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GAPS Diet Birthday Cake

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If you're on the GAPS diet, one of those occasions that can be tough is birthdays. Especially with kids.

This birthday cake looks and tastes just like a real birthday cake, but it's grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free. And it's totally legal on the GAPS diet.

GAPS Diet Birthday Cake
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GAPS Diet Birthday Cake

  • Author: Ann Marie Michaels

Ingredients

  • Navy or Great Northern beans, dried (1 cup)
  • Filtered water (3 cups)
  • Eggs, pastured (6)
  • Vanilla extract, homemade (1 tsp)
  • Honey (1/2 cup)
  • Coconut oil, melted (1/4 cup)
  • Coconut flour (1/3 cup)
  • Sea salt (1/2 tsp)

Instructions

1. Place the beans in a large bowl or Dutch oven. Add the filtered water, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and let soak for 12-24 hours.
2. Drain and rinse the beans, transfer to a Dutch oven or large sauce pan, cover with filtered water and cook on medium heat for 45-60 minutes.
3. When the beans are done, let them cool (this can be done a day ahead — just store them in the fridge).
4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
5. Place the cooked and cooled beans into the food processor.
6. Crack the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Add the yolks to the food processor. Place the whites into a large bowl and set aside.
7. Add the vanilla and honey into the food processor and puree the mixture well, scraping down the sides as necessary.
8. Add in the sea salt, melted coconut oil and the coconut flour . Puree again.
9. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter until incorporated.
10. Grease and line the bottom round of the spring form pan with parchment paper. Pour in the cake batter and smooth out the top.
11. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cake has turned a light golden color. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean when done.
12. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
13. Once cooled, go around the the edge of the cake with a knife to loosen the sides.
14. Unbuckle the side of the spring form pan to remove the bottom.
15. Frost the cake immediately if desired, or freeze prior to frosting (it's a bit easier to frost if the cake is frozen).

Notes

See my recipe for homemade vanilla extract. If you are on the GAPS diet, make sure you use high-quality vodka, as many cheaper vodkas contain gluten. If you don't have 2 months to wait to make homemade vanilla extract, you can omit it from this recipe.

For frosting, I used my homemade marshmallow fluff. You can add a little natural food coloring, or make your own. I used a food coloring I bought online that is made only from beets.

The ice cream in the photo above is dairy-free coconut milk strawberry ice cream made with strawberries and honey (recipe coming soon).

Equipment Needed for This Recipe

Food processor
Stand mixer, or electric hand mixer
Parchment paper
Spring form pan

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GAPS Diet Birthday Cake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Okay, that is amazing accomplishment — sugar-free cake and ice cream. I love the cookbook Cooking with Coconut Flour for its gluten-free recipes. My family still has not given up pasta and bread and rice, but this book helps cut back on the carbs.

    Reply

  2. I am making a bacon, broccoli, and cheddar quiche for breakfast this morning and I realized it would be good for a gluten-free and maybe a GAPS diet. I think. I am not completely sure what cannot be had. I have only looked into GAPS a little bit. But my quiche is crustless.

    I use a stoneware quiche/pie pan. I rub it lightly with olive oil. To sorta make a crust, I layer shredded cheddar cheese on the bottom and a little up the sides. Then I layer crumbled, cooked bacon. Then I layer steamed broccoli. In another bowl I whisk 3-4 eggs with 1 cup of milk and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. I gently pour it over the quiche fillings. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Let set and cool for 5 minutes. I have to use a knife and a spatula to loosen the cheese from the bottom and sides and then serve.

    Reply

      • I just looked it up. You can only have feremented dairy so I bet you could use sour cream or yogurt and it would be really yummy!

        Reply

    • ahhhhh bacon…. it’s been weeks since I have had bacon….but it will be weeks before I can have it again…. :-(

      Reply

        • lol no worries, you can have it on full gaps… funny thing is I used to swear that I hated bacon and sausage, but I had just convinced myself it was like the most evil food you could eat….then, when we changed our diet, it was like commin’ home baby… oh so good. I swear bacon will be in Heaven !! :-)

          Reply

          • LOL! I agree with you there Bethany!!!

            I’ve been known to eat a 10 ounce pkg of bacon cooked crispy all by myself (and not feel guilty!) LOL

            Reply

            • I started slow… like one piece and then more and now I eat it without an ounce of guilt… just pleasure. I need to stop talking about it… it’s going to be a bit before I can indulge again.

              Reply

              • How about this……everyime you get an overwhelming craving for bacon- send me a message. I’ll sacrifice for you- and go eat some bacon. Then you can feel better :-D

                Reply

            • after Christ came back the laws changed, and it was allowed to consume them…but I have not checked with God on this one..lol so I am not sure if bacon will be there, however from what I know of Heaven it’ll be awesome regardless of bacon or no bacon !

