This is probably one of the best cakes I have ever had. My husband agrees. The cake itself is so rich and moist. You will love it! Please, don’t take my word for it.. if you love coconut.. you need to make this cake. I got the recipe from my sister who got it from one of her friends. This is definitely a recipe I will keep handy when I have company over!
COCONUT CREAM CAKE:
Wet Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 3/4 c. white sugar
1 c. cream of coconut (Coco Lopez is the one I used.. it can be found by the drink mixers at your grocery store)
4 large eggs
Dry Ingredients:
2 1/2 flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. coconut extract
Separate eggs, set whites aside. Beat wet ingredients together including egg yolks until fluffy. Sit dry ingredients together and stir well. Add dry ingredients to wet using mixer on low speed alternating with buttermilk/extract mixture. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Fold egg whites into batter. Bake at 275-degrees in two 9-inch pans (lightly sprayed with baking spray or what works BEST is lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper) for about 90 minutes (it seems they finish much nicer in the lower heat). After about 60 minutes, do the “toothpick test”, repeating every 5-10 min or so until the toothpick comes out clean. After cake is out of the oven and transferred to parchment paper or a cooling rack, poke each cake with a few holes (making sure not to poke all the way through) and drizzle remaining coconut cream over (about 1/2 c. total). This is optional and just keeps the cake extra moist. After the cake cools, transfer to the freezer and freeze overnight.
Frost immediately (see frosting recipe below) after removing from the freezer. Allow to thaw for about an hour before serving. If you want to do a layered cake, put a layer of frosting in-between the two cakes and then continue to frost the remainder of the cake. Sprinkle with lightly toasted, shredded coconut (see below).
COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
1/2 c. butter, softened
8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 bag powdered sugar
milk (as needed)
Beat butter, cream cheese, and coconut extract together, adding powdered sugar little by little until reaching desired consistency. If it seems to get too stiff, add about 1 tsp of milk at a time until you get the consistency you want. (add milk to thin it out, add powdered sugar to thicken it up).
Toasted Coconut:
Place contents of about 1/2 bag of sweetened, shredded coconut on a cookie sheet. Spread it out so it makes just a single layer. Bake for appx. 8-10 minutes in a 325-degree oven. Some pieces will still be white and soft, some browned slightly with a little crunch.
OOh…we ate some at Erica's house last night. Delish. I'm not a huge coconut fan and I kept wanting another bite! Sooo good!
Can this be baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan and if so, what would the baking time be? This looks so yummy!
Yes, it can be done in a 9×13 pan.. you might just have to take out a little batter so it doesn't overflow. Maybe save the extra batter for a couple cupcakes? I haven't done it in a 9×13.. maybe just bake for an hour and then keep doing the toothpick test every 5-10 minutes or so until it comes out clean.
Best Cake Ever!!!
Oh. my. goodness. I want this now!
I have a ladies church potluck coming up and I've been lacking inspiration – this just may do the trick!! Thank you, thank you… I am so excited to try this!
I'm assuming that the optional 1/2 c. coconut cream drizzled over the cake is in addition to the 1 c. that is mixed into the batter? I just want to make sure I've got it right. So excited to try this!
@ the Crunkletons:
That's right. The can of coco lopez has more than a cup of coconut cream in it. Just whatever is leftover I drizzle over the top
I had a real problem with the cake sticking in the pan. Next time I think I would flour the pan. Or just use a lot more Pam.
@ ME again – - what helps is if you use the actual baking spray.. it is the kind that has flour in it. That is what I like to use any time I bake and it seems to help with the sticking. If that doesn't seem to work, maybe like you said, just coat it with a little more flour.
Can I get a clarification? Are you to frost the cake immediately after taking it out of the freezer? I'm about to make the cake and this part had me concerned.
Thanks for the recipe. This looks heavenly!
@ Sarah– Yes, frost it right out of the freezer. It won't crumble as much when you are putting the frosting on. You won't get those little annoying crumbles throughout the white frosting (I hate when that happens)!
