Moist and Easy Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is for the coconut fanatic! Not too sweet and topped with delicious toasted coconut, this cake is so easy to make and bake!
With SO many coconut cake recipes available online, some that use cake mix as a main ingredient, and others that are made from scratch, it is difficult to know which coconut cake is the best? I’m giving this recipe two thumbs up after months of testing!
I’m not entirely against using cake mix (we love this recipe for Nan’s Coconut Cake), but I wanted to create a completely homemade, easy to make version of one of my favorite cakes.
This recipe has been tasted and tested and tested again. Trust me when I say after so many experiments, this is the best Coconut Cake recipe ever! If you have ever eaten at Plates and Palates in Bountiful, Utah; they serve a delicious house-made coconut cake which is very similar to this cake.
The quest for the best coconut cake started when missionaries asked me for a coconut cake recipe that works in Spain, in our mostly humid and sea level environment. I also had my trusted and experienced assistants at home, Kathleen and Megan, make this several times to make sure it works in a dry, high altitude location!
There are a few key elements I look for in a coconut cake. First, it has to be moist. Flavor is also key. Using toasted coconut as a topping and coconut extract (or vanilla if you don’t have coconut extract) make such a difference in this recipe! Coconut Cake should be nice and fluffy, so when you take a bite it’s melt-in-your-mouth worthy.
Let’s talk frosting. So many people buy frosting in a can. Homemade frosting is so easy and makes all the difference! I use cream cheese frosting for this recipe and it is the perfect pairing. I think the frosting amount is just enough to cover the cake with a generous layer that is not out of proportion to the cake layer!
The coconut cake itself is not too sweet and a layer of cream cheese frosting compliments the texture and coconut flavor in the cake. If you’re not a fan of cream cheese frosting (or you don’t want to refrigerate leftovers), you can use this Buttercream Frosting recipe.
Finally, the toasted coconut on top takes this cake to the next level. Don’t skip this step! It takes this cake from amazing to AMAZING in one easy show stopping topper.
This easy moist coconut cake can be made and served the same day, but I think it is almost better the second day! Which means it is the perfect make-ahead dessert. This cake tastes better the second day because the flavors are allowed to develop. I promise it gets better with time! That said, I have no problem eating up every crumb the same day it is baked.
I love the simplicity of a 9×13 cake because it is perfect for a family dinner or you can bake it in two 9 inch round pans for a special occasion. We also love this cake baked as a bundt! This bundt coconut cake is decorated similar to cakes purchased a popular bundt cake store, but we know homemade is always best. To decorate the bundt, follow the directions in the recipe notes. You will need a pastry bag and a large round tip.
All baking instructions are included in the recipe no matter if you choose to bake our Coconut Cake in a 9×13, 2-9 inch rounds, or a bundt pan!
How to Make Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Mix in eggs.
- Add yogurt.
- Add all dry ingredients.
- Pour into greased pan and bake.
- Make frosting by mixing all ingredients together.
- Frost cake when cool, top with additional coconut.
Easy Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour* (270 grams), see recipe notes for humid conditions
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder(6 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (6 grams)*, *baking soda weighs a bit more than baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (2.7 grams)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
- 3 eggs plus one white, room temperature* see notes for humid conditions
- 1 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract (4.66 grams)
- 1 cup unsweetened plain Greek yogurt (227 grams)
- 1 cup sweetened coconut for cake batter (85 grams), I use Baker's sweetened coconut *see recipe notes
- 1 1/2 cups coconut for sprinkling on top of frosted cake if desired. I preferred: 1 ½ cups large natural coconut shavings, toasted (127.5 grams)
frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese full fat (113 grams) not reduced calorie or light, room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 grams), room temperrature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (4.66 grams)
- pinch sea salt
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (397.25 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
- Grease and flour a 9×13 pan, a bundt pan, or two-9 inch round cake pans or line with parchment paper.
- Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
- Crack 3 eggs plus one white into a bowl, discard extra egg yolk. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar with a mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the room-temperature eggs, and additional egg white one at a time, allowing each egg yolk to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Mix in extract.
- Spoon in the unsweetened Greek yogurt, mixing until just incorporated.
- Add all dry ingredients to bowl including 1 cup of sweetened coconut, mixing just enough to evenly combine.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan(s).
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)35 minutes for a 9×13 pan, about 40-45 for a bundt pan, and approx 18-22 mintues for 9-inch round cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached or the top springs back when touched lightly. Let cool completely before frosting.
Toasting coconut:
- Place the coconut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees until golden. Let cool and place on top of cake immediatley after frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add salt and powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth. Beat for about 1 minute until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Use a spoon to mix frosting after beaten to remove any air bubbles before frosting cake. Folding a few times should remove air bubbles!
Notes
- In humid environments (above 50% humidity) add 2 tablespoons flour and omit the extra egg white.
- In Spain, I follow the high humidity instructions. I use 1 cup “Reposteria” flour in this recipe, and 1 1/4 cups Harina De Trigo (self rising flour) in Spain. You may use all Harina de Trigo as well.
