This toasted coconut cake recipe is full of delicious coconut flavor thanks to the toasted coconut and a dash of extract. Use buttermilk for a tang that pairs perfectly with cream cheese frosting!
Butter and coconut oil combine to make a super moist cake, and whipped egg whites keep it light and fluffy. A more traditional mixing method results in a coconut cake recipe that will become a family favorite!
Table of contents
Coconut Cake Ingredients
Toasted Coconut: Toasting the coconut intensifies the natural nutty coconut flavor. Sweetened coconut shreds are slightly more tender than unsweetened coconut, but either will work great.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil is great to bake with because it melts at body temperature, but is firm at room temperature. Similar to butter, it gives the cake some nice structure but literally melts in your mouth when you eat this cake. You can also use vegetable oil instead of coconut if you prefer.
Whipped egg whites: This cake has butter, oil, and chunks of coconut, so it could become very heavy. Whipping air into the egg whites adds air bubbles to the cake to keep it fluffy.
Coconut extract: A little goes a long way with coconut extract. Too much can overpower this cake, but just the right amount intensifies the natural coconut flavor provided by the coconut oil and toasted coconut shreds.
Cream cheese: Cream cheese frosting is the perfect pairing for this cake, but Swiss meringue buttercream, whipped cream, or ermine frosting would also be yummy.
How to Make a Coconut Cake
Before starting your cake, make sure that all of your wet ingredients (including the butter) are at room temperature or a little warm. Cold ingredients will prevent your cake batter from emulsifying, and your cake may not turn out right. Be sure to also weigh all of your ingredients with a food scale. 
Making the Coconut Cake
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF/176ºC. Prepare three 3 6-inch round cake pans with cake goop, parchment paper, or another preferred pan release. Making sure to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Spread your coconut flakes evenly onto a cookie sheet pan.
- Broil the coconut flakes on high for 2-3 minutes or until they just begin to turn brown around the edges. Stir the coconut and broil for 1-2 minutes more until lightly golden. Watch it closely because it can burn quickly. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- Heat the coconut oil in a small bowl in the microwave until it is very soft and beginning to melt, but not hot.
- Add the coconut extract and vanilla extract to the room-temperature buttermilk.
- Add the butter and coconut oil to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.
- Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks one at a time to the mixture, combining after each.
- With the mixer on low speed, add about a third of the flour mixture to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk, mix until the ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter.
- Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Carefully fold in the toasted coconut until it’s all combined.
- Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl with the whip attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until it's foamy.
- Add in the cream of tartar and whip until semi stiff peaks form.
- Fold in the whipped egg whites carefully into the cake batter, and try not to beat out too much of the volume in the egg whites.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between 3 6-inch cake pans or 2 8-inch pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
- Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting. I like to flash freeze them for 30 minutes if I’m using them right away, or wrap them in plastic and freeze them overnight. Pro-Tip: Wrapping your cakes while warm and then freezing them will lock in the moisture.
Making Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are both slightly warm and at the same temperature. If one is colder than the other, they will not mix together properly and create lumps.
- Place softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with a whisk attachment and cream on low until smooth. Pro: Tip: Use an electric hand mixer to get extra smooth cream cheese frosting.
- Place softened cream cheese in the bowl with the butter in small chunks and blend on low until smooth.
- Add in sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until combined.
- Add your vanilla extract and salt, and mix until combined.
- Cover the frosting with plastic wrap and refrigerate until your cake is chilled and ready to frost. Refrigerate any remaining frosting, or keep in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Assembling the Coconut Cake
- Trim the top of the cake layers so they are flat.
- Place the first cake layer down on a cake board, spread a layer of cream cheese frosting evenly across the top and repeat this process with the remaining 2 layers.
- Spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting around the entire cake as a crumb coat and then refrigerate it for 15 minutes. Pro-Tip: Cream cheese frosting is stickier than buttercream, and can pull more crumbs off your cake. Working with a cold cake will be easier.
- Once the crumb coat has set, apply another thicker layer of the frosting to the entire cake for its final coat. Pro tip: I chose to cover the exterior of this cake with coconut, but cream cheese frosting makes really pretty rustic swirls if you want a different look.
- Place the cake on the board or plate you plan to serve on.
- Gently press shredded coconut or large shaved coconut flakes onto the sides of the cake all the way around the exterior, keeping the top free of shreds.
- Use a star piping tip and pastry bag filled with cream cheese frosting to pipe swirls around the top edge of the cake.
- To save this cake for later, apply plastic wrap around the cake and place it in the refrigerator. Cream cheese frosting can sit out at room temperature for about 4 hours maximum.
FAQ
This recipe works great for cupcakes and is very light! This recipe makes approximately 24 cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until set in the middle. It can be easy to burn these cupcakes because of the sugar content so watch them closely. If they are over-baked they can taste dry.
Luckily coconut oil is becoming more common in your local grocery store, however, if you do not have any, vegetable oil will work just as well in this cake.
