• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Spoon Fork BaconSpoon Fork Bacon
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Twitter
    • TikTok
  • What’s for Dinner?
  • Recipes By Category
  • Most Recent
  • Contact
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes By Category
  • Most Recent
  • What’s for Dinner?
  • Shop
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Twitter
    • TikTok
  • ×
    Home > Blog > Cakes & Cupcakes > Coconut Cake

    Coconut Cake

    by Teri Lyn Fisher · Published: May 7, 2016 · Modified: Oct 17, 2020

    Jump to Recipe
    A whole coconut cake next to plates with forks.

    Mother’s Day is only a few short days away and this year we’re making coconut cake! It’s the perfect dessert for this spring season; it’s light, fluffy, moist, and totally delicious. It’s also pretty easy to throw together. You can even bake the cake and make the frosting a few days ahead of time and assemble it the day before or day of..easy!

    My favorite part of this cake are the giant, toasted coconut flakes. I think they add a nice visual appeal, plus I really like the slightly crisp texture they add to the cake! I got these flakes in the baking section of my local Whole Foods, but I’m sure you can find them in other grocery locations as well…and if you can’t, the more typical shredded coconut is perfectly acceptable!

    If your mom or mother figure is a simple coconut and vanilla type of person, then is totally the cake for her. Enjoy! xx, Jenny

    A sliced coconut cake next to a plate with a piece of cake and a fork.

    Here are more cake recipes you will love:

    • Lemon and Thyme Cake
    • Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Six Layer S’mores Cake
    • Apple Cranberry Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
    • Sour Cream and Cinnamon Crumb Cake
    • Sticky Toffee Pudding
    • Our Best Easter Desserts
    Click here for our Cake Recipe Collection!
    Slices of coconut cake on light pink plates with forks.

    Hungry for more?

    Subscribe to never miss a recipe.

    EmailPinTweetShareYummly
    A whole coconut cake next to plates with forks.

    Coconut Cake

    5 from 4 votes
    PRINT RECIPE Pin Recipe
    RECIPE BY Teri & Jenny
    Prep Time: 35 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
    Cool/Chill Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Total Time: 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
    Servings: 8

      INGREDIENTS  

    cake

    • 2 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 ⅓ cup white sugar
    • 3 large eggs, room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
    • ½ cup coconut milk
    • ½ cup whole milk

    frosting

    • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
    • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
    • 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    garnish

    • 2 cups toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

      INSTRUCTIONS  

    • Preheat oven to 350˚F.
    • For cake: Line the bottoms of two 6” cake rounds with parchment and lightly grease the sides. Set aside.
    • Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
    • In another mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
    • Add eggs, one at a time and continue to mix. Add vanilla and coconut extracts. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
    • Add dry ingredients and mix together until mixture just comes together. Stir in coconut milk and whole milk and continue to stir until mixture is smooth.
    • Divide mixture into prepared cake rounds and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake and the tops are golden brown.
    • Allow cake to cool completely and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
    • For frosting: Place butter and cream cheese into a mixing bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Stir vanilla extract and salt into the mixture and beat until completely incorporated and mixture is smooth.
    • To assemble: Place a thin layer of frosting over the top of one of the cake circles and top with the other cake circle, inverted (so both cake circle tops are touching one another). Gently frost the two tiered cake with a thin layer of frosting (the crumb coat). Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
    • Coat the cake in another layer of frosting and with handfuls of toasted coconut flakes, carefully press them onto the sides of the cake until fully coated. Smooth the frosting on the top of the cake, if needed. Slice and serve.

      NOTES  

    • *Makes 1 (6 inch) cake
    Calories: 1056kcal Carbohydrates: 128g Protein: 9g Fat: 59g Saturated Fat: 40g Cholesterol: 170mg Sodium: 504mg Potassium: 255mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 95g Vitamin A: 1368IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 93mg Iron: 3mg
    CUISINE: American
    KEYWORD: coconut cake
    COURSE: Dessert

    You Might Also Love...

    • Mini citrus bundt cakes with sweet lemon glaze and lemon zest.Mini Citrus Bundt Cakes with Sweet Lemon Glaze
    • Chocolate sheet cake on a board with slices on the side.Chocolate Sheet Cake
    • A whole raspberry sheet cake with white chocolate frosting with slices cut off.Raspberry Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

    May 7, 2016 / 20 Comments

    About Teri Lyn Fisher

    Teri Lyn Fisher is half of Spoon Fork Bacon. She is also a food and cosmetics photographer. She is a big fan of hot dogs. #sfbTERI

    Previous Post: < Previous Post Stacked and Stuffed Baked French Toast
    Next Post: Poke Burrito Next Post >

    Reader Interactions

    May 7, 2016 / 20 Comments

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      Did you make this recipe? We want to see!

      tag @SpoonForkBacon and #SpoonForkBacon on Instagram

    1. John

      January 28, 2021 at 11:42 am

      5 stars
      Added candied bacon on the top! Omg want it again!

      Reply
    2. Corey

      September 03, 2020 at 7:59 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! Rich crumb with subtle and delicious coconut flavor. I made it for my MIL and her family during her recovery and everyone loved it as a special treat. I lightly toasted the shredded coconut before decorating and that ended up adding texture and visual appeal. I also used 9″ pans as my MIL does not have 6″, and they worked well, I shorted the baking time by about ten minutes. Mine of course looked nothing like Teri’s but I’ll bake this again, thanks SFB!

