Blueberry Snack Cake (Paleo, gluten-free)

This Blueberry Snack Cake is easy to make and bursting with blueberries!

It’s light, fluffy and slightly sweet. Don’t forget to smother it in the thick, creamy blueberry icing.

And this healthy snack cake is Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!

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Paleo Blueberry Snack Cake

This healthy blueberry cake is the perfect treat when you want a baked good that’s a little different from your typical muffin or quick bread.

It’s light, fluffy, and slightly sweetened with just honey. Lemon zest adds a bright zing and, of course, it’s packed with juicy blueberries.

And instead of regular flour, it uses superfine almond flour, giving it protein, fiber, healthy fats and a nice, buttery richness.

Once it’s cooled, you can then spread on an easy-to-make icing of blueberries, coconut cream, lemon juice and honey.

Almost like a muffin in cake form, this Paleo blueberry cake is also great as part of a brunch.

The cake is great without the icing, too!

What is a “snack cake”?

Others might have slightly different definitions for what constitutes a snack cake but for me, it’s:

• one layer
• not as sweet as your typical cake/dessert
• only a thin layer of frosting/icing or none at all

What you need for this Paleo Blueberry Snack Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

• 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot flour/starch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup honey
• zest and juice from 1 large lemon
• 2/3 cup ( 3.5 oz) blueberries
• cooking spray to grease the baking dish (I like avocado oil spray)

Ingredients for the icing:

• 1/2 cup (2.75 oz.) blueberries, plus more for decorating, if desired (about 2 oz.)
• 3/4 cup coconut cream from a can of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk, chilled for at least 24 hours (I really like Native Forest when I know I need coconut cream)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Equipment for the cake:

• 8×8″ (2 quart) baking dish
• a large mixing bowl
• a medium mixing bowl
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• a measuring glass
• a whisk
• a silicone spatula
• a microplane grater

Equipment for the icing:

• a blender, food processor, or mini (4 cup) food processor
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• mini offset spatula

How to make Paleo Blueberry Snack Cake

Heat the oven to 350°.

Grease an 8×8″ (2 quart) baking dish and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda and salt.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey and zest of 1 lemon.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until blended. The batter will be thick (pictured below).

Gently fold in the blueberries. You want to be gentle enough to not smoosh and burst them but firm enough to make sure they’re evenly distributed throughout the batter. But if some of them burst, that’s fine.

Scrape the batter into the baking dish and gently spread into an even layer. It’ll seem like a thin layer but it’ll rise as it bakes.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top. Let cool completely on a cooling rack.

For the icing, combine the blueberries, coconut cream*, honey, lemon juice and salt in a food processor, mini food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth. It’ll be runny at first but chill it in the fridge and it’ll be thicker once the cake is cool.

Once the cake has cooled completely, spread on an even layer of the icing on top of the cake. Decorate with more blueberries, if desired.

*For the coconut cream: Chill a 14-15 oz. can of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Do not shake the can at any time. Carefully open the can and scoop out the thick cream that has risen to the top. Reserve the remaining coconut water for something else (like smoothies, cocktails, etc.).

Make ahead and storage

The iced cake can be chilled in the fridge. It is best when consumed within 3 days but can be kept chilled for up to 5.

The icing can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. If it’s very stiff, you might need to give it a good stir or let it sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before using.

If you want to freeze the cake, do not ice it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container or baggie for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Variations and substitutions

• You can use chopped strawberries instead of blueberries. You might need to add 2-5 minutes to the baking time as the strawberries can release more moisture. I haven’t tried using chopped cherries but I think they would also work.
• You can omit the lemon zest from the cake. In that case, add 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
• If you also don’t have lemon juice, add 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the dry ingredients.
• I haven’t tried replacing the honey with maple syrup but I think it would work.

You might also like:

• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins (Paleo, gluten-free)
• Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake with Kahlua Whipped Cream (gluten-free; can be Paleo, keto)
• Olive Oil Polenta Cake (gluten-free)
• Strawberry Shortcake (Paleo, gluten-free)

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Blueberry Snack Cake (Paleo, gluten-free)

Light, fluffy and slightly sweetened, this Blueberry Snack Cake is the perfect mid-day treat. And by using almond flour, a little bit of honey and lots of fresh blueberries, it's also pretty healthy! Plus it's paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: almond flour, blueberry, cake, dairy free, gluten free, paleo, snack cake

Servings: 9 bars

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

For the cake:

• cooking spray, such as avocado oil spray
• 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
• ¼ cup arrowroot flour/starch
• ½ teaspoon baking sooda
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (or ½ teaspoon kosher salt)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup honey
• zest of one large lemon, plus 1 teaspoon juice
• ⅔ cup (3.5 oz.) blueberries

For the icing:

• ¾ cup coconut cream (see notes below)
• ½ cup (2.75 oz.) blueberries, plus more for decorating, if desired
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (from the lemon used for the cake)
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt (or ¼ teaspoon kosher salt)

Instructions

For the cake:

• Heat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8" (2 quart) baking dish and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda and salt.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, the zest of 1 lemon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until blended. The batter will be thick.
• Gently fold in the blueberries. You want to be gentle enough to not smoosh and burst them but firm enough to make sure they're evenly distributed throughout the batter. But if some of them burst, that's fine.
• Scrape the batter into the baking dish and gently spread into an even layer. It'll seem like a thin layer but it'll rise as it bakes.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top. Let cool completely on a cooling rack.

For the icing:

• For the icing, combine the coconut cream, blueberries, honey, lemon juice and salt in a food processor, mini food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth. It'll be runny at first but chill it in the fridge and it'll be thicker once the cake is cool.
• Once the cake has cooled completely, spread on an even layer of the icing on top of the cake. Decorate with more blueberries, if desired.

Notes

For the coconut cream: Chill a 14-15 oz. can of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Do not shake the can at any time. Carefully open the can and scoop out the thick cream that has risen to the top. Reserve the remaining coconut water for something else (like smoothies, cocktails, etc.).

Make ahead and storage

The iced cake can be chilled in the fridge. It is best when consumed within 3 days but can be kept chilled for up to 5.

The icing can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. If it's very stiff, you might need to give it a good stir or let it sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before using.

If you want to freeze the cake, do not ice it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container or baggie for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

 

Variations and substitutions

• You can use chopped strawberries instead of blueberries. You might need to add 2-5 minutes to the baking time as the strawberries can release more moisture. I haven't tried using chopped cherries but I think they would also work.
• You can omit the lemon zest from the cake. In that case, add 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
• If you also don't have lemon juice, add 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the dry ingredients.
• I haven't tried replacing the honey with maple syrup but I think it would work.

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