We may earn a commission when you click on the affiliate links in this post.
This Coconut Cream Cake is ultra-moist, packed with coconut flavor, and topped with a decadent coconut cream cheese frosting. A must-try for coconut lovers!
Table of Contents
A Cake for Every Celebration
This Coconut Cream Cake is one of the best layer cakes I have ever had. The texture of the cake is so rich and moist, and the frosting is just to die for! Whether you’re making it for a birthday, a wedding, a shower, or just because—you’ll want to keep this recipe on hand for any special occasion. I’ve even made it for Easter (decorated like a bunny!) and for Hawaiian-themed parties. No matter the occasion, this cake is a showstopper!
Ingredients in Coconut Cream Cake
For the Cake:
- Unsalted Butter – Adds richness and keeps the cake tender.
- Sugar – For sweetness.
- Cream of Coconut – This is key! It’s not the same as coconut milk. Find it in the drink mixers aisle.
- Eggs – Provides structure and moisture.
- All-Purpose Flour – Gives the cake its texture.
- Baking Soda – Helps the cake rise.
- Salt – Enhances all the flavors.
- Buttermilk – Adds moisture to the cake.
- Coconut Extract – Coconut extract is best, but vanilla extract will work in a pinch.
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
A lot of coconut cakes use a buttercream frosting, but this coconut cream cheese frosting really takes this cake to the next level!
- Butter – Softened to mix smoothly.
- Cream Cheese – Adds a smooth texture and a tangy, rich flavor.
- Coconut Extract – Enhances the coconut flavor.
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Milk – Helps achieve the proper consistency.
- Toasted Coconut Flakes – For the perfect finishing touch!
Supplies You’ll Need for Layer Cake
- 9-inch round cake pans – To split the cake batter into layers.
- Stand mixer or electric mixer – With a paddle attachment.
- Large mixing bowl – To combine the ingredients.
- Wire rack – Helps the cake cool to room temperature before frosting.
Step by Step Instructions
- Separate the eggs. Set the egg whites aside in a clean bowl for later. Beat the egg yolks together with the remaining wet ingredients until light and fluffy.
- Prepare the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture. Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and stir well. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and coconut extract and set aside.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Fold in the egg whites. Beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until no white streaks remain.
- Prepare the pans and bake. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom and sides, then spray with baking spray. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for about 90 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick starting at the 60-minute mark and every 5-10 minutes after until it comes out clean.
- Soak with coconut cream. While the cakes are still warm, transfer them to a cooling rack and use a skewer or fork to poke a few holes in the top of each layer, being careful not to poke all the way through. Drizzle ½ cup of coconut cream evenly over each layer to keep the cake extra moist.
- Cool and freeze overnight. Allow the cakes to cool completely. Once cooled, wrap each layer gently in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer to freeze overnight.
- Frost the cake. The next day, remove the cake layers from the freezer and frost immediately – this prevents crumbling and makes the cake much easier to work with. Spread a generous layer of frosting between the two cake layers, then frost the top and sides of the assembled cake.
- Top with toasted coconut. Sprinkle the frosted cake generously with toasted coconut, pressing lightly so it adheres to the sides and top.
- Thaw before serving. Allow the finished cake to thaw at room temperature for about an hour before slicing and serving.
Tips for Making the Best Coconut Cream Cake
This is one of our more advanced cake recipes, but trust me—it’s SO worth it! Just follow these tips to get the best results:
Make it a day ahead! This cake needs to freeze overnight before frosting. It helps lock in moisture and prevents the cake from crumbling. This step is key if you want to keep your cake looking pretty.
Grease & Flour Properly. Some readers have had trouble with sticking, so I recommend greasing the pan, lining it with parchment paper, greasing again, and then lightly flouring it.
Avoid Overflowing. If your batter fills the pans more than ¾ full, consider using a third pan or reserving some of the batter to make coconut cupcakes.
Alternative Baking Options. Some readers have made this in a 9×13 pan instead of layers, and others have turned it into cupcakes with great success. Just be sure to adjust baking times accordingly and do the toothpick test to check for doneness.