In this cake, you can substitute sour cream for buttermilk, or regular milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice. You could also use coconut milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice as well.
The best thing about coconut cake is that it pairs with so many different flavors. The traditional filling for coconut cake is something light and creamy like this coconut cream cheese frosting.If you’re feeling adventurous you can fill your coconut cake with some coconut custard , lemon curd, or even raspberry filling.
My kids don’t care for the texture of coconut shreds, but still love the flavor. I pulse the coconut in a food processor a few times to chop up the shreds smaller. Once they are added to the cake the texture is almost unnoticeable.
On the baking aisle there will be a few choices for coconut. I am using sweetened coconut shreds because they are the most common to find at the grocery store. You can use unsweetened as well, or even macaroon coconut, which is a much finer shred. I chose to use the large coconut strips for the exterior decor because I think they are pretty, but any will do.
Related Recipes
Carrot Cake with Pineapple and Coconut
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Cups of Batter Needed
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5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with whisk and paddle attachment
- Three 6" cake pans or two 8" cake pans
Ingredients
Coconut Cake Ingredients
- 11 ounces All purpose flour (2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (½ cup) room temperature
- 14 ounces granulated sugar (2 cups)
- 4 ounces coconut oil (½ cup) or vegetable oil
- 4 large egg yolks room temperature
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 8 ounces buttermilk (1 cup) room temperature
- 6 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (2 cups) toasted until lightly browned
- 1 ounce sweetened flaked coconut (½ cup) for garnish
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 cups) cut into cubes and softened
- 8 ounces unsalted butter (1 cup) softened
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 36 ounces powdered sugar (8 cups) sifted
Instructions
Making the Coconut Cake
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF/176ºC. Prepare three 3 6-inch round cake pans with cake goop, parchment paper, or another preferred pan release. Making sure to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Spread your coconut flakes evenly onto a cookie sheet pan.
- Broil the coconut flakes on high for 2-3 minutes or until they just begin to turn brown around the edges. Stir the coconut and broil for 1-2 minutes more until lightly golden. Watch it closely because it can burn quickly. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- Heat the coconut oil in a small bowl in the microwave until it is very soft and beginning to melt, but not hot.
- Add the coconut extract and vanilla extract to the room-temperature buttermilk.
- Add the butter and coconut oil to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.
- Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks one at a time to the mixture, combining after each.
- With the mixer on low speed, add about a third of the flour mixture to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk, mix until the ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter.
- Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Carefully fold in the toasted coconut until it’s all combined.
- Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl with the whip attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until it's foamy.
- Add in the cream of tartar and whip until semi stiff peaks form.
- Fold in the whipped egg whites carefully into the cake batter, and try not to beat out too much of the volume in the egg whites.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between 3 6-inch cake pans or 2 8-inch pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
- Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting. I like to flash freeze them for 30 minutes if I’m using them right away, or wrap them in plastic and freeze them overnight. Pro-Tip: Wrapping your cakes while warm and then freezing them will lock in the moisture.
Making Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are both slightly warm and at the same temperature. If one is colder than the other, they will not mix together properly and create lumps.
- Place softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with a whisk attachment and cream on low until smooth. Pro: Tip: Use an electric hand mixer to get extra smooth cream cheese frosting.
- Place softened cream cheese in the bowl with the butter in small chunks and blend on low until smooth.
- Add sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until combined.
- Add your vanilla extract and salt, and mix until combined.
- Cover the frosting with plastic wrap and refrigerate until your cake is chilled and ready to frost. Refrigerate any remaining frosting, or keep in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Assembling the Coconut Cake
- Trim the top of the cake layers so they are flat.
- Place the first cake layer down on a cake board, spread a layer of cream cheese frosting evenly across the top and repeat this process with the remaining 2 layers.
- Spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting around the entire cake as a crumb coat and then refrigerate it for 15 minutes. Pro-Tip: Cream cheese frosting is stickier than buttercream, and can pull more crumbs off your cake. Working with a cold cake will be easier.
- Once the crumb coat has set, apply another thicker layer of the frosting to the entire cake for its final coat. Pro tip: I chose to cover the exterior of this cake with coconut, but cream cheese frosting makes really pretty rustic swirls if you want a different look.
- Place the cake on the board or plate you plan to serve on.
- Gently press shredded coconut or large shaved coconut flakes onto the sides of the cake all the way around the exterior, keeping the top free of shreds.
- Use a star piping tip and pastry bag filled with cream cheese frosting to pipe swirls around the top edge of the cake.
- To save this cake for later, apply plastic wrap around the cake and place it in the refrigerator. Cream cheese frosting can sit out at room temperature for about 4 hours maximum.
LIz Cordero says
Hi LIz !!! Blessings to you yo urban Family.