              Reply

              • Hi Bethany,

                We are able to eat whatever crawls or flys on this earth, including bugs (yuck!).

                The pork was only banned for the Jews of the Old Testament:

                “After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.),” Mark 7:17-19.

                Keep in mind, we are not held captive by the law anymore. In fact, Jesus worked on the Sabbath in the New Testament: “And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”–so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? “How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other,” Matthew 12:10-13.

                Does this mean that He rejected the law? No. He did not come to abolish it, but to fulfill it. Jesus came to set us all free! We are only saved by grace when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We must come to truly KNOW Him personally.

                The Lord cares more about us becoming true disciples for His kingdom and saving the lost than about what food is put into our mouths. What are you going to do if there is only pork to eat? The Lord made pigs for a reason, and it certainly wasn’t to make the earth look pretty.

                Here are a few videos regarding the law:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_hzTxJYK-o

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyEA9_TQBW8

                Reply

              • read the whole passage, what changed was that gentiles were included too, even Paul was confused until the gentiles knocked on his door, THEN he got it. I LOVE bacon too but we’ve decided it’s kinda like junk food only to be had every once in awhile. Read a book called What the Bible Says About Healthy Living. It’s very interesting, it talks about the effects pork, shellfish, and other things have on our bodies. We actually stopped getting sick (common colds and such) after we stopped eating pork. Now when I eat it I get a sore throat just like sugar.

                Reply

                • Smart….the Holy Spirit told me to stop eating pork YEARS ago and this is WELL before I read the bible and even had a clue there was any controversy surrounding the matter. Pork disgusts me. I do not eat shellfish either…feeling WORLDS better since giving up shellfish. You are wise ofthec to be able to discern what those verses really mean. Lets face it, a lot of us just don’t want to stop doing what feels or tastes good to ‘the flesh’…unfortunately we WILL suffer as a result =( I love cheeseslave’s blog and recipes but I ALWAYS modify them for kosher. God bless, wishes you ALL great health <3

                  Reply

              • No, that’s not true….it was an analogy to let them know it was time to reach out to the gentiles, they are now allowed to be in the kingdom of God…pigs are STILL unclean…they STILL were created to clean up garbage on land. They are FULL of disgusting parasites and a very very unhealthy thing to eat.

                Reply

      • I agree…my mom used to make them with the fakey store bought pie crusts and I never even liked them.. I liken it to oily cardboard…. I would eat the insides and my brother would eat my crust…lol.

        Reply

        • I do have a great and easy crust recipe . . . if you can do flour, that is. I am not doing GAPS because I haven’t taken the time to read up on it, but I have tried lessening my carbs, so I went crustless.

          Reply

  7. I have your cake recipe from the Reversing Food Allergies course, so reading this post has reminded me to try this recipe. Might wait a little longer as Dr Natasha McBride says in the GAPS book to take it slow with beans as they are an effort for your body to digest. I’m still looking forward to “tricking” my friends and family whom think I am a freak for going grain-free by serving them a tasty cake!

    Reply

    • I can’t wait to make this for my kids and see their reaction…..and then I think I will make for our church dinner and see what everyone says! ;)

      Reply

      • It’s the only way to go, Ofthec – lead by example. People will only know how delicious our food is until they taste it. Until then, they think we’re strange/weird/unconventional etc. Just like my BIL – we made open lamb souvlaki’s and now he loved it and they eat them at home (with or without a wrap) all the time. So easy, too. Lamb backstrap, garlic yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato, onions, lemon juice… mmm. :)

        Reply

  9. Wow, it’s hard to believe, with these ingredients, that this will taste like what we’re used to eating and is healthier. It sure looks the same, looks delicious! I will definitely have to try this!

    Reply

  11. Ok, I have a dumb question. LOL I want to make this for my daughter’s first birthday. A coconut isn’t an actual nut is it? That will cause an allergic reaction? I’m pretty sure it’s not, but just checking.

    We made blueberry muffins with almond flour one day and I gave her a few bites before I remembered about the almonds, and she was just fine. She loves egg yolks and I give her some whites now and she has no reaction. She’s had local honey in some things already and has been fine. But she’s never had one bite of any grain and is 11 months old! And she’ll drink broth straight in a sippy. I wish my 6 year old would!

    I guess the coconut just worries me some.

    Reply

    • As imblst wrote, coconut is not a nut, but I do know several kids with nut allergies who are also allergic to coconut. My daughter is allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts, except almonds. She has no problem with coconut.

