Coconut Cake
This Coconut Cake is fluffy and moist, completely made from scratch, and easier than you think! It's made with shredded sweetened coconut, coconut extract, and coconut milk to give you the best coconut flavor. It's also decorated with a coconut cream cheese frosting too, making it perfect for special occasions, birthdays, and holidays!
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup salted butter softened (227g)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar (350g)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 egg whites room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 3 cups cake flour (375g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Frosting
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 Tablespoons coconut milk or heavy cream, only as needed
- 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut for decorating
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper circles, then spray with baking spray. Set aside.
- Beat butter, oil, and sugar in a large mixer on high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.1 cup salted butter, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- Add eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Beat well for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl partway through.2 large eggs, 4 egg whites, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- Whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl to combine.3 cups cake flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add flour mixture in two additions alternately with coconut milk, mixing between each addition. Stir in the coconut.1 cup coconut milk, 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- Evenly divide batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes until done. Dry crumbs should cling to a toothpick when inserted into center of each cake.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before filling and frosting.
Frosting
- Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl of a stand mixer for 3 minutes until creamy and smooth.1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, 1 cup salted butter
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add remaining powdered sugar, mixing again just until combined. Add vanilla extract and coconut extract, then beat until light adding the coconut milk or heavy cream if needed to get a nice spreadable consistency.5 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, 2 Tablespoons coconut milk
Assembly
- Level the tops of the cake layers if needed so they are flat. Set bottom layer on a cake stand. Spread a generous amount of frosting in an even layer. Add next two cake layers, repeating the process. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Press coconut into the whole outside of the cake using your hands until covered.3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 cups of batter.
- Two-Layer Cake: If you prefer to do a 2-layer cake, I recommend using 9-inch cake pans for the layers.
- Storage: Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Even though we've used a cream cheese frosting, the sugar will help preserve it on the counter. For longer storage, keep this cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: You can either freeze the undecorated cake layers and frosting separately, then assemble and decorate it before serving, or you can decorate the cake and store it in a freezer-safe cake box. If you're freezing the cake layers you need to wrap them separately in plastic wrap or store each layer in a Ziploc freezer bag. They will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw your cake completely, and thaw and beat the frosting again if you stored it separately.
Nutrition
Calories: 904kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 219mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 91g | Vitamin A: 987IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 2mg
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