-Erica
I also had problems with the cake sticking to the pan. I even floured the pan. Not sure what more I could have done. Was able to save it so it will still work. Got to taste some and it's yummy so far! The top was a very dark golden and almost crusty consistency. Normal? Not sure but I'm sure with the cream of coconut going on top and the frosting it will soften up.
Coconut cake is one of my favorites and this recipe sounds perfect and very doable. I love that it uses buttermilk, too! I will save this recipe…pictures look great, too!
Since some of you are having difficulty with the sticking, I recommend lining the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. When my cakes stick with or without flour this always does the trick. I put that in the recipe just so hopefully no one else will have sticking problems!
This was a hit at my potluck dinner tonight! It was so yummy!! It's rich and sweet. You can only have a little at a time but it's so good. I'm waiting right now to have my second piece. Trying to hold back. Ha! Ha!
Made this cake this week – Best. Cake. Ever! Am making it again for family Sunday dinner gathering. Super moist, frosting is just right. Thank you!
What a delicious cake. I love anything coconut and especially coconut cake. It looks divine!
love, love….fall baking time….have a moment.
I made this for a potluck and it was awesome. I used a 9 by 13 pan and it worked great. I did increase the baking time by maybe 15-20 minutes. (We are at high altitude, though, so you just have to check it.)
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I made this. It was pretty much fantaulous.
So I decided to make this tonight to take to a dinner tomorrow we were invited to. I folllowed the directions EXACTLY! and used 2 9 inch round pans. They overflowed in my oven and made a HUGE mess! I also put parchment paper in the bottom of the pans as directed, but because the cake puffed up so much I can see that the sides are going to totally stick. Ahhhhhh! SO FRUSTRATING!
@ Glenda–
I don't know what to say! I haven't had this happen yet and I have made it at least 3 times! I don't know if it is the elevation you are at or what.. I guess I would suggest just filling the cake pans less? Or set the timer for less time and see if it is puffing up too much? I don't know! I am so sorry!
Whats the buttermilk and coconut extract for ? I can’t see where it is added to the cake or icing
Thanks
In the 4th sentence after you combine the wet and dry ingredients… “Add dry ingredients to wet using mixer on low speed alternating with buttermilk/extract mixture” — you mix the buttermilk and extract together and add it a little at a time to the mix. Sorry, how it is worded is a little confusing!
why are we freezing the cake overnight?
thanks
In my experience it makes the cake more moist! It also makes it easier to cut, assemble, and frost without getting little crumbs in the frosting.
Please help me with the recipe of carmel cake. I cannot find it and it looked soooo good. Thank you.
Are you looking for the Better Than “You Know What” Cake? Or possibly Caramel Monkey Bread? We don’t have a caramel cake…
OMG!!! I can honestly say this is the absolute best cake I have ever made or had!! As a child growing up, on Easter my mom would always make a white layered cake. She would take just a little bit of coconut and tint it green. She would then make a ‘nest’ on top of the iced cake and then put a few jelly beans on it. Well, that always has stuck with me and this year I though, “We haven’t had a cake like that in years!” I Googled ‘Coconut Cakes’ and as I read over all of them….well, this one was the winner and I am so glad it was!! It is the absolute moistest and delicious cake I have ever had!! I took it to my family Easter and took home an empty cake plate!! So…..if anyone is searching for a coconut cake to make….this is the one you want!! Thanks for sharing the recipe…
@Sandy- Wow, what a nice comment!!!! I am so glad that you liked the cake. I love the idea of using the green-colored coconut and jellybeans to make it Easter-y. We will have to do that next year! Thanks for the suggestion!
I made this the other night for a church function. I hand’nt tried it yet, so I was a little worried how it would taste (the batter was to die for!). All I can say is days later people are still coming up to me telling me how YUMMY it was. Thanks
found your recipe while searching for coconut cream cheese frosting; I used the Duncan Hines Coconut Supreme Cake mix and used your frosting recipe….it was great!!!! I didn’t have the coconut extract so I used 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 almond extract and it worked out just fine. I only wish I had found this recipe before I bought the cake mix. Next time I will try the whole thing!!!