Carob Flour Cake Recipe: Soft Cake Without Cocoa

What Does Carob Flour Provide in Cake?

Carob flour (carob powder) is obtained by drying and grinding the pulp of the carob fruit. What the product is and how it is produced What is Carob Flour / Powder? We explained it in detail in our article. In this article, we focus on the practical use of carob flour in the kitchen.

Carob flour has several properties that make it valuable in cake recipes:

Natural sweetness	Carob pulp is naturally rich in sugar; in one review, it is stated that the pulp contains 30–60 percent sugar (Dahmani et al., 2023).
Color and aroma	Roasted carob flour gives the cake a dark cocoa-like color and a slight caramel aroma.
Fiber	The total dietary fiber in carob pulp is in the range of 30–40 percent (Dahmani et al., 2023).
Less bitterness	In one study using carob powder instead of cocoa in muffins, carob muffins were found to taste less bitter and sweeter than those with cocoa (Pawłowska et al., 2018).

Ingredients (for 22 cm formwork)

The recipe below is for a medium-sized cake of about 10–12 slices.

3 eggs (at room temperature)
130 g granulated sugar (about 2/3 cup)
120 ml milk (half a glass)
100 ml sunflower oil or hazelnut oil (less than half a cup)
220 g wheat flour (about 2 cups)
40 g carob flour (about 4 tablespoons)
10 g baking powder (1 pack)
1 packet of vanillin or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
Optional: 50 g coarsely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts

Note: Water glass equivalents are approximate. For the most consistent result, we recommend using a kitchen scale.

Instructions

1. Preparation

Preheat the oven to 175 °C (165 °C in a fan oven). Grease and flour a 22 cm diameter cake tin or line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Keeping the eggs and milk at room temperature helps the dough to mix more homogeneously and the cake to rise better.

2. Sift dry ingredients

Mix the wheat flour, carob flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and sift them. Carob flour, while fine, can occasionally form small lumps; the sifting process distributes these lumps and ensures that the color is evenly distributed throughout the dough.

3. Beat eggs and sugar

Place the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Beat on high speed of the mixer for about 4–5 minutes, until the mixture is light in color and has a voluminous creamy consistency. The softness of the cake largely depends on the air incorporated into the dough at this stage.

4. Add liquids

Reducing the speed of the mixer, add the oil first, then the milk and vanilla. Beat until just blended.

5. Add dry ingredients

Add the sifted dry ingredients in two or three batches and mix with a spatula from bottom to top, using gentle movements. Whisking the flour mixture for a long time can increase gluten development and cause the cake to harden. Add the optional walnuts at this stage.

6. Bake

Pour the batter into the mold and smooth the surface. Bake in a preheated oven for about 35–40 minutes. Do not open the oven door for the first 25 minutes. If the toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry, the cake is cooked.

7. Rest

Take the cake out of the oven and leave it in the mold for 10 minutes, then place it on a wire rack and let it cool completely. As carob cakes cool, their aroma becomes more pronounced.

Using Carob Flour as a Cocoa Substitute

Carob flour is best known as a cocoa alternative. If you want to adapt a cocoa cake recipe with carob flour, the following practical information may be useful to you:

Quantity	To begin with, you can replace the cocoa in the recipe with carob flour of the same weight. If you want a more intense color and aroma, you can increase the amount slightly.
Sugar	Carob flour is sweeter than cocoa. When using carob instead of cocoa, you can try reducing the sugar in the recipe by 10–20 percent.
Taste difference	Carob is not exactly the same as cocoa; it has a softer, caramel and fruity taste. In the study comparing cocoa muffins, carob muffins were evaluated as less bitter and sweeter, although it was reported that both products had good sensory quality (Pawłowska et al., 2018).
Color	In the same study, it was stated that the difference in the peel color of carob muffins was not perceived by consumers (Pawłowska et al., 2018).
Consistency	Carob flour can absorb liquid differently than cocoa; if the dough seems too thick, you can add one or two tablespoons of milk.

The fact that carob does not contain caffeine and theobromine, unlike cocoa, may be preferred by some people. This is a topic that needs to be addressed separately; here we focus only on its practical use in recipes.

Tips for Reducing Sugar

The natural sweetness of carob flour provides a good opportunity to reduce the amount of sugar in cake recipes. It is important to note that when reducing sugar, the texture of the cake can also be affected; sugar provides not only taste, but also moisture and softness.