      My daughter’s birthday is next week so I’m going to give this recipe a try. I tried some SCD-legal brownies that were made with black beans, but she wouldn’t eat them. Even though they looked like traditional brownies, they still tasted like beans with honey. :(

      Reply

    • Hi Kristi,

      Coconut isn’t a nut; it is actually a fruit. I’m very happy to hear that she loves bone broth!

      Reply

  12. Gotta try this. I always cave and buy the gluten free brownie mix – some of which are so gross. But this looks much better. Cake made from beans – what will you think of next?

    Reply

    • try black bean brownies! lots of recipes on the internet. or Elana’s pantry’s brownies are great too–grain free, gluten free, sugar free.

      Reply

        • I agree… i get her emails but for now can’t really make much of her stuff since I am currently allergic to almonds which she uses a ton of… but since that was a totally random allergy that just sprung up last year it should get fixed with gaps ! So eventually I will be able to make more fun stuff like she does

          Reply

  13. the texture on this cake looks incredible! i love to add a full tablespoon of vanilla to baked goods made with coconut flour. it covers up the “eggy” flavor and makes things extra delicious.

    Reply

  14. This might be a dumb question, but how do I cook the beans? I’ve never cooked beans in my life =). Do i just cook them on the medium heat without adding any water after I’ve rinsed them? with the lid on?

    Reply

    • I usually cook them for 8-10hrs in a slow cooker, depends on the type of bean. If you cook it on the stovetop in a saucepan it definitely doesn’t take that long. ;)

      Reply

    • You’ll want to start with dry beans. I soak mine over night with raw ACV and rinse in the morning, then simmer until tender. How long depends on how old the beans are, what kind, etc. but usually just a couple hours. Canned can be used in a pinch, just try to get BPA free ones. Rinse well and then proceed with the recipe.

      Reply

    • You soak them overnight. Put them in a bowl about three times their size and fill it with water just sitting on the counter overnight. Then in the morning drain them, and put them in a pot with new fresh water (or even better broth:) and simmer (bring to a boil, then reduce heat so it maintains a light bubble) until they are tender. Probably just a few hours!

      Reply

  16. This looks yummy. I will have to try this. How do you know if your vodka contains gluten.. the one I have says 100% neutral grain spirits.. nothing about which grain was used. Also, I noticed you didn’t add any acidic medium to the beans.. is that not required for soaking beans?

    Reply

  18. Brilliant! I’ve made brownies before that were made with black beans and I love how you can take something that seems so far from a dessert food and transform it.

    Reply

      • FarmerKimberly, I say this in love, but you have sooooo many posts that I would have noooo idea where to start looking!!!! :)

        Reply

  20. thank you for this! I made your brownie recipe for my two yr olds birthday yesterday and it was delicious but not like birthday cake (which only my husband minded the kids thought brownies were great!) Our next b-day is in Sept so we’ll give this one a try then. Thank you again!

    Reply

  21. I made something like this back in january for my daughter’s birthday, it was made from eggs and white beans as the main ingredients. It turned out super yummy…. it was from “the spunky coconut”

    Reply

        • Yeah she dos GF/CF stuff and I made a number of her things when I first discovered her… she made a cake with white beans and since we were off all grains pretty much I gave it a shot and it was delish. I also made the coconut cream icing she had… it was honey, gelatin and coconut milk (the thick cream part) I added beet juice to make it pink and some cherries for filling and as toppers… I will put a pic of it on facebook… I am sooo bad at keeping up with putting photos on facebook… too busy.

          Reply

    • her recipes look good but , for me, she uses to many ingredients. have you tried any of the elanas pantry cakes?

      Reply

  24. Awesome!

    I made coconut flour cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday……..they didn’t go over very well. (Daughter was great- but MY family is a different story :-D )

    I’ll have to check these out- hopefully a better fit :-D

    Reply

    • lol aren’t families a pain sometimes…. it’s always stressful when I go and eat with my side of the family… my brothers are ruthless, mockery about everything imaginable… they also gave my daughter a box of cordial cherries for Christmas because they think it’s funny that we don’t eat candy and she’s soooooo deprived. grr…. try and explain that to a 2 year old ! (it was 2 years ago…she’s 4 now)

      Reply

      • I used to decorate cakes as a job in the past and even made my brothers wedding cake… so I LOVE to do that sort of thing… I had not for years since I refused to use traditional icing and so this cake was fun and therapeutic for me, even though I had pretty limited resources

        Reply

        • No way Bethany! I swear you and I share a wavelength!!!

          Have you looked through my pics? I have a whole album of cakes I’ve done. I REFUSE to make american buttercream anymore (crisco). I do make italian buttercream though (sugar, egg whites, and butter). Although not perfect by ANY means- it’s a much better choice.