Questions About Coconut Cream Cake
What does coconut cream do in baking?
Coconut cream adds a rich, creamy texture and enhances the coconut flavor in the cake.
Does coconut cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Store leftover cake in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.
Can I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream to make coconut cream cake?
No, coconut milk won’t give the same creamy texture and richness as coconut cream.
Read Next: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas (with Pictures + Simple Recipes)
More Recipes for Coconut Lovers
If you can’t get enough coconut, check out these other delicious treats:
- Coconut Syrup – Smooth and sweet – serve over pancakes, ice cream, or in drinks.
- Tasty Coconut Cupcakes – Light and fluffy cupcakes with the most amazing coconut frosting!
- Coconut Cream Pie from Scratch – No pudding mix in this delicious coconut cream pie filling.
- Coconut Pecan Cookie Bars – A graham cracker crust topped with coconut, milk chocolate chips, pecans.
- Caribbean Coconut Fudge Bars – A soft oatmeal cookie crust topped with chocolate fudge and a gooey coconut topping.
- Coconut Almond Bread – This is a moist coconut bread with a hint of almond.
How to Make Coconut Cream Cake
Coconut Cream Cake
This Coconut Cake Recipe is layer upon layer of coconut flavor in every bite! Coconut cake, coconut cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with toasted coconut. A coconut lover's dream!
Video
Ingredients
COCONUT CAKE
Wet Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup cream of coconut, (Coco Lopez is the one I used, it can be found by the drink mixers at your grocery store.)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ cup cream of coconut, (for cake topping)
COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 pounds powdered sugar, more if needed
- milk, as needed
- toasted coconut, for topping, see below for recipe
Instructions
For the Cake
- Separate eggs, set whites aside.
- Beat wet ingredients together including egg yolks until fluffy.
- Sift dry ingredients together and stir well. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk and coconut extract. Set aside.
- 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.
- Line two 9-inch pans with baking spray and flour (or what works BEST is lining the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper- cut a circle for the bottom of the pan and a strip for the sides and still spray above and below the paper)
- Bake at 275 degrees for about 90 minutes (this cake comes out much nicer when cooked at a lower temperature). After about 60 minutes, do the "toothpick test", repeating every 5-10 min or so until the toothpick comes out clean.
- After the 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 ½ cup of coconut cream over the top. This keeps the cake extra moist.
- After the cake completely cools, gently cover it with some plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer to freeze overnight.
- The next day, frost immediately after removing from the freezer (see frosting recipe below). This keeps the cake from crumbling while it is being frosted. Put a layer of frosting in-between the two cakes and then continue to frost the remainder of the cake.
- After frosting, sprinkle the cake with toasted coconut (instructions for toasting are below). Allow the cake to thaw for about an hour before serving.
For the Frosting
- 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 ½ bag of sweetened, shredded coconut on a cookie sheet. Spread it out so it makes just a single layer. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes. Some pieces will still be white and soft, some browned slightly with a little crunch.
- Press toasted coconut into the frosting all over the top and sides of the cake.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- 2 9 inch Round Pans
Notes
- This is one of our more advanced recipes on our site but well worth the work! We have made this countless times and it will turn out great as long as you carefully follow the instructions and don’t skip steps.
- This cake requires freezing OVERNIGHT so be sure to make it a DAY AHEAD of when you plan to serve it! This is a very moist cake and the freezing of the cake makes it so it will not crumble when it is frosted then next day. This step is very important if you want to keep your cake looking pretty.
- I have had a few comments with people saying they had issues with sticking, so make sure to grease and flour! I always grease my pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper (so it doesn’t slip) cut a round piece of parchment paper for the bottom and a long strip for the side of the pan. Then grease again over the parchment paper and lightly flour.
- Some people have had issues with the cake overflowing in 2 pans, I’m not sure if this is an elevation issue or an over-beating issue with the batter, but if the batter seems to be filling your pans more than ¾ full, consider using a 3rd pan or reserving some of the batter for some cupcakes.