Im Making This cake this week and I’m very excited!!!! I love all your recipes i have made a few of them I’m very thankful Liz you are AMAZING 😉 Thank you so much for sharing with me this delicious Coconut Cake ❤️❣️♥️
** I have a question can I doble or triple this recipe to make it in a sheet cake? Thank you again
Elizabeth Marek says
For a 1/4 sheet cake you do not need to do anything, for a half sheet cake you would triple the recipe
kristiem says
Love this recipe but I would like to make enough servings for 30 people ????
Elizabeth Marek says
You would have to use larger cake pans, probably 9".
Sumikaeatseverything says
Wow so good!!! I’ve tried ina garten ‘s and some others... but this is the best! So moist and holds great in fridge. Because of cream cheese in frosting, I can eat it right out of the fridge and it’s still soft and delicious!!!
D. Gus says
This cake is absolutely incredible! Thank you very much for sharing your special brand of genius with the world!
I just made it for Father’s Day 2020. It made two full 9” rounds plus a few cupcakes. Do you have any idea what happened to one of the cupcakes? You guessed it.....baker’s treat! Yummy!
I’m really surprised that some people found the amount of frosting to be insufficient. I iced the cake and cupcakes very generously and had some leftover. I put it in the freezer, hoping it holds up. I wasn’t about to waste a drop of this deliciousness!
Thanks, again!!
Nelo says
Hi Liz, I made this cake yesterday and it was a load of deliciousness. Thank you for always sharing
Gina says
I don’t know what I did or didn’t do. When I whipped the egg whites, there was liquid at the bottom. I just kind of poured it out the best I could and kept on.
I hope it turns out. I just put it in the Oven! 🤪
Fran says
Recipe looks great. I would like to make 3 6" cakes. Should I half the recipe? Thanks in advance!
Elizabeth Marek says
You can use the cake and frosting calculator to adjust the amount of batter the recipe makes.
Beth Stophel says
I wanted to thank you for this recipe! I have made this 4 times in the last 2 weeks for cake orders I've had. It is such a hit and so very easy to make. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe. Wish I could post some pictures of how beautiful it turned out!
Bobby J says
This coconut cake is so amazing, it's ridiculous, and I only tasted my garbage pieces from leveling!! LOL I mean, I don't even like coconut and I could devour the cake! Thank you for sharing such a fantastic recipe! I do have a question...I'd like to make it a bit boozy by adding rum. Would you recommend adding the rum to the batter or applying a rum based simple syrup?
Sugar Geek Show says
The simple syrup sounds like a great idea! Will keep it extra moist.
ella says
can I mKe this ahead of time.
Sugar Geek Show says
Sure can, I like to wrap my cakes in plastic wrap and chill them before decorating. And make sure to refrigerate this cake if you use cream cheese frosting 🙂
Toni says
I made this cake for my friends birthday and it was amazing! Everyone loved it. I was eating the leftovers until day 4 and it was still just as good. I only have a hand mixer so it was a huge pain for me. But if you have a standing it would have been a lot less time consuming. Plus I made it after a 12 hour shift I won't do that again! I cooked mine a little longer than listed. I checked it and the outside was brown and the inside was super giggly - I was a little worried. Put 5 more minutes on it and it was done! Keep an eye on it! Thank you I will be making this again!
AJ says
Hey, what can I use instead of cream for tartar as I can't find any near me
Sugar Geek Show says
You can leave out the cream of tartar if needed, it is just there to help the egg whites whip up better.
Sonya says
You have done it again, Liz! I only expand my cake repertoire when I find a fantastic recipe that I am proud to share. This is THE coconut cake for me. Thank you!
Anika says
I want to make this Coconut Cake but want to add some walnuts into the batter. I’ve read that since walnuts have a high oil content it may be best to reduce a little of the butter to equal out the fat. Problem is nothing seems to explain just how much I need to reduce based on how many walnuts I am adding. Any suggestions on how to figure this out? Looking to add 1-1.5 cups of roasted walnuts to the batter.
Elizabeth Marek says
I don't know for sure, you'll just have to do some experimenting. I'm guessing not much
Sarah says
Delicious! I appreciate that the instructions are so clear and straightforward that a newbie baker like myself can make this cake and have it come out tasting and looking like perfection. This cake has (erroneously) convinced my family that I’m a star baker 😂 Thank you!
Roxana Scott says
I have made this cake about 5 times now since I found the recepue about 3 months ago. This is one of the best cakes I've had in a long time, so easy to make, moist and delicious.
I have made one little change though, I've added less sugar in mine, the cake and the frosting, still absolutely delicious.
I baked my cakes in a small and old turkey oven since I don't have an oven and I've only had to adjust the time.
Very happy I found this recipe, has become one of my favorites to bake, eat and gift.
Donna says
This cake is amazing. This is the first time making the cake and it took far longer than the suggested preparation time. There are a number of steps that should be followed to the T. Toasting the coconut was great and it smelled amazing. The cake came out moist and very flavorful. I added additional coconut extract as well as a coconut emulsion. Everyone loved it.