After your first bite, you will fall in love with this coconut cake recipe. It’s so moist and tender that each bite will melt in your mouth. You also get coconut flavors throughout the entire cake. There’s no shortage of coconut flavor as coconut extract and sweetened shredded coconut are in the cake layers and the cream cheese frosting.
Perfect for any occasion, this coconut cake is simple to make but looks impressive with its layers. It comes together in only a few simple steps, and it’ll quickly become your new favorite cake. Want another easy cake recipe? Try my strawberry cake recipe, red velvet cake recipe, and lemon cake recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Cake flour — for the most tender cake, cake flour is required. If you use regular all-purpose flour, the coconut cake’s texture will turn out different.
Leavening agents — always double-check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and not expired to ensure light and tender cake layers.
Butter — always use unsalted butter as salt is added to the batter. Be sure to bring the butter to room temperature. It needs to be soft enough so your finger leaves a dent when you press into it but not too soft that it is greasy.
Egg whites — using just egg whites will leave your cake super soft and tender. Save your egg yolks for this homemade crème brûlée recipe!
Milk — whole milk will give you the best flavor and add moisture to the cake.
Shredded coconut — for the best flavor and texture, make sure to get the sweetened coconut flakes and not the unsweetened ones.
Cream cheese — make sure you use full-fat blocks of cream cheese and not the version in a tub to make this frosting.
How to Make Coconut Cake
1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Add the butter, and with the paddle attachment on, mix for 1 minute or until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Add the egg whites, milk, vanilla, and coconut extract. Mix at low speed until the mixture is well combined. Then, increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy.
4. Fold in the shredded coconut.
5. Divide the batter among three 9-inch round prepared cake pans and smooth out to the sides with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pans after 15 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.
6. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until creamy and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and salt. Beat until well combined and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the sugar 1 cup at a time, scraping down the bowl in-between.
7. Place one cake layer on a cake stand. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top. Top with another cake layer and repeat with more frosting. Top with the remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the outside of the cake.
8. Press the coconut to the frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Chill the coconut cake for 30 minutes for easy slicing.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- For the milk in this coconut cake recipe, you actually have a few options. You can use regular milk, canned coconut milk, or buttermilk. The buttermilk will give a lighter crumb, and the coconut milk will give a little extra coconut flavor, but regular milk will still result in a very delicious cake, so use what you have or prefer!
- If your extract is particularly strong, use less. Or, if you don’t like the flavor of coconut extract, you can leave it out altogether!
- Give the cake pans a few gentle taps on the counter to burst any air bubbles in the batter.
- It’s best to bring refrigerated ingredients, such as the eggs, milk, and butter, to room temperature before using them to prevent overmixing the batter. Overmixing the batter will lead to a tough coconut cake.
- Make sure you measure the flour correctly. Using a scale is the most accurate method of measuring flour and will prevent you from ending up with dense cake layers. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
- If the tops of the layers are domed, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the domes, so they don’t topple over. For perfectly even layers, you can use cake strips. Cake strips work by keeping the outside edge of the pan cooler to ensure that the entire cake rises at the same rate, preventing a dome from forming in the middle. If you don’t want to purchase cake strips, see my guide on how to DIY cake strips.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store the cake?
Cover leftover coconut cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make the entire cake ahead of time or components ahead of time and assemble the cake right before serving. The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly with plastic wrap, then left at room temperature overnight, or frozen for up to 3 months. You can make the frosting a week ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for 1 week in the fridge.
How do I freeze this cake?
You can freeze the assembled coconut cake or individual slices. Wrap the cake or slices in a couple of layers of plastic before freezing for up to 3 months. Simply bring the cake or slice to room temperature before serving.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Coconut Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Coconut Cake
Equipment
- 3 9" cake pan
- Electric or stand mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 cups cake flour (360g)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature and cubed (227g)
- 4 egg whites lightly beaten
- 1 cup milk room temperature, (240ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (100g)
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (227g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups confectioners’ sugar (600g)
- 2 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut (250g)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour 3 (9-inch) round cake pans or spray with baking spray. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter. Starting at the lowest speed, mix for 1 minute or until the mixture is crumbly.
- Add the egg whites, milk, vanilla, and coconut extract. Mix at low speed until the mixture is well combined. Then, increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the bowl at least once during mixing. Fold in the shredded coconut. Divide the batter among the cake pans and smooth out to the sides with a spatula (the batter will be thick).
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pans after 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully invert and continue cooling on a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper.
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and salt. Beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl occasionally.
- With the mixer on low, add the sugar 1 cup at a time. Once combined, scrape down the bowl, then mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
For the Assembly:
- Place one cake layer on a cake stand. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top. Top with another cake layer and repeat with more frosting. Top with the remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the outside of the cake. Press the coconut to the frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Chill for 30 minutes for easy slicing, or keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- For the milk in this recipe, you actually have a few options. You can use regular milk, canned coconut milk, or buttermilk. The buttermilk will give a lighter crumb, and the coconut milk will give a little extra coconut flavor, but regular milk will still result in a very delicious cake, so use what you have or wish!
- If your extract is particularly strong, use less. Or, if you don’t like the flavor of coconut extract, you can leave it out altogether!
- Give the cake pans a few gentle taps on the counter to burst any air bubbles in the batter.
- It’s best to bring refrigerated ingredients, such as the eggs, milk, and butter, to room temperature before using them to prevent overmixing the batter. Overmixing the batter will lead to a tough cake.
- Make sure you measure the flour correctly. Using a scale is the most accurate method of measuring flour and will prevent you from ending up with dense cake layers. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
- If the tops of the layers are domed, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the domes, so they don’t topple over. For perfectly even layers, you can use cake strips. Cake strips work by keeping the outside edge of the pan cooler to ensure that the entire cake rises at the same rate, preventing a dome from forming in the middle. If you don’t want to purchase cake strips, see my guide on how to DIY cake strips.
Any worries in adding some toasted walnuts into the cake batter? My father requested a very special walnut/coconut cake for his birthday and this recipe sounds perfect! Thank you!
I like a coconut cake for Easter dinner. Over the past 5-6 years I have tried a different recipe every year and have never been satisfied. This year I made your cake and loved it!! The flavor was perfect, the texture light and the icing wonderful! I recently found your website and can’t wait to try the lemon, the strawberry, the Easter Egg, the Oreo and the Lavender Cake. . . My only problem — who to serve them to since we are sequestered with CoVid.
My cake did have slightly crunchy edges and top–I measured carefully and watched closely so not sure what happened? As I put the toasted coconut between layers it did not distract from the flavor. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
I love coconut cake, pie or anything almost. My recipe is very similar to yours I don’t use the coconut flour and I use cake flour not ap flour for the frosting I make a coconut whipped cream with toasted coconut. What I do instead of the coconut flour is I grind toasted coconut. It’s absolutely the best coconut cake. I want you to try mine .. I think you would love it. I haven’t ever used cake strips although I’ve got a gazillion from people. I turn the oven down by 25° it keeps them flat and beautiful. I love your blog!!!!
I made your cake tonight, and it’s delicious. Your buttercream recipe here says “Italian meringue buttercream,” but I thought your recipe is for “Swiss meringue buttercream.” What’s the difference?
https://www.cupcakeproject.com/italian-buttercream-swiss-buttercream-french-buttercream-frostings/
Really good explanation of the three basic European buttercreams and how they’re made