This moist and delicious coconut cake recipe is infused with natural coconut flavour throughout and decorated with giant toasted coconut flakes.
Today’s post is a revamp of one of my oldest recipes. All the way back to 2015! It was one of those recipes that was good, but could have been better.
My main issue with the original coconut cake recipe was that it used coconut extract. I don’t often like to use flavoured extracts in my baking, as I find them to taste artificial and generally unpleasant.
Some are better than others, mind you, but I mostly stick to vanilla or try to infuse the flavours in some other way.
Coconut extract, not unlike almond extract, is very easy to overdo. It’s strong, often overpowering, and can make your baked goods taste like you’re eating suntan lotion if you’re not careful.
Natural Coconut Ingredients
I was on a mission to redo this Coconut Cake recipe using coconut in its pure form. There is a slew of coconut products out there, so the possibilities are endless.
I’m not kidding when I say I bought every single coconut product I could find to test and experiment with. This included the following:
- Canned coconut milk
- Coconut milk powder
- Pure creamed coconut
- Coconut sugar
- Fine shredded coconut
- Medium shredded coconut
- Coconut flakes
- And some whole coconuts for good measure
All of these ingredients (except for the coconut flakes) were super easy to find in the grocery store.
For me, the first three were found in the Ethnic section, the rest in the baking section. The only thing that was harder to find was the large coconut flakes, which I picked up at Whole Foods.
I didn’t end up using elements of the whole coconuts other than for the pics, but I was surprised at how easy they were to crack!
How do you Crack a Coconut?
There are a bunch of videos on how to do this, and I recommend watching one to see how it’s done, but basically all you need to do is:
- Poke out one or more of the “eyes” with a screwdriver (I was able to poke through without using a hammer)
- Drain the coconut water into a bowl
- Hammer around the axis of the coconut while turning it, and eventually a crack will start to form (this didn’t take long)
- Keep hammering until the crack is big enough that you can pry the coconut open
One thing I should note is that if you’re cracking more than one coconut and want to keep the water, drain them into separate bowls. I didn’t know at the time, but the second coconut I cracked was a bit rotten on the inside, and I didn’t want to use the water after I saw that.
How to Make this Coconut Cake
For the actual cake recipe, I ended up using the canned coconut milk in place of regular milk, and I added medium shredded coconut to the batter.
I would have preferred to use fine shredded coconut, because I don’t love the texture of coconut, but the stuff I had was unsweetened and I wanted to add a bit more sweetness to the cake. Either combination will work though — sweetened/unsweetened, fine/medium/coarse. It’s just a matter of preference!
I didn’t end up using the coconut sugar in the final version of the recipe, because it colored the cake batter too much and I wanted a nice, white/yellow cake.
So you can use coconut sugar and it will work totally fine, the cake will just have a slightly different flavour and color. But it’s important to note that coconut sugar doesn’t actually taste like coconut at all. It’s made from the sap of the flower buds of the coconut palms, not the coconut itself. It tastes and looks similar to brown sugar.
The coconut milk powder worked extremely well in the frosting. It added an amazing flavour without affecting the texture. If you were to use canned coconut milk instead, you’d have to use a lot more of it for the flavour to come through, and it could make the frosting too soft. I highly recommend using the milk powder if you can find it!
I only used the the coconut milk powder in the frosting, not the cake, but I think it would be a great way to add more flavour to the cake if you wanted to. I’d probably add a couple of Tbsp to the dry ingredients.
This pretty Coconut Cake is finished off with a simple decoration of some giant toasted coconut flakes, and I just love the look of them. I was able to buy mine already toasted, but I popped them into the oven for a bit more to enhance the color.
How do you Toast Coconut?
Toasting coconut is super easy and can be done in no time. Preheat your oven to 350F and spread the coconut in a thin, even layer on a large baking sheet. Pop it in the oven for 5mins, stir it around, and keep toasting until the desired color is reached.
It’s important to note that it can go from beautiful golden brown to burnt very quickly, so watch it like a hawk and stir it around often. Make sure the coconut is cooled completely before using it on the cake.
This Coconut Cake recipe has the perfect hit of coconut flavour throughout without being overpowering or tasting artificial. Any coconut fan in your life is sure to love it!
Looking for more Tropical Desserts?
Tips for this Coconut Cake recipe:
- Be sure to use canned coconut milk, not the stuff in the carton, and shake it well before use. Mine was quite smooth, but it can separate a bit, so be sure to shake it!
- I would have used very fine shredded coconut in the cake batter if I had it available, but you can use any kind you like. I used sweetened, but unsweetened will work too.
- The coconut milk powder worked extremely well in the frosting, adding great flavour without affecting the texture.
- If you like, you can add a couple of Tbsps of coconut milk powder into the dry ingredients in the cake batter to enhance the flavour even more.
