ENTER YOUR NAME AND EMAIL AND GET MY DELICIOUS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER... IT'S FREE!
Food, Folks and Fun is all about bringing restaurant-quality recipes to the home cook.
Your email will never be sold to 4rd parties and you'll never be spammed. By using this form you agree with this site's privacy policy.
This recipe for Coconut Cream Cake is so tender, and it is deliciously covered in Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream and beautifully toasted coconut.
This Coconut Cream Cake is the best ever coconut layer cake you will ever taste! For real. The cake itself is so tender and rich and the coconut buttercream isn’t overly sweet. But what really makes this Coconut Cream Cake the best ever is the coconut flavor. It’s not too overwhelming and it’s not fake tasting at all. This is all thanks to a combination of 3 coconut products: cream of coconut, coconut extract, and toasted coconut shreds.
I love placing this cake on a table near the dining room so my guests can see that something completely splendid is coming. Every time I make this cake I find myself writing out the recipe for folks. It could very well be my all-time favorite cake. It’s perfect for holidays like Easter, or Spring and Summer entertaining.
Cook’s Note – Coconut Cream Cake
- Leftover cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring the cake to room temperature before eating.
- You can find the cream of coconut near the drink mixes like Piña Colada or here on Amazon.
- This recipe calls for cake flour. You can save some money by making your own. It’s super simple and you can found out in my post for Cake Flour!
Cook’s Tools – Coconut Cream Cake:
- 9-inch cake pans
- cooling racks
- baking sheet
- small offset spatula
- large offset spatula
- Cake plate or cake stand (I have this one and it’s my favorite!)
- Cake knife and server
Best Ever Coconut Cream Cake
Author: from America's Test Kitchen
This Coconut Cream Cake is so tender and deliciously covered in Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream and beautifully toasted coconut.
Ingredients
- COCONUT CAKE:
- 1 large egg plus 5 large egg whites
- ¾ cup cream of coconut
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 ¼ cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces, softened, but still cool
- 2 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut (about 8 ounces)
- COCONUT BUTTERCREAM:
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- pinch table salt
- 1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks), each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened, but still cool
- ¼ cup cream of coconut
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- FOR COCONUT CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large measuring cup add egg whites, whole egg, cream of coconut, water, vanilla, and coconut extract and beat with a fork until combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt for 30 seconds on the lowest setting. With mixer still running, add butter 1 piece at a time, and beat until mixture looks like coarse meal (butter pieces should be no bigger than small peas), about 2 minutes.
- Keep mixer running and add 1 cup of liquid. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and slowly pour in remaining 1 cup liquid. Turn off mixer and scrape down sides of the bowl, then beat on medium-high speed to combine, about 20-30 seconds. The batter will be deliciously thick.
- Pour equal amounts of batter into prepared cake pans and level off with an offset spatula. Bake until deep golden brown, cake pulls away from sides of pans, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Do not turn off oven.
- Move pans to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes in pans, then loosen cakes from pan, invert cakes onto cooling racks, then re-invert; cool to room temperature.
- While cakes cool, spread shredded coconut onto a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until shreds are a mix of white and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. Cool completely.
- FOR COCONUT BUTTERCREAM: In a bowl of a stand mixer set over a saucepan with 2 inches of barely simmering water, whisk egg whites, sugar, and salt. Whisk constantly until mixture is opaque and warm to the touch and an instant-read thermometer registers 120 degrees, about 2 minutes.
- Move the bowl to mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high until whites are barely warm and they look glossy and sticky about 7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and beat in butter 1 piece at a time. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of the bowl. Turn mixer to medium speed and beat in cream of coconut and coconut and vanilla extracts. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until well-combined, about 1 minute.
- ASSEMBLE CAKE: Place a dab of buttercream on cake plate or cake stand. Put 1 cake round on center of cake plate and place about 1 ½ cups of frosting on top. Spread buttercream in even layer using a large offset spatula. Place second cake round on top and frost sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle top of cake with coconut, then press coconut into the sides of cake moving from bottom to top of the cake. Let excess coconut fall back onto baking sheet.
- Slice and serve!
Disclosure: This post for Best Ever Coconut Cream Cake recipe includes affiliate links, this means I make a few cents if you buy the item after clicking my link. This costs you nothing, but it helps keep this blog running on butter…lots of butter! See the rest of Food Folks and Fun’s disclosure policy here. 
