At the request of many readers, let me introduce you to the best coconut cake I’ve ever had. Homemade with love for coconut lovers everywhere, this cake exceeds my expectations. Complete with silky coconut cream cheese buttercream, she’s absolutely perfect and juxtaposes bold flavor with a light crumb. I endlessly tested this cake recipe. In fact, I’m pretty sure my head turned into an actual coconut during the process. Is there shredded coconut caked into the crevices of my kitchen floor and backsplash? Yes.
5 Reasons to Love This Coconut Cake Recipe
Coconut Cake Video Tutorial
This recipe sets the bar for homemade cakes everywhere. It’s simply exquisite and is sure to be one of your favorite spring dessert recipes and Easter brunch recipes. Talk about a show stopper!
How to Make Coconut Cake
I adapted this recipe from my favorite white cake. Its pristine crumb, fluffy texture, and stick-to-your-fork moisture guarantee cake success. In fact, I have the recipe memorized and even used it as the base of pistachio cake, cookies & cream cake, espresso cake, burnt sugar caramel cake, and strawberry cake. The recipe is cake gold and I knew it would be the perfect starting point for a fluffy and moist coconut cake. Your coconut cake journey begins with two mixing bowls. Dry ingredients in one and wet ingredients in another (see full recipe instructions below). Combine the two in your mixer, along with coconut milk and sweetened shredded/flaked coconut. That’s it! Your coconut cake batter is ready to bake. Creamed butter and sugar provide a solid base for this cake recipe. Use room temperature butter, and remember that room temperature is cooler than you think. Another tip: Use all room temperature ingredients, including the eggs and sour cream. Why? Ingredients bond together very easily when they’re warmer, which creates an evenly textured baked good. Cold ingredients do not emulsify together. Period.
Use These 6 Power Ingredients
Cake is literally nothing without its ingredients and these power players are the difference between dense dry cake and light moist cake.
Coconut Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
What do you love about vanilla buttercream? It’s buttery, sweet, and smooth. And what about cream cheese frosting? It’s creamy, silky, and tangy. Let’s combine the two, then add coconut milk and coconut extract. It’s even creamier and silkier than the coconut frosting on these coconut chocolate Easter cupcakes so that glides onto the cake seamlessly. (Which is a happy bonus because decorating a layer cake can be quite the task. See more below.) If you prefer a non-cream cheese option, use my vanilla buttercream instead—use canned coconut milk instead of milk and add 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract.
How to Frost a Layer Cake
Alright, let’s do this. You can watch me decorate this coconut cake in the video tutorial above. Don’t stress; if you take your time and make sure the cake layers are totally straight, you’re all set.
But I Don’t Want to
Skip the drama and make a coconut sheet cake instead! Sheet cakes are easier to frost because they’re only one layer. See my recipe note about different size coconut cakes.
What About the Buttercream Roses?
Let’s give my assistant, Stephanie, a round of applause. This was her first time making “3D” buttercream roses and look how beautifully they turned out! She made the buttercream roses at my house and I froze them until it was time to decorate the coconut cake. She followed this video tutorial. Keep in mind that the cream cheese buttercream WILL NOT work for the intricate buttercream roses. Instead, use my vanilla buttercream and add 1 extra cup of confectioners’ sugar. You need very stiff buttercream for these roses. You also need small squares of parchment paper and:
Wilton Petal Tip 104 Flower Nail Reusable Piping Bags or Disposable Piping Bags
Loosely cover the roses, then freeze or refrigerate them until ready to decorate, up to 1 week. No need to thaw prior to decorating the cake. Peel off parchment square and place the buttercream rose on the cake. If you’re traveling with the cake, I recommend securing the roses with a tiny dollop of cream cheese buttercream underneath. Looking for something easier? Use Wilton 1M piping tip for these easy two-toned frosting buttercream roses.
More Classic Cake Recipes
Flavor is the name, moist is the game. These are some of my favorite classic cake recipes!
Pound Cake Vanilla Cake Carrot Cake Red Velvet Cake Strawberry Cake (made from real strawberries) Lemon Blueberry Cake Chocolate Cake