- I love the large coconut flakes on the outside of this cake, but if you can’t find them you can use any kind of shredded coconut.
- This recipe, originally posted on March 1st, 2015, has been revised and updated. If you prefer to use an American buttercream, like my original coconut cake recipe used, you can use my Simple Vanilla Buttercream recipe and add coconut milk powder to it.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- See my post on Simple Syrup for tips on how to make sure your cakes stay moist.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Coconut Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup canned coconut milk room temperature
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut sweetened, any size (I used medium)
Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
- 1/4 cup coconut milk powder
Assembly:
Instructions
Coconut Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and coconut milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Gently fold in shredded coconut.
- Bake for 35-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack.
Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Add coconut milk powder and whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 2/3 cup of buttercream. Repeat with remaining layer and crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake and smooth with a bench scraper. Do a swirl on the top.
- Gently press toasted coconut flakes into the sides of the cake.
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Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
Originally published on March 1st, 2015
Sara says
Just a story to share with you. A year ago, my then-fiance and I were coming to terms with the near certainty that our June wedding was going to be canceled by Covid. We decided to get a license as quickly as we could, as those offices were preparing to shut down too, and marry right away in a tiny socially distanced backyard ceremony so we could start sheltering in place together. We planned to pick up a meal from our favorite restaurant to stand in for our reception, but I really wanted us to have a wedding cake too. I took stock of my pantry, then combed the Internet for a cake recipe I could make without needing to face the mayhem the grocery stores had become, and hit upon your recipe. I though it was going to have to be a naked cake due to a lack of icing ingredients, but I found a different icing recipe and had just enough butter to make half a batch, so the top and middle layer got thin coats of icing and a sprinkle of coconut flakes. In the end, it was delicious, and I’m planning to make a batch of cupcakes to celebrate our first anniversary this weekend.
Olivia says
Hi Sara! I am so sorry your June wedding didn’t happen but glad you were able to do a quick backyard ceremony instead! I’m so happy you liked this recipe are celebrating with a cupcake version. Happy Anniversary!
Sandi says
I want to make this recipe for two 10 inch pans. How do I adjust the recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Sandi! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
Based on that I would 1.5x the recipe.
kat says
Hi!
I want to make only one cake, should I do the measurements in half?
Thank you!
Kat says
Hi! i’m only trying to make one cake. should I only do half of the measurements? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Kat! If you only want one 6″ cake then you should 1/3 the recipe (change the Servings to 4).
Michelle Ackermann says
Hello!
Is there any way that I could substitute the coconut powder for coconut cream?
We don’t have coconut powder in Portugal 😢
Olivia says
Hi Michelle! I think coconut cream should be fine to add to the frosting instead. Add it 1 Tbsp at a time and mix well. Taste as you go to see how much to add. Be careful about adding too much as it can change the texture of the buttercream, but if you’re adding small amounts slowly you’ll be able to see if it’s changing.
Oriana says
Can I use coconut cream powder instead and how long do I bake of I am doing 2 8 inch cakes?
Olivia says
Hi Oriana! I think that should work. Baking time will be similar, maybe a little less 🙂
Michelle says
I do not have coconut powder. Would that be a problem? Can I use something else?
Olivia says
Hi Michelle! Coconut milk powder is ideal for best flavour without affecting the texture, but you could also use a coconut extract.
Angela says
Hi there!! I’m so excited to try this recipe!! For the canned coconut milk did you use sweetened or unsweetened? Thanks so much!!
Olivia says
Hi Angela! I didn’t know you could get sweetened! I believe mine is all unsweetened.
Halimah says
I absolutely love your recipes! This is my favourite 😍 I wanted to ask is there a way I can change your recipes to accomadate 4 x 6″ tins instead of 3 – I would prefer to have 4 layers of cake if possible. Thank you x
Olivia says
Hi Halimah! technically you could bake this recipe in 4 pans but the layers would be thinner so you’d need to reduce the baking time. To increase the recipe for four 6″ pans you’d change the Servings to 16 and use those amounts.
Tori says
Today was the second time I’ve made this recipe and it is now my go to coconut cake recipe! I make a couple of changes (1 stick of butter + 1/4 cup of coconut oil, 1tsp vanilla + 1 1/4 tsp coconut extract) to suit my tastes and I love it. The cake turns out to be shockingly pale in color considering we are issuing whole eggs! I have only used my bundtlette pan with this recipe so far and it yields about 11 bundtlettes. I have not made the coconut buttercream yet but I’m sure it is delicious. Liv For Cake is one of my favorite baking blogs! Thank you for sharing!!
Olivia says
Hi Tori! Thank you so much for your amazing review, sweet comment, and tips! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
Sandi says
Hi, I love this recipe and have been making it in cupcake form. How do I need to adjust the recipe to make it in a 13×9 inch pan?
