This Feijoa Cake is a soft and moist egg-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free cake with the classic Kiwi-favorite flavors of feijoa.

While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

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Feijoa Cake

This Feijoa Cake is a soft and moist egg-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free cake with the classic Kiwi-favorite flavors of feijoa.

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

cool down: 20

Total Time: 1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: New-Zealand

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 200.5 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

▢ 1 cup Ripe Feijoa - look at note 2 to increase sugar if yours are not ripe (note 1)
▢ ½ cup Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened) - (note 2)
▢ 1 cup Coconut Milk - (note 3)
▢ ⅓ cup Light Olive Oil - (note 4)
▢ ⅔ cup Unrefined Cane Sugar - (note 5)
▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
▢ 2 cups Self-Rising Flour - (note 6)
▢ 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 9-inch cake tin with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper and tin with oil spray. Set aside.
Cut the ripe feijoa in half crosswise and scoop out its flesh with a teaspoon, placing it on a chopping board.
Using a sharp knife, finely chop the flesh into a puree. Pack the feijoa flesh and its juice in a measuring cup to measure 1 cup.
Place the feijoa puree in a large mixing bowl with shredded coconut, coconut milk, oil, vanilla extract, and sugar and stir to combine.
Stir in the self-rising flour and cinnamon.
Stir until the batter is smooth and consistent.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin.
Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes at 180°C (350°F) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let it cool down for 10 minutes in the cake tin, then on a wire rack for 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Note 1: If your Feijoas are not soft and ripe, increase the sugar to 1 cup for best sweetness. Feijoa is a fruit tree that grows everywhere in New Zealand. It’s also known as pineapple guava in the USA.

Note 2: Or chopped nuts like a mix of pecans, walnuts, or almond meal.

Note 3: Or almond milk, but canned coconut milk adds a lovely taste and extra moist texture to the cake.

Note 4: Or vegetable oil, like canola oil.

Note 5: You can use coconut sugar or demerara sugar, but the cake will be darker. Or simply use sugar, or half white sugar and half brown sugar.

Note 6: You can make 2 cups of self-rising flour by whisking 4 teaspoons of baking powder in 2 cups of all-purpose flour. I don’t recommend gluten-free flour for this recipe.

Storage: Store the cake in the fridge in a sealed cake box for up to 4 days.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this cake. Here’s how to pick and swap them.

Ripe Feijoa – This is the key ingredient, providing the unique, sweet, and tangy flavor of your cake. For the best natural sweetness, use very ripe feijoas. If yours aren’t perfectly soft and ripe, you might want to increase the sugar slightly. Feijoa is also known as pineapple guava in other parts of the world.
Shredded Coconut – This adds a lovely texture and a subtle tropical flavor that pairs beautifully with feijoa. You can also use chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts, or even almond meal, as an alternative.
Coconut Milk – This liquid contributes to the cake’s moistness and adds a wonderful richness. Canned coconut milk will give you a particularly lovely taste and texture, but almond milk also works.
Light Olive Oil – This also adds moisture to the cake, keeping it tender. Vegetable oil, such as canola oil, is also a suitable alternative.
Unrefined Cane Sugar – This sweetens the cake. You can use coconut sugar or demerara sugar, but these will make your cake darker. Regular white sugar, or a mix of white and brown sugar, also works perfectly. Adjust the amount based on how ripe your feijoas are.
Vanilla Extract – This enhances the overall flavor of the cake, adding a warm note.
Self-Rising Flour – This forms the main structure of your cake and already contains baking powder, making it easy to use. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can create your own by whisking all-purpose flour with baking powder (details in the recipe notes). I don’t recommend gluten-free flour for this recipe, as the texture may not be ideal.
Cinnamon – This spice adds a warm, comforting flavor that complements the feijoa beautifully.

How to Make Feijoa Cake

This cake is super simple to make, here’s how in a few pictures.

Remove the skin of the feijoas and slice them into small bits.

Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl and incorporate the flour.

Stir the batter until just combined and transfer it to a springform pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes at 180°C (350°F).

Carine’s Baking Tips

Let me share a few more tips for a perfect feijoa cake.

Feijoa Prep is Key – After scooping out the feijoa flesh, make sure to chop it very finely, almost to a mash. This ensures it blends well into the cake batter and provides a consistent texture.
Sweetness Adjustment – Use ripe feijoas for the best natural sweetness; if yours are very ripe, ⅔ cup of sugar should be enough. However, if your feijoas are a bit tough or less ripe, do not decrease the sugar; you might even want to increase it to 1 cup for optimal sweetness.
Customizable Texture – Feel free to swap the shredded coconut for other add-ins like almond meal, chopped walnuts, or pecans. If you prefer a plain feijoa cake, you can even skip these additions entirely.
Feijoa Quality – The ripeness of your feijoas significantly impacts the sweetness and moisture of your cake. Ripe feijoas are soft to the touch and have a fragrant aroma.
Pan Preparation – Line your cake tin with parchment paper and lightly oil both the paper and the tin. This ensures your cake won’t stick and is easy to remove once baked.
Gentle Mixing – Once you add the flour and cinnamon, stir the batter gently with a rubber spatula until it’s just smooth and consistent. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to a tougher cake.

More Feijoa Recipes

Feijoa Loaf

Feijoa Crumble

Feijoa Cake (No Eggs, No Butter, No Refined Sugar)