Homemade Coconut Cake
This homemade coconut cake is soft, moist, and layered with a rich cream cheese frosting, then topped with coconut flakes for the perfect finish. It’s a classic cake that is perfect for any special occasion.
This homemade coconut cake is one of those desserts everyone remembers. My cousin first made it for my daughter’s college graduation, and it was an instant hit.
The cake itself is a classic vanilla base made using the creaming method, which gives it a light, fluffy texture. The cream cheese frosting is finished with flaked coconut for extra flavor and texture. If you love a good layer cake, you’ll also want to try my strawberries and cream vertical layer cake and classic carrot cake.
Why I Love This Recipe
- It has a tender, fluffy crumb. In fact, it’s one of the softest, most delectable cakes I have ever tasted.
- It looks impressive but is made with simple ingredients, which is one of my favorite things about a good homemade layer cake.
- The cream cheese frosting keeps it from feeling too sweet. Even my Italian friends went back for seconds of this moist coconut cake!
- This is the kind of cake that fits any celebration, from birthdays to holiday tables to a simple dinner party.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Use room temperature butter for both the cake and the frosting so everything mixes together smoothly. The cake uses salted butter, which balances the sweetness.
- Flour: All purpose flour works well here, but cake flour or pastry flour can also be used if you want an even softer, more tender crumb.
- Baking powder: This helps give the cake its light, fluffy texture, so make sure it is fresh for the best rise.
- Salt: A little salt in the cake and frosting helps balance the sweetness and keeps it from tasting too rich.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake and also helps create that soft texture when creamed with the butter.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs mix more easily into the batter and give the cake structure.
- Milk: Room temperature milk helps keep the batter smooth and adds moisture to the cake layers.
- Vanilla: Vanilla gives both the cake and frosting a lovely flavor. For a stronger coconut taste, replace part of the vanilla extract in the cake with coconut extract.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat cream cheese for the frosting so it turns out rich and creamy with the best texture.
- Powdered sugar: This sweetens and thickens the frosting, giving it that smooth, fluffy finish. Add it gradually for the creamiest result.
- Cream: Whole cream or whipping cream helps loosen the frosting just enough for an extra smooth texture.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes: These are pressed onto the outside of the cake for extra flavor and texture, and they give the cake its classic coconut look.
How to Make Coconut Cake
Cream the butter and sugar until light, then beat in the eggs until smooth. This step helps give the cake its soft, fluffy texture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, then mix in the milk and vanilla just until combined. Try not to overmix or the cake can lose some of its light texture.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the layers cool completely before frosting, because even slightly warm layers will make the frosting too soft and messy.
For the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time so it stays smooth, then mix in the salt, cream, and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
To assemble, place the first cake layer top side down and spread on some of the frosting. Add the second layer, also top side down, then frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting. I like turning both layers top side down because it gives you a flatter, neater cake.
Finish by pressing the coconut flakes all over the outside of the cake in small handfuls. It is a little messy, but this is what gives the cake that classic coconut look.
recipe tips
- Add coconut to the batter. You can fold in 1/2 to 3/4 cup of flaked coconut for even more coconut flavor and texture.
- Flatten your cake layers while warm. Press the tops gently with your palms right out of the oven. This saves you from having to trim them later.
- Swap the milk for coconut milk. For a deeper coconut flavor, replace the milk with full fat canned coconut milk.
- Use cake flour for an even softer crumb. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all purpose flour, which gives the cake a more tender texture. To make your own, replace 2 Tablespoons of each cup of all purpose flour with cornstarch, whisk well and sift before using.
- Line your pans with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Pan sizes. This recipe uses two standard 9 inch round cake pans. You can also bake it in a 9×13 pan using half the frosting, or make three smaller 8 inch layers for a taller cake.
So if you are looking for a special occasion Cake or just because I hope you give this Delicious Coconut Cake Recipe a try. Enjoy!
Homemade Coconut Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- ½ cup butter (salted/room temperature)
- 2 cups all purpose flour (or cake/pastry flour)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup milk (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE FROSTING
- ½ cup butter (room temperature)
- 5 ounces whole fat cream cheese (room temperature)
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup whole or whipping cream
FOR THE TOPPING
- 1-2 cups coconut flakes
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C, lightly grease with butter and flour two 8 or 9 inch (20 – 22 cm) cake pans.
FOR THE CAKE
- In a medium bowl at medium speed beat together butter and sugar for 2 minutes until combined then add eggs and beat, combine well.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. then gradually add flour mixture, beating on low until combined. Add milk and vanilla and continue beating until combined.
- Divide batter into prepared pans. Bake until golden (use toothpick to test for doneness), approximately 30-35 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on wire racks.
FOR THE FROSTING
- In a medium bowl beat together butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy approximately 1 minute. Lower speed to medium and add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beat well after each addition. Add salt, cream and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- To frost the cake, place the first layer on a large plate top side down, spread with approximately 1 cup of frosting, place the second cake top side down and frost with remaining frosting.
- Cover cake with coconut flakes. (we did it with small handfuls and packed it lightly against the cake). Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Republished from December 7, 2014.