Olivia says
Hi Sandi! I think the recipe as-is should work for one 9×13 pan. It might bake up slightly thinner though so you could increase the recipe slightly if you like.
Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
Baking temperature should stay the same but baking time may need to be adjusted.
Lori says
Approximately, how much batter does this cake make?
Olivia says
Hi Lori! I’ve never measured out the batter myself. What size cake are you trying to make?
Sinead says
I tried this recipe for my aunt’s birthday and the cake was amazing. Would love to make it as cupcakes, on average how many cupcakes will this recipe yield?
Olivia says
Hi Sinead! So glad you loved it 🙂 The recipe should make 18-24 depending on size.
Sandra says
Hi Olivia,
I’m making this full cake today (I made a smaller version earlier to test and it was great!).
This was the first time I made SMBC, and it turned out ok. My question is when I assemble the full cake today, for a party tomorrow, can i refrigerate it or will that do something weird to the frosting? I would prefer to cool it as I don’t want the buttercream to get too soft during these warmer/more humid days in Vancouver, BC.
Thanks so much. Love your site.
Olivia says
Hi Sandra! You can totally do that no problem! Take it out of the fridge 2-3 hours before serving so that it can come to room temp 🙂
Anushka says
Hi! I was wondering if I can make this in 3 8” pans? Thanks and the recipe looks great!!
Olivia says
Hi Anushka! For three 8″ pans you should 1.5x the recipe.
Christy says
Can I use a hand mixer instead of a stand up mixer? Looks like a wonderful recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Christy! I hand mixer will work fine for the cake but could be a challenge for the frosting. See this post for tips. If you like, you can make an Ermine buttercream for the frosting instead and use canned coconut milk in place of milk. That one will be fine with a hand mixer.
Nelly says
Hi ,
I’m making this cake for my dad’s 80th birthday.
Your presentation is out of this world! I’m all about presentation.
Please, where did you get the cake stand?
Olivia says
Hi Nelly! It’s actually an acacia serving plate stacked on a bunch of rustic coasters. Not very stable, to say the least! If you search for “rustic acacia wood cake stand” you’ll find similar.
Gurit says
Hi,
Instead of 3 6inch pans, can i make this in a 9 inch pan? And i can’t get canned coconut milk where i am. Is it okay to use either fresh coconut milk or carton coconut milk?
TIA!
Olivia says
Hi Gurit! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html You will need to 2/3 the recipe to use one 9″ pan. Canned coconut milk is ideal but the others will work too, they just won’t give as strong a flavour.
jo says
Thank you for your coconut frosting recipe! I could never seem to get enough coconut flavor in my frosting and yours was the FIRST and only recipe I found (after scouring SO MANY) to suggest dried coconut milk! I found it at my local grocery store and it worked perfectly! Thank you thank you! 🙂
Olivia says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Jo. Thank you! So glad you liked it 😀
Kaveeta says
Hi Liv I made the coconut cake today .. it was very tasty but it came out a little dense not light like a sponge cake.
Is it suppose to be like that ?
Olivia says
Hi Kaveeta! My recipes tend to be more on the dense side (vs light and fluffy) because that’s how I prefer them 🙂
Nina says
Hello what can I do to make it not as dense?
Olivia says
Hi Nina! My cakes tend to be more on the dense side rather than light and fluffy, but it shouldn’t be too dense. Overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added — it develops too much gluten. You can also try using cake flour instead.
Ann says
i use cake flour for this recipe. so it would be 1 and 2 tablespoon of cake flour per i cup of regular flour. or if you want it to be abit dense then you could use 3/4 cup of cake flour and 2 tablespoon of regular flour. Hopes this helps!
Courtney says
I can’t wait to try this cake! I had a question about the icing. I was wondering if you could use cream of coconut in the frosting instead of coconut milk powder, unfortunately stores where I live don’t carry it. Thanks!
Courtney says
I decided to go for it after with the cream of coconut and it turned out perfect!! You can add until you get your desired taste, mine was a bit less than 1/4 cup but it worked great and didn’t make the icing gritty or runny!
Olivia says
Oh yay! Thanks so much for the update! 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Courtney! I haven’t tried it myself but I think it should be ok. Just add it a little at a time.
Megan says
Hi! I really want to make this cake for Mother’s Day which doesn’t give me enough time to order coconut powder from amazon. Is there anything I can substitute the coconut powder with? (Like coconut Milk or coconut extract?) Your cake looks like a summer vacation we all need!
Olivia says
Hi Megan! You can use coconut extract or emulsion instead for the frosting. I find those to taste artificial though. Coconut milk will likely not add enough flavour but you could try it. It might be enough with all the other coconut in the recipe. Don’t add more than 1/4 cup though and add 1 Tbsp at a time.