- In the US, use 1 cup of traditional sweetened coconut (such as Baker’s or a store brand). In Spain, they do not sell this type of coconut, so I use a dry coconut that is called “Coco Relado” which has the consistency of crumbs.
- For the coconut on top of the cake, I like to use a natural larger flake coconut. This is found most often in the natural food section of the grocery store, or sometimes in the bulk food section. Trader Joe’s also carries large flake unsweetened coconut. If you don’t want to purchase an additional coconut for topping the cake use the same type used in the batter, toasted or right out of the bag. I do not recommend the larger natural flake coconut for the cake batter. It is too dry for the cake.
- Unsweetened coconut is not recommended for the cake batter. It tends to dry out when baked.
- To frost the bundt as photographed, place the frosting in a pastry bag with a large round tip. Start in the center of the cake and pipe strips of frosting toward the outside of the bundt. Top with coconut immediately after frosting cake.
- This frosting contains cream cheese and should be refrigerated if storing overnight.
- When toasting the coconut, watch carefully, the coconut will toast in a few minutes and goes from golden to dark brown quickly!
Equipment
- GENEROUSLY grease and flour a 9×13, two 9" round pans or one bundt pan.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!
Jana
Wanting to make this cake as a bundt and wondering if you could share what size bundt pan (cup capacity) you use?
Janet dokmo
This cake is by far one of my favorites I have made of yours (which is saying something cause I have baked a lot of your recipes) Mostly because of the memories that go along with this cake. My father loves coconut so I remember when I first made this cake – he LOVED IT. Now every father’s day this is the cake I make. If anyone has a coconut lover in their life I recommend this recipe!
Lori Vellinga
I’m looking forward to serving this delicious looking cake. The frosting ingredient list says, “1/4 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (113 g)”, but 113 g is 1/2 C butter. Is the correct measurement 1/4 C or 113 g (1/2 C)?
Si Foster
Hey Lori, It is supposed to be half a cup of butter. Thanks for catching that and for reading ABK!
XO
Si
Kelley Fountain
Easy and delicious! Made this in a bundt pan and the first slices while the cake was still a little warm were fantastic. Shared some with my neighbor and they said it was the best cake ever! We found the cake to be a little dry on day 2. Next time I will make it in a 13 x 9 inch pan for better cake to frosting ratios and cooke it a little less time. Si’s recipes are the best!
Si Foster
Hi Kelley,
Love that you were able to share this with your neighbor! And best cake ever! Thanks for your review and for cooking with our recipes!
xo
Si
Rachel
This was amazing!! I made it for Mother’s day. I did sub gluten free flour 1:1 blend and it turned out SO well! So glad I tried it- just made sure to weigh out all the ingredients to ensure I had the right amount!
Si Foster
Hi Rachel!
Great to know that this cake also works well with Gluten Free flour! Thank you for sharing with us. I’m glad you loved this cake – I think it’s perfect for a Mother’s Day celebration! Thank you for reading ABK.
xo,
Si
Rachel
I followed the recipe exactly. The cake tasted delicious but I’m sorry to say that it turned out quite dry.
Si Foster
Rachel,
I’m glad you liked the flavor, but sorry the cake was dry. I’m wondering if your oven cooks a little faster. Could it have been over baked? In the future, watch the cake carefully the last 15 minutes of cooking. You should be able to insert a toothpick in the center and have it come out mostly clean. It should also spring back slightly to the touch. Also, we noticed a huge difference using sweetened coconut in the batter as opposed to unsweetened. Sweetened coconut caused the cake to be more moist.
Thanks for your input!
xo,
Si
Rebecca Harris
This cake is easy to make, delicious to eat. My husband says it’s his favorite. I toasted the coconut, which was a fun first. I appreciate Si’s tips, as always.
Si Foster
Hi Rebecca,
I’m glad you and your husband love this new recipe! It’s been tested and tasted again and again. Thanks for making it and approving and thank you for reading ABK.
xo,
Si
Merdith
Do you have a German Chocolate cake recipe that can be made in a 9×13 pan?
Thanks!
Si Foster
Hi Merdith,
I have not tried it, but I believe both of the German Chocolate cake recipes on ABK can be made in a 9×13. Search “German Chocolate”.
I have tried the German Chocolate bundt Cake in a Jelly Roll pan. it works well, except, I make 1 1/2 times the filling layer so it covers the whole cake evenly! Hope this helps,
xo
Si
Ashley
I can’t wait to make this! For the big coconut flakes, can I buy some that are already toasted? Or should I use smaller flakes and toast them myself. I can’t find any big ones that aren’t toasted yet! Thank you!
Si Foster
Hi Ashley,
If you have not tried already, look in the bulk food section of the grocery stores, or the natural food section? I know Trader Joes also carries the larger flake, not toasted. But if you can find already toasted that is fine as well! Hope this helps. Make sure to share and tag us on Instagram if you make this!
xo
Si