I have to admit this Crazy Fruity Carob Pudding Cake is one of my most unconventional creations. It grew out of a reader’s request for a one-year-old’s birthday cake made only from fruits, vegetables, and possibly rice flour — no sweeteners, nuts, or seeds. Cocoa powder was allowed. The result is a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar–free, nut-free and oil-free cake that tastes surprisingly decadent.
The cake attracted a lot of attention on social media, so I want to explain how it works and why the ingredients and method are important. This isn’t a typical sponge cake — its texture is somewhere between a pudding and a fudge, yet it holds together like a cake and can be layered and frosted just like one. It’s soft and tender, which makes it ideal for small children and anyone avoiding common allergens.
The idea began when I remembered a dessert by my friend Natalie at Feasting on Fruit: her “crazy fruity fudge bars.” Those bars use a sturdy base of bananas, dates, and oat flour. To meet the reader’s requirements, I replaced oats with rice flours — an equal mix of brown rice flour and sweet sticky (glutinous) rice flour for a better texture — and swapped cacao for toasted carob powder. Carob has a naturally sweet, caramel-fruity flavor that pairs beautifully with banana. If you prefer a more chocolate-like flavor, use cacao powder in the same amount.
The base turns into a soft, pudding-like batter that bakes into a firm, sliceable cake once chilled. The batter is primarily ripe bananas and dates, with rice flours and carob to provide structure and flavor. After baking and thorough cooling, the texture sets into a dense, fudgy cake that still feels indulgent despite being made only from fruit and rice flour.
For the frosting I used the same core ingredients with a different balance: bananas, dates, toasted carob, and sweet sticky rice flour blended to a smooth, spreadable consistency. The frosting has a caramel-like carob flavor and a texture that behaves like a traditional frosting — spreadable, stable, and not runny. It adheres to the cake and holds up well in slices, which is unusual for a dairy-free, refined-sugar-free frosting.
Here are a few handling and assembly tips I found helpful:
- Use a high-power blender for the smoothest results. If using a regular or small blender, blend in batches and scrape down the sides frequently until smooth.
- I made a two-layer 6″ cake for a pretty, layered look. If you prefer something simpler, you can make a single-layer 9″ cake instead.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting. The texture is delicate when warm; chilling overnight firms it up and improves the flavor.
- Grease pans well and line the bottoms with parchment circles to make flipping easier and reduce the risk of sticking.
- Frost when you’re ready to assemble — crumb coating isn’t necessary because the frosting is thick and stable. Use parchment strips around the base if you want to keep the cake plate clean while decorating.
- Top with permitted garnishes such as cacao nibs, dried white mulberries, edible flowers, or dried berries for a natural finishing touch.
- For the cleanest slices, refrigerate overnight. The cake’s flavor and texture deepen after chilling and it slices more neatly on subsequent days.
If you dislike banana, ripe persimmons would likely work as a substitute, and avocado might be another option with recipe adjustments to flavor and sweetness.
Now to the recipe details:
Crazy Fruity Carob Pudding Cake
A gluten-free, vegan, fruit-sweetened, oil-free and nut-free carob cake. Cake base adapted from a recipe by Feasting on Fruit.
- Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: two layer 6″ cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Cake:
- 6 ripe bananas (or ripe persimmons)
- 1½ cups soft Medjool dates
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup roasted carob powder (or cacao powder)
- ½ cup brown rice flour (or white rice flour)
- ½ cup sweet sticky rice flour (glutinous rice flour)
Frosting:
- 3 ripe bananas (or ripe persimmons)
- 18 soft Medjool dates
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- ½ cup water
- dash of sea salt
- ½ cup toasted carob powder (or cacao powder)
- 1 cup sweet sticky rice flour (glutinous rice flour)
Optional Toppings:
- Dried white mulberries and cacao nibs to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a high-power blender, combine the bananas, dates, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and water. Blend until smooth. Add the carob powder and both rice flours, and blend again until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Divide the batter between prepared pans, level the tops, and tap the pans to remove air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool completely (see notes above — chilling overnight improves texture and flavor).
- For the frosting, blend the bananas, dates, vanilla, lemon juice, water, and a dash of salt until smooth. Add the carob powder and sweet sticky rice flour and blend until uniform. When the cakes are cool, assemble and frost the cake. Decorate with toppings and refrigerate overnight to set. Slice and serve chilled.