Megan says
Awesome thanks for letting me know! I have one last question, I’ve never made Swiss buttercream but I see it uses raw egg whites. My mom is extremely scared of raw eggs & bacteria, do you use special pasteurized eggs for the whites or there isn’t much bacteria in egg whites that’ll upset someone’s stomach?? I’m just curious I’ve never had raw egg whites, but I’m also getting tired of regular American buttercream
Olivia says
Hi Megan! I don’t use pasteurized eggs, but you totally can! If you cook the eggs to 160F that kills off any bacteria. If you’re still worried about it though, I recommend giving my German buttercream a try. It’s as smooth as Swiss and way less sweet than American 🙂
Grace says
Five stars so far, I’m still in the process of making it.
I’m an avid baker and wanted to give a tentative warning to anyone thinking of using pastureised egg whites for meringue.
I’ve tried making meringue with pastureised egg whites three times and it failed/went flat. The only way that works for me is to use the real deal.
this may vary from recipie to recipie, I just wanted to share my experience 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Grace! Thank you! I hope you love it 🙂 And I totally agree if we’re talking carton whites. I’ve never had success with those. I assumed Megan mean pasteurized whole eggs and then separating the whites. Or have you not had success with those either?? Would love to know.
Rachel says
Almond goes amazing with coconut – hello mounds bars – I’m making this today with some amaretto in the icing.
Olivia says
Agreed!! It’s one of my fave combos too. I used it in this Raffaello Cake.
Sonia says
Liv, thank you thank you so much for such an awesome recipe! I made this to bring to a dinner party gathering and it was super successful! I followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfect. Thanks again. This is now my most favourite cake recipe <3
Olivia says
Hi Sonia! Thank you for the amazing feedback, I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Cindi says
Thank you for this recipe and the past about tips and tricks for SMBC. This was my first time doing layers in a cake, my first meringue anything, and first buttercream. I made this for my best friend’s birthday. It was a hit! I’m in love with the frosting. Your recipe and posts are so easy to follow.
Olivia says
Hi Cindi! I am so thrilled to hear that! Yay for a successful first for everything 🙂 I hope it’s the first of many!
Rachel Tyler says
Would it affect the recipe to use coconut oil instead of butter in the cake? I’m making this cake tomorrow!
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! It will affect the texture and make the cake a bit softer at room temp, but it should be totally fine otherwise.
Rachel says
Finally coming back to rate this!
I ended up using butter 😉
But I did double the coconut in the cake and the coconut powder in the frosting — I am coconut crazy. It turned out great! Thanks for another awesome recipe.
Olivia says
Thanks so much for taking the time to follow up and rate! So happy you loved it 🙂
Heather says
This cake is delicious! I made it for cake pops and doubt it will make it that far—we keep pulling off chunks to eat straight from the cooling rack!
Olivia says
Hi Heather! Lol, so glad you like it 🙂
Katie B says
Hi! Thanks for an amazing coconut cake! I made it for my future mother in law and she loved it. I was wondering if I could freeze the cake? My moms birthday is today but she only wants like two layers. Thank you 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Katie! So happy you guys loved it 🙂 You can totally freeze the cake layers and the frosting (but not the filling, it doesn’t freeze well). Did you mean you only want to make two layers and freeze the third? Alternatively, you can just 2/3 the recipe by changing the Servings to 8.
Daniel says
Hi Liv, quick question. I’ve made this cake several times and it turns out wonderfully every time. I want to try to make cupcakes this time, but I’m not sure how to adjust the baking time. Can you help me out with this? Thanks.
Daniel
Olivia says
Hi Daniel! Cupcakes would work totally fine! Timing sort of depends on how big they are, but I always recommend taking a look at them 15mins into baking to see how they’re doing 🙂
Nikki says
Hi Liv. I’m a huge fan of the SMBC icing. Rather than toasting coconut for the outside, do you think it would work if I piped rosettes instead? I assume I would need a larger batch of icing.
Olivia says
Hi Nikki! For sure, I think that would work great. I would make the full batch of buttercream here and add coconut milk powder to it: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Apolline says
This is for Angela…: I live in Australia too and “Ayam” sell a coconut milk powder. It’s called Ayam Premium Coconut Milk Powder. I bought mine from Woolworths.
Olivia says
Hi Apolline! Thanks so much for your tips 🙂
Kathy Kiar says
Hi Liv can I put the coconut on the outside a day in advance? Does it soften if its in american butter cream?
Olivia says
Hi Kathy! That should be fine! I didn’t find it to soften much.
Chase L says
Hello,
I am sorry if this information is already posted. I may have missed it as reading, but what size pans did you use? As well as does this create a two or three layered cake? Lastly, can I use a dark cake pan?