Try the sugar in the recipe by reducing it to 100 g first; if you like the result, you can reduce it a little more on the next try.
You can add both sweetness and moisture by replacing some of the sugar with 1 crushed ripe banana or 80–100 g of grated apples.
You can replace some of the sugar with carob molasses; in this case, reduce the amount of milk by the same proportion, because molasses also adds liquid.
Flavors such as cinnamon and vanilla support the perception of sweetness, even with less sugar.

Recipe Variations

Carob cake with molasses: Instead of 50 g of 130 g of sugar, use 3 tablespoons of carob molasses, reduce the milk to 90 ml. The color of the cake will be darker, the aroma will be more intense.

Whole wheat flour version: Replace half of the wheat flour with whole wheat flour. You can increase the amount of milk by 20–30 ml, as whole wheat flour can absorb more liquid.

Orange carob cake: Instead of half the milk, add freshly squeezed orange juice and the grated peel of one orange to the dough. The caramel taste of carob goes well with citrus.

Muffins: Divide the same batter into a 12-muffin tin and bake at 175 °C for about 20–22 minutes.

Nutritional Note

Carob flour not only adds color and aroma to the cake recipe, but also contributes to its fiber content. In a study conducted in Turkey, it was shown that carob powder prepared at home may differ from commercial carob flour in terms of some nutrients, and commercial processing may affect the amount of some nutrients (Ayaz et al., 2009). For this reason, carob flours of different brands may differ in terms of taste, color and nutritional value.

In a study conducted with muffins, it was reported that adding carob powder instead of cocoa by 5 percent increased the antiradical activity and phytosterol content of the product (Pawłowska et al., 2018). However, cake is ultimately a dessert due to its sugar, fat and flour content and should be consumed in moderation within a balanced diet.

Storage

After the carob cake has cooled completely, you can store it in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, you can slice it and store it in the freezer, or thaw it at room temperature before consuming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use carob flour in place of wheat flour entirely? Not recommended. Carob flour does not create cake batter on its own because it does not contain gluten and is high in sugar. It works best to use it as a substitute for some of the flour, as in this recipe.

Why did my cake dry out? Overcooking, whisking the flour mixture for a long time, or increasing the amount of carob flour and leaving the liquid the same can lead to drying out.

Is carob cake OK for kids? Carob cake can be offered to children as an alternative to cocoa cakes; however, moderate portions should be preferred as it contains sugar.

Should I use roasted or unroasted carob flour? Roasted flour gives a darker color and more pronounced aroma. Roasted carob flour is generally preferred for cakes. One study also reported that roasted carob pulp and powders contain higher phenolic substances than unroasted ones (Ioannou et al., 2023).

Carob Flour with Carob Türkiye

Carob flour is a versatile product that can be used in many recipes, from cakes and cookies to puddings and hot drinks. As Carob Türkiye, we supply carob fruit, broken (granule), flour/powder, kernel and extract; you can contact us for your wholesale and export requests.

For product information Carob Flour / Powder You can check our page, and for another recipe, you can check out our Carob Flour Cookies article.

Domestic resources

Ayaz, F. A., Torun, H., Glew, R. H., Bak, Z. D., Chuang, L. T., Presley, J. M. et al. "Nutrient content of carob pod (Ceratonia siliqua L.) flour prepared commercially and domestically", Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 2009; 64(4): 286–292 (Study conducted in Turkey). doi.org/10.1007/S11130-009-0130-3

Foreign sources

Pawłowska, K., Kuligowski, M., Jasińska-Kuligowska, I., Kidoń, M., Siger, A., Rudzińska, M. et al. "Effect of Replacing Cocoa Powder by Carob Powder in the Muffins on Sensory and Physicochemical Properties", Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 2018; 73(3): 196–202. doi.org/10.1007/S11130-018-0675-0

Dahmani, W., Elaouni, N., Abousalim, A., Akissi, Z. L. E., Legssyer, A., Ziyyat, A., Sahpaz, S. "Exploring Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.): A Comprehensive Assessment of Its Characteristics, Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemical Aspects, and Pharmacological Activities", Plants, 2023; 12(18): 3303. doi.org/10.3390/plants12183303

Ioannou, G. D., Savva, I. K., Christou, A., Stavrou, I. J., Kapnissi-Christodoulou, C. P. "Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant Activity, and Chemometric Classification of Carob Pulp and Products", Molecules, 2023; 28(5): 2269. doi.org/10.3390/molecules28052269
Scientific Resources

Carob Flour Cake Recipe