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Hi I made your cake today, and the frosting was runny. I followed the recipe word for word, ingredient to ingredient! Why did I do wrong?
Hi Pasberry, If it’s runny just add more icing sugar. I really don’t know what happened it has never been runny for me. Hope that helps.
Hi
Please can you give me recipe for size 12 pan and can i add my coconut flakes inside the batter
Hi Grace, I would say to 1 and a half or double the recipe, and yes you can add coconut flakes to the batter, I wouldn’t add more than 3/4 of a cup though. 🙂
Is there coconut flakes in the cake batter? If not, could you add it?. Thanks!
Hi Char, no there aren’t any coconut flakes in the batter, but you can add some if you wish. I wouldn’t add more than 3/4 cup though. Fold it in after the batter is made.
I want to cut recipe I half but only have large eggs – what should I do?
Hi Patricia, well the cake calls for 3 large so you could lightly beat 1 egg in a bowl and add half of it plus 1 egg to the recipe, or just add 1 egg and I think it would be fine. Hope that helps.
Mother would make a coconut cake from scratch back when I was little. We would buy a coconut at the grocery store and bring it home. We would use a hammer and screw driver and punch out each oh the holes. We would then turn it over a glas to let the liquid drain. Once that was done we would put the coconut in the hot oven a bake it. Sorry I do not remember the settings. Once the coconut was done we would take it out and let it cool. Once cool we would take a hammer a wack it until the shell came off. We would grate the coconut for later. Mother then made her 2 to 3 layer cake. Before icing she would poke holes in each cake layer and drizzle the coconut liquid. Then she would put the layers together with the icing sprinkling coconut on each layer of icing and the outside icing. You talk about a moist great cake!!
Hi Ann I love this idea, I will have to try it next time. Thank you 🙂
I made this cake for my brother’s birthday since coconut cake is his favorite. Everyone loved it, even those who don’t usually like coconut, myself included! I used my mom’s French buttercream icing (a family favorite) instead of the cream cheese icing. The cake was light and not dry (always my big concern). I’m so glad I used your recipe instead of a box mix. So good that I want to make it again soon. Thanks to you, your baker friend and Martha Stewart!
Hi Mary Jo, thanks so much so glad everyone enjoyed it. Have a great week.
Can you substitute coconut milk for the regular milk?
Hi Kathy, I have never substituted coconut milk for regular milk but I did a search on it and apparently you can do it just fine. Let me know how it turns out. Happy Easter.
Maybe I’m blind, but I cannot see the word coconut milk in the list of ingredients anywhere! Please tell me where you add coconut milk and how much! Thanks! Please change it in the list of ingredients as well.
Hi Ramona but there is no coconut milk in this cake, just regular milk. There are coconut flakes. Hope that helps.
My husband loves anything made with coconut. Made this cake for him. He really liked it but remarked it was border line to sweet. He has the whole cake to eat. Is there anything I can do to it to make it less sweet now and for the next time I make it?
Hi Sandra, what does he find too sweet the frosting or the cake? Once it is baked there really isn’t too much you can do to it. Maybe next time add less sugar (from 1 1/2 cups to 1 cup) in the cake. Hope that helps. Let me know.
Please can you tell me is the flour plain or self raising. Thank you
Hi Diana the flour is all purpose. Happy New Year.
I usually have a big Christmas Eve Pary, can I make this cake the day before? Will it still be fresh?
Hi Anna, yes no problem you can make it the day before. Happy New Year.
what mean (1/4 cup half and half ) ????
Hi Manar half and half is just the type of cream, although you can use whole or whipping cream if you want. Hope that helps. 🙂
I have seen icing recipes for coconut cake with cream cheese and some without. Which way do you think is better?
Hi Jill, personally I like it with cream cheese, and I found that this cream cheese icing doesn’t have a strong cream cheese taste like a lot of others. Hope that helps.
I can always count on the best recipes from you! This is a perfect example. I have sadly been without an oven for two months now.(We gad a power surge and our oven was destroyed, and then had to order in a new wall oven -what a long time to wait!) Anyhow, I have been patiently waiting for a BIG baking spree and this week I will be putting this beauty of a cake at the top of my to-do list!
Hi Carol, I thought that only happened to us, we lost our furnace and a tv a couple of years ago. And I can say nothing like a new oven. Have fun and thanks so much. Let me know how it turned out.
Rosemary, this cake is a thing of beauty! I stumbled upon this recipe about a year ago and have made it it 6 times since! My daughter and father are huge coconut fans and this cake is the only one they will eat 🙂 I have a quick question for you: I plan on making this for my annual Christmas Dinner Party and I need to serve 18-20 people. Could this cake work in a 9 x 13 pan? It would be so much easier to slice for that amount of people instead of trying to cut slivers on a round cake! Thank you in advance for any input..It’s greatly appreciated! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Hi Dana, thanks and wow 6 times, actually my husband and my eldest are big coconut lovers and they adore this cake too. Yes it should definitely fit a 9×13 pan. And thank you Merry Christmas to you and yours also. 🙂
Thanks!
I dont have half and half. Do you absolutely need it?
Hi Annie, try it with milk but maybe add it slowly so that you arrive at the correct consistency. Hope that helps. Let me know.