Thank you so much!
Olivia says
Hi Chase! The pan size is listed in the recipe — here I used three 6″ pans that are 2″ tall each. You can use dark pans but it will result in darker edges and you may need to adjust baking time.
Jess says
Hi Olivia,
I’ve made several of your cakes and they have all been delicious! And your SMBC is my new go to recipe that I use for everything, so thank you for all your wonderful recipes! My nephew has requested coconut cake for his birthday party so this will be my next venture but I was wondering what would you suggest if I am using a square 16x16x2 pan? Should I double the recipe or 1.5x? Thanks again!
Olivia says
Hi Jess! I’m so happy to hear you like my recipes! 🙂 Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html Based on that, I think 1.5x should be enough, but you could always just double the recipe and make cupcakes with any extra batter too 🙂
Mia says
Hi Olivia I was wondering how to make this cake a chocolate coconut cake . Do you know how much cocoa powder I should put in the sponge?
Olivia says
Hi Mia! I’d honestly have to experiment with it a bit to get the proper amounts, so I wouldn’t want to steer you wrong. You can try it out if you like though! I would try with 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. You may need to increase the liquid a bit though too.
Liz says
Hi,
I am gluten and dairy free (yikes) I’ve managed to substitute almond flour and coconut oil or milk in most recipes- I also tend to use maple syrup as a sweetener – I realize that all of that will make this a liquid heavy recipe – any suggestions?
Olivia says
Hi Liz! I would use a GF all purpose flour blend in place of the flour and for the butter you can sub in a vegan butter or try it with coconut oil instead. Either should work fine! I would not also replace the sugar though as that’s too many variables. Can you use maple sugar instead?
Nicole B. says
Hi!
Just made this and loved it!
I made a pineapple/banana butter filling and it was amazing.
One question…
My cake came out a little dense. Any tips on a fluffier cake?
Olivia says
Hi Nicole! Your filling sounds amazing!! My cakes are more on the dense side (rather than light and fluffy) but it sholdn’t be too dense. Sometimes that can happen with improperly measured flour and/or overmixing.
Lauri Palmer says
Liv – I made this for a friends birthday and it is delicious. I really liked the texture of the coconut in the cake batter. I used standard butter cream instead of Swiss meringue buttercream. Thanks!
Olivia says
So happy to hear you loved it!!
Angela says
Hey Liv, I’m planning on making this for a birthday and I’m super excited. I don’t have 6inch pans will this work in two 7inch pans?
Also I can’t seem to find coconut milk powder anywhere in Australia. What would you suggest substituting with or should I just leave out?
Olivia says
Hi Angela! Yes, it will work but the layers will be thinner so be sure to reduce the baking time. If your pans are 3″ tall though you can try baking in just two 7″ pans instead (increase the baking time in that case).
You could just leave the coconut powder out, or use coconut extract (though I don’t like that personally). Alternative is that you can try to puree some shredded coconut in a food processor and then sift it to see if you can get it finer. This won’t make for a super smooth buttercream, but if you’re covering it with coconut anyhow it shouldn’t matter as much.
Marilyn Ann Pratt says
Hi…..just found your receipt….looks great. Please please , can i just substitute the coconut milk with something else …like heavy cream….i am in need of a good frosting…white….that is not sweet….can you help me…..i want it for a nut torte…..PLEASE say you can help me.
Olivia says
Hi Marliyn! There is no coconut milk in the frosting here — for the cake you can use regular milk. For the frosting you can leave the coconut milk powder out. I hope that helps!
Rachel says
Hi Liv! I made this cake last year and it was a hit! I added a bit extra coconut milk powder in the batter.
Making it again this year for my partners birthday. Only concern is that his birthday is friday but we are travelling so will have to make it a day in advance (on thursday). My thursday is very busy so I am wondering what your thoughts would be on making any steps in advance on the wednesday? would it still keep until the weekend?
Any suggestions for time management would be appreciated! 🙂
Thanks,
Rachel
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! So glad to hear it was a hit — good call on the coconut milk powder! I think the cake would still be fine on the weekend, thougb maybe a bit drier. You can counteract that by using simple syrup on it when assembling. Otherwise you can make all of the components in advance and freeze them, then thaw and assemble.
Carrie says
Do you still have the original recipe? I made it for my husband before and he loved it so I’d like to keep it the same!
Olivia says
Hi Carrie! I’m sorry, I don’t, but I assure you this one is a million times better!!
Kate says
I’d like to modify this to be a lemon coconut cake. Was thinking I’d add some lemon zest to the frosting with the coconut milk powder, and 1-2 tsp of lemon extract with the vanilla in the cake batter. Any words of warning or advice?