Great looking coconut cream cake. I love your idea of placing in plain sight so guests can get all excited about what is coming.
It’s one of my favorite things to do when entertaining. 🙂
I’m hungry just reading this! It looks and sounds absolutely delicious — can’t wait to try some. 🙂
Enjoy! 🙂
I am a big fan of coconut, and your cake is ideal for our Easter lunch menu. Maybe I will add some chocolate eggs on top to make it more festive… I can tell by the images that your recipe is so delicious, fluffy and light! Thank you Jillian for sharing this recipe
Adding the chocolate eggs would be perfect!
I’m loving the use of cream of coconut, coconut extract, and toasted coconut. I was skeptical at first reading “best ever” but with those three natural and delicious ingredients – with no artificial coconut flavourings – you might just be right!
I think you’ll love this cake!
I’ve made a coconut cream pie before, but never a coconut cream cake! This sounds amazingly delicious and I can’t wait to try out this recipe – thanks for sharing!!
Your cake looks amazing and I am excited to try it! Just double checking-it really does take a whole pound of butter in the frosting?
Hi Jeannie,
Yes, this cake really does take a whole pound of butter in the frosting! It’s super decadent, but oh so good! Eat nothing but carrots the day you serve this and the calories should all balance out. 😉
HELP!! Am just about to make this for Easter dessert tomorrow. The ingredients list calls for 1 T Baking POWDER, but in the instructions it says to mix in Baking SODA. Can you confirm which one I should be using? It looks like a super receipt, and I don’t want it to fail. Thanks!
Hi Helen!
You use baking POWDER for this recipe, and 1 tablespoon is the correct amount. Thank you SO much for catching my mistake, and enjoy the cake! 🙂
HELP, I am making this cake but the icing is not combining together after the additions of butter. It really looks curdy, I don’t know how to save it.
Hi Susan,
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a little tricky sometimes. Sometimes it comes together quickly, and sometimes I have to beat it for longer than 7 minutes. Without knowing everything, my gut is saying you need to beat it for longer.
To help troubleshoot, did you heat the egg whites, sugar and salt to 120 degrees?
Also, was your butter softened but still cool? Did you add the butter in 1 piece at a time?
I made this and the cake came out great, but the frosting was a fail. I followed the recipe to a T and even attempted a second time after my first batch turned into a clumpy, curdy mess. I ended up making my own butter cream icing and added some coconut milk to thin it out a bit. Turned out pretty good.
Hi Emily, I’m sorry to hear about your frosting debacle. Swiss meringue buttercream can be a little temperamental. When making this icing it’s crucial that your butter is softened, but still cool. If it’s room temperature you’ll end up with a soupy mess.
I looked at two stores for Coconut Extract. Is there anything I could substitute? I am making this tomorrow, and not sure how it will turn out now!
Hi Heather,
Coconut extract is crucial to the flavor of this cake. While you do get some coconut flavor from the cream of coconut, it alone doesn’t provide enough of a coconut punch. Have you tried looking for coconut extract at Walmart? They usually have a good selection of extracts.
I just made this recipe but in cupcake form. They turned out great and tasted amazing!! My husband couldn’t get enough. I’ll be bringing these to Easter lunch. Can’t wait to see what’s the rest of my family think. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Yay, I’m so glad you liked it! It’s literally my favorite cake ever. Thanks for stopping by to let me know, and happy Easter!
Hi Jillian!
Planning on making this cake this weekend. May be a stupid question but how long do you allow the butter to soften yet still remain cool? I want to make sure I’m following all of the steps correctly for the frosting.
Thanks!!
Hi Lauren,
Great question! I literally just made this cake for Easter dinner and had your question in mind while making it. My kitchen was 75-76 degrees F and it took 40 minutes for the butter to be soften but still cool. Keep this in mind when you prep the rest of the buttercream, because you bring water to a simmer on the stove top, whisk the egg whites for 2 minutes, and then whip the egg whites in a stand mixer for 7 minutes before adding the butter. I hope this helps!
Happy baking and happy Easter! 🙂
This recipe made WAY too much frosting! I feel like I’ve wasted half a pound of butter. I will make a half recipe next time!
I don’t have stand mixer will a hand mixer work
Yes! A hand mixer will work, too. Just make sure you scrape down the bowl lots when you are making the cake batter.