Coconut Cake
Calling all coconut lovers! This is the cake for you! A towering triple-layer beauty, with white cake made with coconut oil and coconut milk, coconut milk pastry cream filling, a fluffy, marshmallow-y seven minute frosting, and mounds of sweet shredded coconut. A beautiful centerpiece to your Spring dessert table! Naturally dairy-free.
It’s about time I gave you guys a coconut cake recipe, right?
It is almost Easter (how did that happen so fast?), and everyone seems to always want coconut cake on their Easter table. Why is that anyway? I’ve always wondered…
Well, if coconut is your thing, then this one is sure to please.
Coconut runs through this recipe on just about every possible level.
For the cake layers, I took my favorite White Cupcake recipe, and swapped out the vegetable oil for coconut oil. We’re also swapping the buttermilk for coconut milk, and the almond for coconut extract. The cake is so incredibly moist, and the crumb is so fine, it’s almost creamy. And the coconut flavor comes through like whoa.
We’re adding a generous layer of coconut milk pastry cream in between each of the three layers. If you’ve never had pastry cream before, you’ve gotta give this a try. It’s a lot like vanilla pudding only richer and egg-ier. Kind of like a creme brulee. Only coconut. That’s right, we’re swapping out the dairy milk for coconut milk, once again. Coconut overload!
For the frosting, I love a fluffy, marshmallow-y Seven Minute Frosting. It’s just such a classic, and a perfect compliment to all the coconutty goodness. Plus it’s dairy-free!
Coat the freshly frosted cake in mounds of shredded coconut. This is easy enough to do if you just fill a big salad bowl with coconut, and hold the cake above it, pressing handfuls of coconut into the sides and top of the cake, and letting the excess fall away. If your arm starts to get tired from the weight of the cake, just brace your elbow against your hip. Pro tip!
Calling all coconut lovers! This is the cake for you! A towering triple-layer beauty, with white cake made with coconut oil and coconut milk, coconut milk pastry cream filling, a fluffy, marshmallow-y seven minute frosting, and mounds of sweet shredded coconut. A beautiful centerpiece to your Spring dessert table! Naturally dairy-free.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 batch Pastry Cream (made with coconut milk)
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 batch Seven-Minute Frosting
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Generously mist (3) 6-inch diameter cake pans* with non-stick spray, and line with circles cut from parchment.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, egg whites, and coconut extract, and mix on low speed until combined.
- Divide the batter equally between the 3 prepared pans, and bake for 26-32 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Make the pastry cream according to the recipe directions. Before straining and cooling, stir in the coconut extract.
- Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate, bottom side up. Spread half the coconut milk pastry cream on top, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around the edge. Top with another cake layer, and repeat, topping with the third cake layer.
- Make the frosting according to the recipe directions. Stir in the coconut extract.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with the frosting.
- Gently press the shredded coconut onto the top and sides of the cake.
*Cake can also be baked in two 8-inch diameter pans; adjust bake time as needed.
Can also be baked as cupcakes. Makes 2 dozen. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of a cupcake comes out clean.
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Allie, this cake is gorgeous!!!!
Thank you so much Alice! I hope your week is off to a great start, my friend!
I’m in cake heaven. Heck I’m in heaven. I’ve been waiting for this beauty since you mentioned it. Pinned and baking net weekend. Also gorgeous photos my dear!
Oh hooray! I’m so glad you’re going to try it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Thank you so much Zainab! xoxo
Is the coconut oil measured, and then melted, or melted first and measured?
Melted first, then measured! Thanks for the great question, Linda 😉
This cake is stunning Allie! Love pastry cream filling – this cake is perfect for Easter! 🙂
Thank you so much Jess- that’s just what I was thinking too!
wow, the cake looks tempting !!!. kindly let me know if there’s any replacement for egg whites …
You could try using a flax egg Shashiya- but I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t guarantee the results. Make a flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Let it stand and thicken for 15 minutes before stirring into the batter. Good luck and let me know how you make out!
This Coconut Cake is perfect. ‘Nough said. <3
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you like it!
This cake is stunning! That coconut pastry cream? So yum.
It really is! Thank you so much Medha!
There’s no such thing as coconut overload to me. I’m in!
Oh I’m so glad! Thank you so much hon!
LOVE! This is entirely gorgeous, Allie!!!!! So perfect fo Easters!!!