Olivia says
Hi Kate! I think that will work fine. I prefer to not use extracts so I would recommend lemon zest in the cake as well (creamed with the butter and sugar) and some lemon juice in place of the milk (maybe 1/4 cup). The extract will work fine though!
Christine says
Coconut Cake – What is the depth of your six inch cake pan?
Olivia says
Hi Christine! Mine are 2″ tall, but 3″ will work too.
Elizabeth says
Hi.
Instead of using three 6″ pans, can I use two 9″ pans? The 9″ pans would be 2 inches deep as well.
Thanks,
Elizabeth
PS LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your recipes!!
Olivia says
Hi Elizabeth! The recipe works for two 8″ pans, two 9″ would have very thin layers. I would 1.5x the recipe if using two 9″.
Lois says
Hello, I love all of your cake recipes! You always gave the perfect cake slices too. I have a question about the coconut milk powder, do you think/know how it will work when incorporated in a American Buttercream recipe? If so, can you please help by telling me how much or at what stage to add it?
Thanks so much!
Olivia says
Hi Lois! Thanks so much! I think it would work perfectly fine with an ABC. I would add it at the end, after the sugar, but you might need to add more liquid (cream, milk) to get to the consistency you want. As for how much, it’s really just to taste. I would start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed.
Leslie Gallardo says
I just made this cake…oh my its a keeper!
It is delicious!I love that the cake itself its not over sweet,just right,if a cake its not overly sweet its a good cake..i did not had round pans at hand and did not have all ingredients forthe meringue;but i have a bundt pan,it came out perfect!i just cooked about 10+min.
I will definitely had everything at hand next cake!😂
Olivia says
Hi Leslie! So glad it worked out despite missing a few tools and ingredients!
Victoria says
Hi Liv – This is the second recipe I’ve tried from your site and it is incredible! I used this recipe, but replaced the toasted coconut with shredded coconut for a winter “snow” look, and added shredded coconut between the layers. Everyone raved about it and devoured the cake in 10 minutes. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! Love that winter snow look — great idea!! So happy that everyone liked it 🙂
Leslie Chavis says
I had made a coconut cake for a friend of mine that I found online. It was my first coconut cake and I made it because it looked so beautiful. I wanted to taste that cake so bad but she wanted it for a party that she was having. I was trying to find that recipe to make that cake for Christmas when I came across your cake. It looks and sounds so delicious that I have decided to try yours instead. Thank you for sharing.
Olivia says
Hi Leslie! I hope it lives up to your expectations. I love this recipe and the fact that the flavour comes through without the use of any extracts. Please let me know how you like it!
Shelby says
I don’t know if the issue was that the Swiss meringue buttercream might have still been a little warm, but as soon as I started incorporating the coconut powder, the oil in it made the buttercream break 🙁 it still tastes fine, but it lost its smooth texture.
Olivia says
Hi Shelby! That’s strange.. what do you mean by oil in the powder? It should not be oily. It sounds like it maybe just needed a bit more whipping though to come together again.
Bruce says
Do you think I could use this exact recipe and make 2, 8 inch cake layers? I don’t have 6 inch pans.
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Bruce! Yes, it should work fine in two 8″ cake pans.
garima poddar says
hey olivia..not sure if you got my comment I posted yesterday… was wondering if i could replace shredded coconut with either fresh or dessicated coconut?
also im planning to make a pirate ship for my sons birthday.. would it be easy to carve thi cake and would it hold well under a chocolate ganache?
thank you so much for your amazing recipes!
Olivia says
Hi Garima! I just replied to your other comment. Dessicated coconut and ganache will work just fine!
garima poddar says
hello Olivia,
i just made the chocolate cake and its absolutely delicious. also made the SMB first time ever and it was just so good ! thank you so much.
I really want to make the coconut cake but the shredded coconut isnt available here. I can either use dessicated or fresh grated coconut. do you think it would be the same. Also would it work in a layer cake.. Im planning to make a pirate ship for my boys birthday and he wants this coconut cake.. the ship would have to be brown , so I could either cover it with chocolate ganche or chocolate buttercream. what do you think?
do let me know your thoughts on this..
Olivia says
Hi Garima! So happy to hear you liked the chocolate cake and SMBC! You should be able to use dessicated coconut just fine 🙂 And I think chocolate and coconut is a very popular combo so that should work well too!
Garima Poddar says
Thank you so much for taking time out to respond 🤗so excited to try this.. will keep you posted how it goes.. thanks again!
Max says
Howdy. I really want to try this cake, but would like to make a single layer. Can I just divide the ingredients in 3?
Thank you so much!
Olivia says
Hi Max! For sure, you can adjust the Servings slider down to 4 get the ratio for a one layer 6″ cake.