- One reader mentioned that she just made it in a traditional 9×13 inch pan without doing the layers and it turned out great. Another reader just did cupcakes and said that they turned out really good too! With either of these options you will need to adjust your baking times accordingly and really watch it close by doing toothpick tests. The cupcakes should cook much faster so start checking those sooner.
Nutrition
Calories: 644kcal, Carbohydrates: 101g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 342mg, Potassium: 105mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 85g, Vitamin A: 805IU, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 1.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe?
We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.
Made precisely as written, this cake was very tasty, however it did somewhat overflow my 9″ round cake pans even though I measured carefully and am at a normal elevation. I found the icing recipe a bit scant for the layer cake version and would do 1.5x the recipe next time. Overall the recipe is fairly complex and time consuming, taking at least two days, a stand mixer, a hand mixer, 6 bowls, a cookie sheet, the two cake pans, a lot of spare room in the freezer, etc. … but the end result is very tasty. Will try again as a 9×13 instead of layers. Don’t skip the soaking of coco lopez on the finished cake, I think that is what makes this cake really stand out. Thank you for a very good recipe!
Great recipe! Can I use for cupcakes? Time and temperature?
Sure. Same temp… But check after 25 min or so and keep checking every 5 min doing the toothpick test
It says 2,5 flour……cups?
Yes, 2 1/2 cups flour. Thanks for catching that! I just fixed it.
What kind of flour do you use for this? Cake flour? Just want to make sure I get it right. Thanks!
Nope! Just regular ole white flour!
I would like to make this cake today but I don’t have any coconut flavoring. Have you ever made this with out it? Can I subsitute anything and still get a great flavor?
I have never used anything but coconut flavoring. The coconut flavoring is probably the best to use. You can try a different flavor but I can’t promise it will taste as good!
Is the buttermilk a necessity? or can you replace it with something else? or just do the regular milk with some lemon juice for a minute or two?
Thanks
I have always used buttermilk.. any substitutions aren’t guaranteed to turn out EXACTLY the same as the original recipe but you can sure try it!
thank you so much! i am looking forward to making this cake!
Yeah, that’s right!
so the strip of parchment, not the circle is for the sides?
I am a little confused with the parchment paper direction. would you mind telling me a step by step on how to line the pan with parchment paper? what i am thinking of is seems very tricky, but i would like to know how you did it!
Cut a circle in the parchment the same size as the bottom of your cake pan.. then make a strip out of the parchment to wrap around the inside. That’s it! Really easy!
I made this cake this weekend for my daughter’s birthday–it was AWESOME! I used parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and sprayed the sides –no problems. The worst thing about this cake is that it is sooooo good!
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!!!
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
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!
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…
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.
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!
@ 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!
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!
Mine is overflowing as I write this 🙁 :(. I used 9 inch pans too! Hoping I can salvage something since its for a birthday today. I’m so sad.
We are so sorry for the confusion in this recipe. We have updated it so that only 1/2 cup of coconut milk goes into the cake mix and 1/2 cup is drizzled over the top. This should stop it from running over.
Mine also ran over my 9″ cake pans. Fortunately I put a cookie sheet on the rack below the cake and it caught most of the overflow. Next time I will try 3 nine inch pans and just have thinner layers. Also the cook time took one hour and 45 minutes. Still can’t wait to try it.
We are so sorry for the confusion in this recipe. We have updated it so that only 1/2 cup of coconut milk goes into the cake mix and 1/2 cup is drizzled over the top. This should stop it from running over. Thanks for being willing to try it again! It really is a great cake.
I’m going to make this cake tomorrow… The recipe
Still says 1C coconut cream in the cake mix… Is this correct? If I only ad 1/2 should the recipe be altered in any other way?
People have been having issues with the cake overflowing so to solve that we said 1/2 c. in the cake, 1/2 c. over the top. When you buy the can of cream of coconut there will usually be more than a cups worth in it so you would use 1 cup of the cream of coconut in the cake itself and whatever is leftover from the can you would put over the top. Hope this helps!
I made this. It was pretty much fantabulous. 🙂