Vegan papaya cake with a flavorful and crunchy coconut crumble topping. This cake is delightfully fluffy, has a beautiful crumb and tastes like a tropical island. It's the perfect afternoon treat with a cup of tea!
Why you'll love this papaya cake
Compared to pawpaw, payaya is sweeter, has a gentle tropical flavor, with a similar flavor profile to cantaloupe / rockmelon. Papaya is wonderful in cakes, no-bake desserts such as my papaya lime bars and papaya cheesecake!
In this recipe, the papaya gives the cake moisture, a beautiful golden hue and a fun tropical flavor. I added coconut to bring out the tropical flavor and textures!
I also added topped the cake with papaya. When baked, the papaya tastes like a beautiful chewy candy-like treat!
If you're still not a fan of papaya, check out my apple crumble tea cake.
Ingredients you'll need for this recipe
You'll need some basic pantry staples to make the papaya cake including:
Notes about the ingredients
Fresh papaya which goes inside the cake and on top of the cake. This recipe is perfect for using leftover and excess ripe papaya!
Dried coconut. The shredded (or desiccated) coconut makes the cake fluffier and the flaked coconut on top of the cake adds texture.
Coconut oil or vegan butter which is used for the crumb topping.
Apple cider vinegar or any other type of vinegar is optional and you cannot taste it in the final cake! The acid improves the crumb of the cake and makes it slightly more soft and tender!
This cake has no eggs but is delightfully fluffy and moist. The papaya puree actually adds moisture and acts as a binder. Also, there are enough raising agents in the cake to make it fluffy!
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How do you make a papaya cake
First, add all your dry cake ingredients to a large bowl (flour, sugar, fine coconut, baking powder and salt). Whisk the ingredients until combined so there are no large lumps.
Blend the papaya with the liquid ingredients (oil, milk and vinegar) until there are no big chunks. Then add the papaya mixture to your dry ingredients. Mix until combined!
The batter should be relatively thick like a loose paste. You can see the batter's texture in picture #3 in the collage below!
Add your thick cake batter to a lined or greased cake pan and smooth the surface.
Now you can make the crumble! You can do this in the same bowl you used for the cake batter or use a clean one.
To make the crumble, add all the ingredients to your bowl and mix using your fingertips or a spoon. The mixture should resemble coarse and lumpy crumbs.
Top your cake with the crumble and chopped papaya then bake the cake! This cake smells WONDERFUL while it's baking!
Expert Tips
Yes of course! Bake the cake as-is for 45-50 minutes and you can also top the cake with:
- Vanilla buttercream
- Whipped cream
- A simple sugar glaze, such as from my lemon olive oil cake.
- A light dusting of powdered sugar
Or serve the cake with no topping and a side of ice cream, yogurt or more tropical fruit!
Yes this should work! The cake may be slightly denser and take 10 extra minutes to bake.
More vegan cakes for Summer:
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Papaya Cake with Crumb Topping
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 1 for gluten-free)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (40g) fine shredded coconut / desiccated coconut
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup (190mL) dairy-free milk
- ¾ cup (105g) papaya, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup (65mL) neutral flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, regular vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
Topping
- ½ cup (30g) flaked coconut
- ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose plain flour, gluten-free all-purpose flour or white rice flour
- 3 tablespoons (45g) solid coconut oil, or vegan butter (note 2)
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt, if using coconut oil or unsalted butter
- ~⅓ cup (50g) papaya, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease or line a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake pan with parchment paper.
Preparing the papaya cake:
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix until there are no lumps.
- Add all the wet ingredients to a blender and blend until mostly smooth. Pour the papaya mixture into your mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients until just combined. Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan. Smooth the surface with a spoon or spatula and set aside.
Preparing the crumble topping:
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients (except the papaya). Use your fingertips or a spoon to mix the ingredients until combined.
- Scatter the remaining cubed papaya on top of the cake and gently press them into the batter. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the cake.