Samantha Singer says
Hi Liv , firstly want to say how much I love livforcake.com! I have made a few of your recipes and have loved them all and found them such a pleasure to follow. I made this cake today and made my very first Swiss meringue butter cream. It was so easy and is soooooooo delicious. Can’t imagine making buttercream any other way now.
I have a question in regards to the cake as I have made it twice now and it has sunk in the middle both times while it was still cooking in the oven. Could you assist with what I may be doing wrong ?
Thank you for such beautiful recipes!
Olivia says
Hi Samantha! Thank you so much, you are so sweet! YAY for your first SMBC! I’m so glad you found it easy — it’s my favourite kind of buttercream. The sinking in the middle while cooking should not happen! The only things I know to cause sinking while baking are:
– too much raising agent (did you use more baking powder (not baking soda) than the recipe calls for?)
– oven door opened while baking before the cake was set
– or are you at high elevation by chance?
Those are the only things I’m aware of that might cause that issue 🙁
Samantha Singer says
Hmmm , I’m thinking it may have been the oven door opening 🤦🏻♀️,
I also am on a high elevation.
Thank you so much for replying. I will be more patient next time I make the cake and not have a cheeky 👀.
Thanks again, any hints and tips are so welcome.
So much to learn.
So many yummy recipes to try 🤗
Lily says
I have to thank you! I made a GF version of this Coconut Cake and your Carrot Cake for my nieces birthdays today. They were AMAZING! Our entire family said that they were the best cakes ever and I would have to agree. I am so thankful to have found your website and I will be back for more of your wonderful recipes! 5 million stars!
Olivia says
Hi Lily! I’m so happy to hear that the GF versions turned out well! You are so sweet, your comment totally made my day. Can’t wait to hear what you bake up next!
Tessa says
Hi Liv, can this be made into cupcakes? i need to make 12 cupcakes for a friend. Thanks so much <3
Olivia says
Hi Tessa! Yes, it will work fine! Just reduce the baking time — start checking around 15mins or so.
Jennifer says
This recipe was fabulous! Great coconut flavor and incredible crumb! Love that it uses naturally sourced coconut for the flavoring. My husband’s words = “it melts in your mouth!”
I doubled the recipe to make it into an 8″, three-layer cake. I used finely shredded coconut. Came out perfect!
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for the great feedback, I’m so happy that you two liked it!! 🙂
aya says
how to turn this to chocolate coconut cake? how much cocoa powder i must add? please help me thanks
Olivia says
Hi Aya! I’m not totally sure… you could try replacing 1/2 cup of the flour with cocoa powder.
Alison Lopez says
does this cake freeze well once baked?
Olivia says
Hi Alison! Yes, it freezes fine as long as it’s properly wrapped and stored.
Mai Ngoc Hoa says
Hi Olivia, I would like to try this recipe. But I can’t find the coconut milk powder here. And I prefer to make the SMBC. So what should I do?
Thank you very much for your advice.
Mai cake corner
Olivia says
Hi Mai! If you like, you can incorporate fine shredded coconut into the frosting instead. It won’t be completely smooth, but will give good flavour. You could also try to grind up some shredded coconut in a coffee grinder or food processor. I hope that helps!
Rachael says
I found the coconut milk powder in the section of my grocery store where they have the powdered coffee creamers.
Olivia says
Thanks for the tip!!
Donna says
Olivia! This cake is beautiful! I am making my daughter’s wedding cake and decorating it with large (untoasted) coconut flakes. I am wondering if I decorate the cake a day in advance if the coconut would dry out?? I won’t have time to do it the day of the wedding. Thanks for all your helpful tips on cake baking too! The cake will be 3 layers, 8,6, and 4 inch. There will be raspberry filling and almond frosting…and the coconut!
Olivia says
Hi Donna! Thank you! I think it would be fine to do the day before — coconut is generally on the dry side anyhow. The raspberry and almond additions sound like heaven!! Email me a pic once it’s done, I’d love to see it!
jim says
Great post, do you think you could use “coconut cream” instead of “coconut milk”? I understand this is different than “cream of coconut”. https://www.amazon.com/Native-Forest-Organic-Premium-Unsweetened/dp/B00AF7XMYY/
Olivia says
Hi Jim! As long as it’s liquid in consistency I think it should work fine 🙂
Janet Miyashiro says
Hi Liv. Dee Rhodes (Feb., 2017) mentioned a cake with a translucent coconut frosting. I’ll bet she’s talking about an old fashioned recipe that my grandmother used to make. I am 65, so you can imagine how long ago that was! The cake is called a Japanese Fruit Cake, though it is neither a fruit cake nor Japanese. If you Google this name, you’ll find a million renditions.
My grandmother used to grate fresh coconut for this cake, so it was “special occasional only.” My whole family doted on this yummy creation. If you ever decide to make this your own, I’m sure you will improve and modernize it into a masterpiece!
