Recipe: Dairy-Free Coconut Pound Cake

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Carla Bartolucci’s Coconut Pound Cake. (Photo by Clay McLachlan.)


Einkorn, which translates to mean “one grain” in German, is the only wheat never to have been hybridized or modified. The origins of this heirloom wheat varietal can be traced back 12,000 years to the Fertile Crescent, where it became the first domesticated plant. Carla Bartolucci came across einkorn when searching for an alternative grain for her gluten-sensitive daughter. They were immediately hooked to this grain’s sweet, nutty flavor.

Today, Carla and her husband, Rodolfo, are the largest growers of Einkorn wheat in the world. They sell organic einkorn wheat berries, flour and products under the banner, Jovial Foods.

In her cookbook, Einkorn: Recipes for Nature’s Original Wheat, Carla shares the history of this ancient grain, along with 100 different recipes that demonstrate different practices for baking with it. For example, when making cakes, like this Dairy-Free Coconut Pound Cake (recipe below), she suggests sifting the einkorn flour twice to eliminate potential lumps.

She says, “Made from four different coconut-derived products—oil, flour, flakes, and milk—the rich flavor of this dairy-free pound cake will bring you back for a second slice. I’ve made a few tweaks to the mixing technique and proportions used in a classic pound cake to give it a better spring in the oven. The batter might seem thick, but the cake will bake up very moist.”