Thank you so much Tori! We really enjoyed it- I may just have to make it again 🙂
This cake is gorgeous! Love the coconut “creme brulee” filling!!
Thank you so much Jen! Happy Easter sweetie!
Quelle merveille , bravo à vous !
VAL
Merci beaucoup, Val! xo
How pretty! I need a slice of this cloud cake.
Thank you so much Linda! Hope you’re having a great week sweetie!
So many coconut cake recipes that call for marshmallow creme, I love that this one has the original 7 minute frosting. Delicious
I’m so happy you like this, Diane! I’ll always choose homemade over store-bought, every time. And seven-minute frosting is such a classic and so simple to make. Thanks so much for the great feedback! xo
What a gorgeous cake! Love all the coconut flavor you packed into this cake!
Thanks Jessica! It’s the coconuttiest cake I’ve ever had, hehe 🙂
What a beautiful cake! I have never made pastry cream before. It sounds like I need to give it a try!
Oh yes! Definitely try. I think you’ll love it! I make it all the time 🙂 Thanks Laura!
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soooo pretty! This totally screams SPRINGTIME to me!
Aw, I love that! I’m all about the spring stuff lately. Thanks Kayle!
This is such a beautiful sounding (and looking!) cake, Allie, that I was drawn to click on the post before reading your latest (also yummy-sounding) creation.
It looks so light and delicate, but also perfectly balanced with that dreamy pastry cream. 🙂
Can you make this into cupcakes??
You absolutely can, Ali, and there are instructions for how to do so at the bottom of the recipe card. Hope that helps!
Wow, this cake looks amazing and sounds that way too! I have been looking for a coconut cake recipe to replicate a cake we get at a local restaurant. Even though we never need dessert, when we dine there, my hubby and I always split one slice of their cake. This filling between layers looks a little different, but sounds like it might be similar in taste. I will be trying out this recipe very soon! I have pinned this one to my coconut board (yes, I have a coconut board). I would love it if you have a moment if you would stop by and share this over at the Celebrate Your Story! link party. If you have a sec, this is the link: http://celebrateanddecorate.com/
Awesome! I’ll be sure to swing by. I’m so happy you like this and don’t worry, I have a coconut board too! Thanks so much for pinning 🙂
Hi! I made this cake to rave reviews – and hope to make it again this weekend! But, my pastry cream (while absolutely delicious), oozed out of the sides of the cake as soon as I put the second layer on top last time I made it! How can I make my pastry cream firm enough to hold its shape this time? I want it to look as good as it tastes!
Hey RiRi! I’m so glad you liked the cake but I’m sorry you had trouble! I have two suggestions for you for next time: 1) Try cooking the pastry cream a little bit longer. It should be thick like pudding before you take it off the heat, and it will firm up even more as it chills. 2) Don’t take it all the way to the edges of the cake. Leave a little bare margin all the way around, about a half inch or so, to allow for spreading once the weight of the next layer(s) go on. You can even pipe a little border of frosting around the edge to hold that filling in. I hope that helps! Thanks so much for reading and for the great question!
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Made this cake for Father’s Day. The flavor was wonderful, but the cake itself was super dense. It could be because there is so much liquid in the recipe. Has anyone else had this issue? Suggestions on how to correct it? Thanks.
Hey Heidi! I am so sorry you had trouble with this recipe. I just went back and looked at it again to make sure I didn’t have any errors… It looks right to me though. I’ve used this same ratio several times (here, here, and here) and my cakes usually come out really light and fluffy. When you mention about there being a lot of liquid, did you mean in the cake recipe or in the filling? I just really want to help troubleshoot for you. Let me know, thanks!
Thanks for your reply. The filling was great, but the cake itself was dense. When I searched online for the possible reason, most sites said that happens when there is too much liquid. Maybe my problem is that I melted the coconut oil before measuring it. If I measured the oil while it was solid, then melted it, I would have used less oil. What do you think?
No I don’t know Heidi- I always melt before measuring too. I can’t imagine the liquid would have been the problem since it’s the same ratio I use for so many other cakes too. I’m wondering if it could have been the baking powder? Maybe it was expired or maybe the batter sat a little too long before going into the oven? Sometimes I’ve had that happen. Or maybe it just didn’t bake long enough. I’ve had that happen too, where I take the cake out of the oven before it’s “set” enough to hold up it’s own weight, and then as it cools it deflates 🙁 Sorry I don’t have any definitive answers for you! There are just so many factors when it comes to baking…
Mine came out pretty dense as well. But I am thinking it might be that my baking powder is old. I am going to buy new baking powder today and retrying it.