Your coconut cake looks so beautiful. I am planning to bake it for my nieces’s baby shower. Thanks for the recipe.
Olivia says
Hi Janet! Thank you so much for this info, I am super intrigued by that cake! I will google it to see what it’s all about. Your grandmother’s version sounds delicious.
Mary says
In the beginning of your post you have a list of ingredients. It shows pure creamed coconut and coconut sugar. These ingredients are listed in the recipe. Can you please explain where they are to be used. Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Mary! Those are just the ingredients I experimented with. I didn’t end up using all of them in the final cake recipe.
Anna says
can you make and Frost this cake the day before or should you assemble the day of? I wasn’t sure if the toasted coconut on the outside would get soft.
Olivia says
Hi Anna! That will be totally fine. It shouldn’t get soft!
Nadine says
Hi olivia, i really love your recipes.
I made this today, I’ve tripled the recipes (made 2 6”+ 2 8”+ 6 cupcakes)
The cake baked perfectly, but after cooling it and when I started leveling the cakes i found that it was still raw in the middle! This is the first time I experience this, especially that the cakes got a perfect golden brown color and no crumbs were seen on the wooden skewer.. any ideas about the reason??
Olivia says
Hi Nadine! Weird that there were no crumbs but the cake was raw! Hmm, did you bake them all at the same time?
Lillian Pierce says
This is the second coconut cake recipe I have made, I liked the first one I made but I felt like there might be something better out there. This was soooooo yummy!!! Very light and buttery and super super moist which I am very picky about. This is a fantastic recipe and it is going into my recipe book as my new coconut cake. I paired it with vanilla buttercream. Thank you Liv!
Olivia says
Hi Lillian! So happy to hear that you liked this one. I love how it turned out!
Christine Daly says
Planning to make this tomorrow for a friend’s birthday. The directions say use. 3 six inch pans. Then later it says use 2/3 frosting and add second layer. Then in comments you respond that you kept it as a two layer cake. Please clarify. My friend loves coconut cake, so I want to get it right.
Olivia says
Hi Christine! The frosting per layer is 2/3 cup, not 2/3 of the frosting. I recently updated this recipe from a really old one, which is why some of the comments didn’t make sense. I’ve deleted the old comments that no longer apply. Sorry for the confusion! The recipe will work for a three layer 6″ cake (as shown) or a two layer 8″ cake.
Cindy Rodriguez says
What a gorgeous cake! I love all the research you did to get that pure coconut flavor. It looks incredibly delicious!
Olivia says
Thank you Cindy! The research was worth it 🙂
Sara says
This looks like the ULTIMATE coconut cake, I have a family of coconut lovers so I’m going to make this for my daughter’s birthday!
Olivia says
Yay! I hope you love it as much as I do 🙂
Stefania Soler says
I love coconut cake. I might try this for my next assignment this week. However I want to avoid fresh coconut for a while after the last assignment which included a bottom tier dressed with a coconut “skirt”
Olivia says
Hi Stefania! I hope you like this one 🙂
Dee Rhodes says
Hello Olivia,
Your cakes are gorgeous..and I can only begin to imagine how wonderful they taste…gets my mouth watering:). When I was a little girl a neighbor used to make me a 6 layered pineapple cake….it was soooo moist, but she was still able to get the layers to stay in place and she layered it with some type of pineapple and sugar concoction. It looked like the icing was thin…you could see through it, but still had the crushed pineapple all over it too. When it was cut you’d have to use a large spatula or it would fall over due to the moisture level in the cake. This lovely lady that made me these cakes has passed away and I was hoping you might have heard of it and could share it with us! You have so many wonderful cake recipes. I’m purchasing all the things needed to display them and decorate them. Of course, they will look like…(crap..), but they’ll taste yummy delicious. I look forward to your posts every time I open my computer and love looking at your yummy tasty and beautiful cakes! Keep up this post, I feel like I know you but now:) Dee
Olivia says
Hi Dee! Thanks so much for your sweet comments! You totally made my day :). That cake you describe sounds incredibly delicious!! I’ve never heard of anything quite like it… I wonder if the crushed pineapple was simply thickened with a bit of cornstarch? Kind of like in my Pina Colada Cake:
http://livforcake.com/2016/06/pina-colada-cake.html
I will keep my eye out for you though! And you’ve given me an idea of something delicious to attempt :). And I am certain your cakes do not look like crap!! Cakes are not the easiest thing to attempt, so the fact that you’re doing them is amazing. You should send me some pics!
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
Cake is gorgeous! Pinned to our Coconut Obsession board.
Have a great week!
Livforcake says
Thanks Melanie! Glad you like it! 😀
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
This cake is beautiful… and your icing skills are incredible! Wish I had a slice now!