If you want to know what inspired me to bake a coconut rum cake, read my previous blog post where I have shared the recipe for a gluten free coconut rum cake. While I was making the cake for my son’s birthday, I had the desire to try to make an AIP version too! If you have been following me, you will know that I have not been able to reintroduce eggs and so a traditional type of cake even if it’s gluten free is something that I stay away from! The last time I tried eggs, I was extremely sensitive to it and so I haven’t tried to reintroduce it. I don’t miss them much except for when it comes to cakes!
So the cake that I was making for the rest of the family took some time and I had to make dinner too so there was very little time for me to formulate an AIP recipe. I have made some AIP cakes in the past like this AIP Blackberry Pound Cake Or this AIP Blueberry Banana Bread Or this Instant Pot Fudgy Chocolate Cake
As I recently had tried this AIP flour blend from Beth’s Blends, I thought of using that flour blend to make an AIP version of my coconut rum cake. Beth from Beth’s Blends has indeed created a wonderful AIP flour blend using cassava flour, tapioca flour and arrowroot flour. You have got to try this blend. There are lots of AIP baking recipes on their website like Hamburger buns and savory muffins that you can make using this blend! How cool right?
Coming back to this cake recipe, you guys, this recipe was thrown together faster than throwing vegetables into a soup pot when you are trying to empty your fridge! But guess what? It worked! LOL! Omg, I got this beautifully textured spongy cake that you get only from adding eggs. Beth’s Blends recommends using yams or sweet potato with the flour in their bun and muffins recipes. However since this recipe had coconut in it, I thought that a banana flavor would go well with it and so added a banana. However, I only used a small amount of mashed banana as I did not want to overpower the cake with the banana flavor. 
Next time I make it, I will bake it in a smaller tin (6 inch or less) so that I can get a thicker cake. The rum glaze in this recipe is optional and will not be AIP since the alcohol will not be cooked off. However the rum used in the batter will be completely cooked off so the cake will still be AIP compliant. Here’s an excellent article by ‘The Paleo Mom’ about alcohol and AIP.
The vanilla and coconut extracts that I used also had some alcohol but since they would be evaporating off during the baking process, your cake would still be AIP compliant. 
So here you go – without further ado, here’s the recipe for you!
- ¼ cup mashed banana (about ½ a large ripe banana)
- ¼ cup thick coconut milk (I recommend Aroy-D brand)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp grass fed gelatin
- ¼ cup hot boiling water
- 3 tbsp coconut rum
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp coconut extract
- 1 cup (packed) Beth's Blend grain free flour blend
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut (I used Let's do Organic brand)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut rum
- ½ tsp coconut extract
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Grease a 6 inch or 8 inch round cake pan with olive oil.Keep aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, coconut milk, olive oil and maple syrup. Mix using a hand whisk or electric mixer for 1 minute.
- Next in a small bowl, add the gelatin and then add the hot water. Using a fork stir rapidly to mix and dissolve all the gelatin. Within a minute all the gelatin should be dissolved and there should be no lumps. Pour this mixture into the banana and oil mixture in the bigger bowl.
- Next add the coconut rum, ground cinnamon, vanilla and coconut extract. Then add the flour slowly in batches whisking continuosly after adding making sure there are no lumps. Once all the flour is incorporate, you should get a smooth batter. Add the shredded coconut and that should thicken the batter a bit.
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 325 F for about 25 to 28 mins. (start checking for doneness after 22 minutes as oven times can vary)
- Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then carefully go around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake and flip it carefully onto a plate or a cake stand.
- The rum glaze (below) can be added on top but that part of the recipe is not AIP since the alcohol won't be cooked off.
- In a small sauce pan, heat the water and the maple syrup. Let boil for about 4-5 minutes. Then turn heat off. Then add the coconut extract and the coconut rum. Drizzle this syrup all over the cake after it cools. You can poke holes in the cake using a toothpick first and then drizzle the syrup on top.
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