Baking and serving the papaya cake:
- Bake the cake in your preheated oven for around 50 minutes or until done. If the cake is browning too quickly and the center isn't baked, cover the cake pan with aluminum foil or an oven-safe plate/bowl. The cake is ready when you can insert a toothpick in the center and there is no wet batter, though some crumbs are fine (the cake is quite moist)
- Allow the cake to rest in the cake tin for at least 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin and place on a cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!
- The cake can be kept at room temperature for 1 day or in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Notes
- For a gluten-free papaya cake, substitute the plain flour for 1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal and ¾ cup (120g) gluten-free all-purpose flour or fine white rice flour.
- Use unrefined coconut oil for a strong coconut flavor or refined coconut oil for less coconut flavor.
Nutrition
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This cake was amazing! Absolutely delicious! I used canned coconut milk, brown sugar, apple sauce instead of oil, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla, apple cider vinegar. I used butter, cinnamon , nutmeg, coconut sugar in the topping. It turned out perfectly! My family loved it! I will definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe. 😊
Hi Laurel, I'm glad that you this cake, and it's great that it worked with your minor adjustments!! I'm getting hungry thinking about the flavor combination. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
The cake looks delicious! Do you think I can make it with canned papaya (pulp)?
Hi San, I haven't tested it, but I imagine it would!
Hi, I tried with canned papaya and it worked! The cake looks like yours and is delicious
Oh that's great to hear!!! So glad it worked out and that you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Hi! I am going to make this cake today, but I am unsure if I should use unsweetened or sweetened coconut as your ingredient doesn't specify which one is used for this recipe. Please advise as soon as you can!
Hi! Sorry for the late reply - I'm on vacation. I used unsweetened coconut. Hope that helps.
Just tried this and my cake came out flat and dense but very moist. Left it in for a few more minutes but it never rose. Tested my baking powder and it’s still active (bubbled when I put 2 tsp in 1 cup hot water) and the only deviation from the recipe was that I only added 15 g dessicated coconut as opposed to 40 because that’s all I had. Didn’t overmix either. However, I did find out just now that my oven is off by 25°F! Does that make that much of a difference?
I want to try this again because the flavor seems is good! Do you think I can leave off the coconut in the batter? I’m not sure when I can go out and buy more. Also, by how much can I increase the papaya in the batter without compromising the cake? I’d love more of the papaya flavor to come through.
I tested this cake without the coconut and it made the cake denser, so reducing the coconut would've impacted your cake. If your oven was 25F cooler, it would make the cake rise slower which can make a cake flatter and denser. However, I'd say the main issue is the coconut.
With increasing the papaya, it would absolutely change the texture of the cake but you're welcome to experiment to find something that suits your tastes!
I have only one word to describe this cake: AMAZING! This is the second cake I made from you, my first was the Easy Vegan Passionfruit Cake (another amazing recipe). This papaya cake has the perfect sweetness level to it, moist and flavor. I'm celiac, so I did the gluten-free version, It's so delicious. Thank you so much for adding the gluten-free version! It's always a bit hard to find a good vegan and gluten-free recipe, but I'm always trustful if it is from you. Love your work!
I'll leave a little piece of advice for people that have a low voltage problem as i do, I did 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to do the trick, and cooked it at 190°C.
Aw what a compliment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the gluten-free version and thank you so much for your ongoing support! Love the tip about having a low-voltage oven too 🙂
I loved it!!! thank you so much. It is so delicious and the texture is so soft.
That's wonderful to hear! Thanks Mahtab!
I've decided to try this recipe because our garden grows maany papayas and this is a very delicious way of using them! I definitely recommend this recipe; it's super easy and yummy.
Aw lucky you! I'm glad that you enjoyed this cake and thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Just made this cake. Lovely colour. The combination is beautiful. I love how your vegan cakes don't taste like a compromise in comparison to normal cakes. Keep up the great work!
Aw I'm sooooo happy to hear you enjoyed this and I reall appreciate your words! Thanks so much for your feedback x