Hey I’m so sorry that happened to you Jennifer! New baking powder might do the trick but I also just wanted to suggest that you beat the batter on medium or medium-high speed for about 90 seconds or so before transferring it to the pans for baking. You don’t want to overdo it because that could result in a tough texture. But it would probably help to aerate the batter a bit. I hope that helps! Good luck and enjoy 🙂
I’ve been searching for the perfect dairy free coconut cake recipe and I will be making this tomorrow morning! I’m so excited. Would substituting coconut sugar work as well with this recipe? And I am worried I won’t find the pastry cream with coconut milk. Is there a substitute you’d recommend if I cannot find that? Thank you!
Hey Alessia! I’m so glad you’re going to make this cake! It’s one of my favorites. To answer your questions, I have not really experimented much with coconut sugar, but as long as it’s something that can be swapped for regular sugar in equal measure, it should work. And as for the coconut pastry cream, I’m not sure it’s something you can buy. You’ll want to make it yourself and the recipe is linked within the recipe card. Just click over to check it out- it’s really good!
I just made this pretty cake, but I also ended up with very dense layers. It wasn’t my baking powder since I just bought it last weekend and made a cake Monday without an issue. I’m wondering if the egg whites were supposed to be beaten and then folded in to get the rise it needed? Did anyone eat the dense layers? Is it like pound cake? Don’t know if I should go ahead and make frosting or start over with another cake. (I have no more coconut milk)
Hey Ellen! Sorry to hear that you weren’t happy with the texture of the cake. I do like your idea though of whipping the whites for a lighter texture. It’s a great suggestion. I suppose it’s up to your personal taste- if you don’t like the poundcake-like texture then maybe try that idea. Let me know how it goes!
Fantastic & easy recipe. Mine came out dense but the flavours made up for it. All components of the cake were so yummy. I licked the pudding batter clean. Thanks for a cake my entire family can enjoy!
My pleasure! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed.
hi I’m about to make this cake and after reading the comments I have a couple of questions.
First, what is the texture of the cake supposed to be? Is this a dense cake like a pound cake or is it something else.
Second, in the cake could I use vanilla extract in place of the coconut extract for more of a vanilla flavor and would that work with the rest of the coconut flavorings.
Thanks
Hey Shirley! Thanks so much for the great question. I found the texture to be more similar to pound cake than say, angel food cake. It’s moist and the crumb is quite fine. You could absolutely use vanilla in place of the coconut extract, and I think that would be lovely. Hope you enjoy!
Hi!i just used this recipe to bake the cakes. The only thing i changed was that I used two 9 inch cake pans but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and my cakes turned out quite flat and dense ☹️ This is my second time trying it and I cant figure out where Im going wrong!Any ideas?
Hi Vagisha! There are a few things that might cause your cakes to come out flat. 1) Check to make sure your leavening isn’t expired. Baking powder and baking soda lose their efficacy over time. 2) Make sure they’re really, truly done before taking them out of the oven. Sometimes, if they’re still a little wet inside, they’ll deflate as they cool. You want to make sure that structure is really secure! But do bear in mind that the texture of this cake is a little more dense, like a pound cake. Sorry you weren’t happy with the result, I hope you have better luck next time!
hi allie! for the cake can I subsitute coconut oil with butter instead? and should it be the same amount or more? thanks!
Hi Yang! I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure- but I would think it would work, if you use equal amount of melted butter. Good luck!
So, I made this (twice) and it is absolutely incredible.
I’m running into 2 problems.
My pastry cream is not nearly as thick as yours and my top layer slid off 😂.
My frosting isnt quite as stable as yours, either and started running down the sides, but I beat it until stiff peaks were formed.
Any ideas of how to fix these issues?
Hey Autumn- so sorry you had difficulty. I think if you cook your pastry cream a little longer that should help. It doesn’t reach it’s full thickening power until it comes to a bubble, so try that and I think you’ll see it becomes quite thick. As for the frosting, I think that is pretty typical of this type of topping. It does that for me when I make it too, but when I put the coconut on I just press it into place and it seems to stay that way. If you’re looking for a more stable frosting recipe, I would highly recommend this option: https://bakingamoment.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream/. It doesn’t have quite the same marshmallow-y quality (it’s more buttery), but it’s so silky and delicious!