      Reply
      • Teri Lyn Fisher

        September 03, 2020 at 8:21 am

        So glad you enjoyed this Corey!! Thanks for you comment and rating! :)

        Reply
    3. Emily Clifton

      May 09, 2016 at 9:04 am

      Just LOOKING at this cake makes me happy. It’s beautiful.

      Reply
    4. saltandserenity

      May 07, 2016 at 11:03 am

      I’m a mom. Hope someone makes it for me. I adore all things coconut.This one looks amazing.

      Reply
    5. Jackie

      March 08, 2016 at 1:29 pm

      Hi Jenny

      What tweaks did you do to this recipe.

      Reply
    6. canadian pharmacies no prescription

      July 04, 2015 at 3:41 pm

      It’s not that I want to copy your web site, but I really like the style. Could you let me know which theme are you using? Or was it especially designed?

      Reply
      • Teri Lyn Fisher

        July 07, 2015 at 12:56 pm

        its specially designed.

        Reply
    7. skönhet

      June 30, 2015 at 11:59 am

      You…are…my…hero!!! I cant believe something like this exists on the internet! Its so true, so honest, and more than that you dont sound like an idiot! Finally, someone who knows how to talk about a subject without sounding like a kid who didnt get that bike he wanted for Christmas.

      Reply
    8. melissa

      May 15, 2015 at 7:16 am

      this cake came out very dense.. almost hard feeling… and barely rised at all. i even made it twice because the first time I thought I must have messed something up. but it came out the exact same the second time. however, it did taste pretty good.

      Reply
    9. Elena

      May 12, 2015 at 7:52 am

      I doubled the recipe to bake in 9-inch pans.
      The cake had a reasonable rise and baked to normal thickness, but for some reason came out really dense. Was this the expected texture?

      The flavours were quite delicious overall =)

      Reply
      • Jenny Park

        May 12, 2015 at 1:54 pm

        Hm, this cake has a pretty fluffy texture or at least it should. I would maybe add a 1/2 cup more coconut milk in the future, if you want to give it another go…should help to lighten the cake up!

        Reply
    10. Victoria

      May 10, 2015 at 4:21 pm

      I did something way wrong. My two cakes are each about as thick as a finger…where did I go wrong? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Jenny Park

        May 10, 2015 at 6:12 pm

        Are you saying they’re super thick or super thin? Did you use 6 inch cake rounds?

        Reply
        • Victoria

          May 26, 2015 at 12:12 pm

          At first, I used a 9-in but since I have tried it twice with a 6 inch and agree with the other readers’ comments that it is very dense. I’ll try extra coconut milk. The icing is terrific though!

          Reply
    11. Laura Dembowski

      May 08, 2015 at 5:30 am

      Coconut cake is such a great treat. My mom and I both love it so I think I will make this for mother’s day.

      Reply
    12. Priscilla

      May 06, 2015 at 5:31 pm

      I must make this cake this Sunday–I think my mother would love it!

      Reply
    13. Beeta @ Mon Petit Four

      May 06, 2015 at 9:33 am

      This looks stunning! I love how you elegantly decorated the sides with the toasted coconut flakes. Beautiful!

      Reply
    14. aida mollenkamp

      May 06, 2015 at 8:30 am

      I’ve never made coconut cake and it’s one of my Mother’s all-time faves so I may have to try this out for Sunday!

      Reply
    15. Christina Alexander

      May 06, 2015 at 5:45 am

      I once worked at a bakery that was famous for their coconut cake..it’s since closed and I miss it so! Ahhh, the memories! Think I’d better make this.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    HI! WE ARE GLAD YOU'RE HERE!

    Teri and Jenny of Spoon Fork Bacon

    We hope you find something you love in
    our little corner of the internet.
    XOXOXO, Teri + Jenny

    ABOUT US

    As Featured On

    A complication of logos showcasing where Spoon Fork Bacon has been featured. Including delish, today show, cosmopolitan, good morning america, domino, good housekeeping, william sonoma, and country living.

    Asian Inspired

    BBQ

    PORK

    DESSERT

    For Dinner Tonight

    • Air fryer chicken thighs on a platter with slice taken out of one. Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
    • Chili being served in a bowl with toppings on the side. Easy Chili Recipe
    • Shrimp scampi recipe on a plate with bread and lemon wedges. Shrimp Scampi Recipe
    • Cajun shrimp pasta recipe in a bowl with a fork on the side. Cajun Shrimp Pasta
    • Bang bang shrimp close up on a plate. Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe
    • Baked ziti in a baking dish with some scooped out next to it. Baked Ziti

    Popular Now

    • Baked egg boats with a knife. Baked Egg Boats
    • A sliced bacon, cheddar, and chive quiche with hash brown crust. Hash Brown Crust Bacon and Cheddar Quiche
    • Mongolian Beef recipe in a platter ready to be served. Mongolian Beef Recipe
    • Tomato soup recipe in two bowls with garlic bread on the side. Tomato Soup Recipe
    • Panfried potstickers with ramekin of sauce. Potstickers
    • Baked hot honey chicken sandwiches on a cutting board. Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with Honey

    Footer

    As Featured On
    As featured on graphic.

    GET NEW RECIPES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    Footer

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Twitter
    • TikTok

    All content including images © 2011-2022 Teri Lyn Fisher & Jenny Park. Stealing is bad karma.

    Spoon Fork Bacon contains paid advertising banners and occasionally affiliate links, and sponsored posts.
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Sponsored posts are indicated at the start of such posts. All of our opinions are always our own.
    Thank you for supporting our sponsors. It helps us pay to run this site and bring you unique and original recipes.

    Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.