          Reply

          • I grew up scraping my mom’s crisco icing off my piece of cake. I make cream cheese frosting. YUM!

            Reply

          • I just finished making the wedding cake and grooms cake for my sisters wedding. I don’t do many cakes though. I’m a perfectionist- and I refuse to work with “fake” ingredients. But sooo many of the cool techniques use fake foods that it’s frustrating!

            Reply

          • I have not seen those pictures… I will have to look at them. I just saw pics of your kids and husband. The icing I made with the coconut milk, honey and gelatin was really, really good like whipped icing, but creamier… and frozen is just delish.

            Reply

                • post it to BA so we can all see and try www.flylady.net for the organization issue ALTHOUGH I still have issues LOL

                  Reply

              • My mom made many a wedding cake from her kitchen. My mom is a very talented artist. She did amazing decorations with that crisco icing. I think that Fondant is cheating.

                Reply

                • Yeah- Although I do love some of the designs that can be created by the top cake decorators. Outside of the experts- it just looks like short cut.

                  Reply

    • Rice, may I call you Rice, ;-) I have a really good recipe for lemon muffins with coconut flour that everyone who has tried them loves them.

      Reply

      • oh I have made lemon poppyseed muffins with eggs, coconut flour, baking soda, stevia, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest… they are very yummy. Then what you need to do is take the cream from a can of coconut milk and add some vanilla, add in more lemon zest and a little juice and you have a great icing… real quick and easy.

        Reply

          • Lemon muffins

            4 eggs
            3/4 cup sugar
            1-1/2 cups lemon extract (I use 12 drops of lemon essential oil)
            1/4 teaspoon salt
            1/2 cup butter, melted
            3/4 cup sifted coconut flour

            Combine eggs, sugar, lemon extract, salt, butter and mix well. Stir in sifted coconut flour. Let batter rest 4 to 5 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly. Drop batter in spoon size mounds into greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

            Reply

  25. How wonderful to have this resource. I have struggled at birthday time, to know what to make that is healthy yet at the same time so they don’t feel deprived. Thanks for posting this.

    Reply

    • Yeah I totally get that… I know my kids are not used to extravagant birthdays and super fancy cakes with all sorts of novelty on them but I love to do that for them… so it’s nice to have another option

      Reply

  26. I just made this today and it is WONDERFUL! My daughter wanted a strawberry cake (just like the cake they were going to have at a friend’s b-day party) and so I stired in 1 pound of blended organic strawberries. Then I made the marshmallow icing and colored it pink w/ natural food coloring. WOW! It is awesome!! We can’t believe how good these are. This will be our new “go-to” recipe for birthday cake. We can’t appreciate enough you posting these recipes!

    Reply

    • Did you use the beans and the liquid in the recipe or just the beans? How much liquid did you use if you used it? This part is confusing to me.

      Reply

      • I used 3 cups of cooked beans (no liquid). I made these into cupcakes and baked them for 20-25 minutes until golden on top and toothpick came out clean. There is enough liquid in the cooked beans so you don’t want to add any more.

        Reply

  27. Yesterday was my birthday and I made this cake! Thank you SO much for posting the recipe. It was absolutely delicious. Even my husband liked it and he isn’t doing GAPS with me. :)

    Reply

  29. Kind of funny–there has only been one comment in the past year, and right above that is my comment from last year!

    I quit doing GAPS for a while (while I was pregnant) and started back up just in time for my birthday THIS year. So I had this cake again. Everyone enjoyed it again.

    I also made it again today for no particular birthday, but I tried to turn it into a chocolate cake. I added three heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder. It came out pretty good. It reminds me of chocolate “cake” that I sometimes ate in Italy–not all that sweet, and not all that chocolatey, more like a chocolate bread. So, I guess if I were to try to make it a chocolate cake again, I would probably add a little more honey to make up for the bitterness of the cocoa. Or, maybe I would use some cacao butter instead of part of the cocoa.

    Still a great recipe. :)

    Reply

  30. Can these be frozen? I’d like to make a big batch and then just pull them out when my mother in law comes over.

    Reply

  31. Just to make sure…I’m not the best baker. After you soaked the beans you drained them…did you add water back to cook them? And if you did, did you drain the water after you cooked them? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Yes, add water to cook (boil) the beans until tender. Then drain the water after cooking them. You should only be adding cooked beans to the recipe, not the water.

      Reply

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  1. […] Urban Poser will be delicious, but I cannot guarantee it will make your baby this cute.  This pink marshmallow frosting cake from Cheeseslave makes me smile. And better yet, it uses natural food coloring so you won’t […]

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  2. […] This pink marshmallow frosting cake from Cheeseslave makes me smile. And better yet, it uses natural food coloring so you won’t […]

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