Coconut Cake Recipe

This Coconut Cake Recipe is a moist and creamy recipe, which is made with cream cheese and shredded coconut. It’s the ultimate comfort food recipe, ready in about 3 hours.

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Coconut Cake Ingredients

For the Cake:

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 oz. sweetened shredded coconut

For the Frosting:

1 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6 oz. sweetened shredded coconut

How To Make Coconut Cake

Prep Oven and Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/gas 4). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, grease the parchment, and then dust lightly with flour.
Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the room-temperature butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3–5 minutes until light yellow and fluffy.
Add Eggs and Extracts: Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl once. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture may look curdled; this is normal.
Sift Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Combine Batter: With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately in three parts. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix only until just combined.
Fold in Coconut: Gently fold the 4 oz. of shredded coconut into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Bake the Layers: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake in the center of the oven for 45–55 minutes, or until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool the Cakes: Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Turn the layers out onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, and let them cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: In the mixer with a clean paddle attachment, combine the room-temperature cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract on low speed. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and mix just until smooth. Do not overmix.
Assemble and Frost: Place one cake layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread it with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up. Frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
Decorate with Coconut: Sprinkle the 6 oz. of shredded coconut over the top of the cake. Lightly press the remaining coconut onto the sides of the cake.
Serve: Serve the cake at room temperature.

Recipe Tips

How to keep the frosting from getting runny? Make sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature, but not warm or softened. They should still be cool to the touch. Also, do not overbeat the frosting; mix it on low speed just until the sugar is combined and the frosting is smooth.
Why do my cake layers look curdled? This is totally normal! When adding the eggs and liquid extracts to the creamed butter, the mixture will often look separated or curdled. It will all come together perfectly once you add the dry ingredients.
How do I get an extra coconut flavor? For a deeper, nuttier flavor, you can toast the 6 oz. of coconut used for the outside of the cake. Spread it on a baking sheet and toast at 325°F for 5-7 minutes, stirring often until it’s light golden brown. Let it cool completely before decorating.
How do I keep my serving plate clean while frosting? Tuck strips of parchment paper or wax paper under the edges of the bottom cake layer before you start frosting. When you’re done, gently pull the strips out, and your plate will be perfectly clean.

What To Serve With Coconut Cake

This cake is rich and decadent, so it pairs best with simple, warm beverages.

A hot cup of black coffee
A cup of herbal tea
A cold glass of milk

How To Store Coconut Cake

Refrigerate: Because this cake has a cream cheese frosting, it must be stored in the refrigerator. Keep it in a cake dome or cover it tightly with plastic wrap (use toothpicks to keep the wrap from touching the frosting). It will last for 4-5 days.
Serve: Let the cake sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.

Coconut Cake Nutrition Facts

(Per slice, assuming 16 slices)

Calories: ~680 kcal
Total Fat: 45g
Saturated Fat: 28g
Cholesterol: 150mg
Sodium: 340mg
Total Carbohydrate: 64g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 48g
Protein: 7g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

Can I make this cake in advance?

Yes, this is a great make-ahead cake. You can bake the layers, cool them completely, wrap them tightly in plastic, and store them at room temperature for one day or in the freezer for up to a month. Make the frosting and assemble the day you plan to serve it.

What’s the difference between this and an Italian Cream Cake?

They are very similar, but a traditional Italian Cream Cake almost always includes chopped pecans or walnuts in the batter, whereas this cake focuses purely on coconut.

Can I use unsweetened coconut?

Yes, if you prefer a less sweet cake, you can substitute unsweetened shredded coconut for the sweetened coconut.

Recipe by Lulu

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

680

kcal

A perfectly moist, dense, and fluffy coconut cake loaded with coconut and covered in a rich, decadent cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

Cake: 3 sticks unsalted butter (room temp), 2 cups sugar, 5 extra-large eggs (room temp), 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 1/2 tsp almond extract, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1 cup milk, 4 oz. sweetened shredded coconut.
Frosting: 1 lb. cream cheese (room temp), 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp), 3/4 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp almond extract, 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar (sifted), 6 oz. sweetened shredded coconut.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease, line with parchment, and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
Cream 3 sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
Beat in 5 eggs, one at a time, then beat in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 tsp almond extract.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately in 3 parts (starting and ending with dry). Fold in 4 oz. coconut.
Divide batter into pans and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pans for 30 mins, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting: Beat 1 lb. cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, 3/4 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp almond extract on low speed. Add 1 lb. sifted confectioners’ sugar and mix just until smooth.
Assemble the cooled layers, frosting the middle, top, and sides. Press the 6 oz. of coconut onto the outside of the cake.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients are essential for a smooth, non-curdled batter.
Do not overmix the frosting, or it can become runny.
Store the finished cake in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting.
Let the cake sit at room temp for 30-60 minutes before serving for the best texture.