    • you can get coconut flour pretty widely in the UK now – I can get it in Tescos and I saw it in Morrisons the other day. Also available from Amazon.co.uk

      Reply

  6. I have made this cake three times now and it is always a hit. Very easy to make and delicious. I use a mix of frozen berries and fresh rasberries. Yum!

    Reply

  7. Just made this, per the recipe with frozen raspberries. The only deviation was that I had to bake it for 37 minutes. I asssume it may be the size of pan resulting in a thicker cake. Nonetheless, it was fantastic! Looking forward to baking again for my family. I’m not sharing this one!

    Reply

  8. You say you use a silicon baking dish, but you don’t tell us what SIZE, or if those using non silicon need to grease, or grease and flour the pan. I do see you addressed this in another comment now, but the pan size is crucial info for recipes – we really need that to duplicate results.

    Reply

  9. Thank you so much for recommending this cake! I have to say I was a bit apprehensive about making it as I had read in the comments that some people had their cakes turn out ‘eggy’ and I have never used coconut flour before. I also had some issues with my cake tin. So I took extra care with making this cake and it turned out perfectly! The texture is definitely a bit different to the almond flour cakes, this one seems firmer and denser, but still very moist and lovely. The vanilla flavour really comes through a lot and the raspberries are beautiful! And my poor sister finally got to try my low carb baking! She’s allergic to almonds so has had to miss out on the cakes so far, but she got to try this one and loved it 🙂

    Reply

  10. Whole family liked this. Thank you! Not having to bake separate recipies for those who eat lots of carbs is a huge time saver. They also loved your cauliflower rice. I finally feel like I am winning with preparing low carb family meals that everyone enjoys. You = Godsent.

    Reply

  11. My tasted super eggy, like a dense quiche with berries in it. Maybe i did something wrong? Definitely didnt taste like cake.

    Reply

    • If it tastes eggy, I would add more vanilla and sweetener. That always seems to do the trick. With all low carb recipes, taste before baking then adjust sweetener to your liking. Were are all on different parts of our low carb journey so one person might find a recipe too sweet or not sweet enough. You can always salvage a recipe with sweetened whipped cream too. I hate to waste anything.

      Reply

  13. Hello, the first step states 1. Mix the ____, do u mean mix manually or with an electric beater?
    Also, I’ve been looking for a carb and sugar free strawberry sponge cake, I presume it’s ok to beat up my strawberries and perhaps add some flavoring so it smells even better?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • I tend to make this by either using a wooden spoon or use my electric mixer/beater. Both techniques work well. Yes you can add strawberries but be aware that they are more difficult to bake with sometimes because they are so high in water. You could always make a strawberry coulis to serve drizzled over each slice. Puree up strawberries, a squeeze of lemon juice (not much) and some sweetener depending on how sweet your strawberries already are. That would be amazing.

      Reply

  14. Wow!!! Tried this yesterday and they were amazing. Could not taste the coconut which was good for me. Thank you.

    Reply

  15. The cake is really nice, I’ve tried it once, but it went bad within 48 hours. What a pity, it goes bad very fast. I goes because of the high amount of eggs?

    Reply

  17. Libby, you say to, “Press each frozen berry evenly into the cake,” but your photo likes like they are at varied heights throughout the cake. Do some sink lower and others do not? Regardless, I look forward to baking this cake. Thanks so much for keeping costs affordable by using coconut flour! 🙂

    Reply

  18. This recipe is very nice. Not dry like other coconut-flour recipes I’ve tried (although still a bit dry because I think that’s par for the course). I’ve made it twice, and the second time I added the zest of one orange, which gave it a very nice flavor. I haven’t had any raspberries around, so I used a diced apple and a half-cup of blueberries (a total of 1 1/2 cups of fruit). The apple bits helped the cake to feel more moist. It’s great served with cream cheese. It freezes well too. I froze slices and pulled them out for breakfasts. Thanks for making a gluten-free recipe without nuts! I’m allergic to almonds and hazelnuts, which rules out far too many treats.

    Reply

  19. I just made this for strawberry shortcake it’s really good. I just made it without the fruit and then topped it with the fruit.

    Reply

  22. Just made this cake and it was the best coconut flour recipe I have made! 2 & 4 year old love it with cream!

    Reply

  23. Lovely recipe, Libby! This was my first Ditch the Carbs recipe and it was perfect. I am a lemon fan so I swapped out the vanilla for lemon rind and zest and sweetened with 1/4 cup of xylitol and added blackberries. A great tea cake, very tender, nice texture! Definitely the most successful coconut flour recipe that I have ever made. Thank you!!!

    Reply

  24. Hi Libby! Thank you for this recipe. I made it last night, and my two boys loved it. It turned out well – just needed to cook it in my oven for an extra 5 mins or so. Thanks again!

    Reply

  25. Hi Libby! Made this last night, and my two boys loved it. Thank you! I needed to cook it for an extra 5 mins or so, but it turned out beautifully. Thanks again.

    Reply

  27. Please tell me what I did wrong! Mine tasted like a fruity fritatta – very eggy and the bottom had settled into a kind of solid egg custard, while the top part was quite fluffy. Any tips?

    Reply

    • It sounds like it may not have been mixed thoroughly enough. I have made this half a dozen times and never had this. Did you add enough coconut flour? It makes for a light cake/sponge and shouldn’t be heavy at all. In fact I add cocoa to this recipe sometimes to make a decent chocolate cake or slice. The other thing with coconut flour, it takes a while to absorb all the liquid, so maybe next time let it sit in the mixing bowl whilst the oven is warming up, then give it another final mix before popping the mixture into the baking dish.

      Reply

  28. The recipe says stevia but you show Swerve, which measures very differently from stevia, in the products used. According to the stevia website one teaspoon of stevia equals one cup of sugar so 3-5 tablespoons would be equivalent to 9-15 cups of sugar. That doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t have Swerve or stevia so am trying to work out how much to use.

    Reply

    • You may be looking at pure stevia from their website. I clarify mine by saying “granulated stevia” which measures spoon for spoon instead of sugar and adding a photo. Swerve is available in the US and Natvia in NZ and AUS. Usually it is blended with erythritol. I also state in every recipe to add to YOUR taste as we all have a different set tooth depending on how long we have been sugar free so your stevia requirement may be more or less than the recipe. I personally find the stevia drops or pure stevia far too easy to over or under dose.

      Reply

  29. Libby, this looks divine – do you find the coconut flour makes for a dry crumb? I am intrigued and think this cake is on the cards for the week. Along with some proper custard now that it’s so cold 🙂

    Reply

  30. I tried the cake this evening but it took an hour to cook and it seems quite brown compared to yours….where am I making a mistake? Could it be with the cup sizes. I have read that the US and UK cup sizes are different. Could you advise in grams if possible?

    Reply

  32. I’ve noticed you normally don’t specify the size of the baking dish you use. Is there a particular reason for that? When following recipes I don’t feel very confident if I don’t know the size of pan/dish the cook has used as I worry I might need to adjust my baking time but don’t know it! 🙁

    Reply

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