Hey foodie friend! I’m so excited you’ve stumbled across my coconut cake recipe because it’s the best you’ll ever try! This cake checks all the boxes including flavor, texture, and beauty! It’s a moist and fluffy cake topped with a smooth coconut cream cheese frosting and sweetened shredded coconut. You can expect to be blown away by how easy it is to make the fluffiest coconut cake!
Ingredients to make the fluffiest coconut cake
What makes this recipe better than the rest
Great Question! When I developed this recipe, my main focus was how to make the cake fluffy. I’ve had coconut cakes in the past that were flavorful, but lacked that fluffy, tender crumb you look for in any cake. While crafting this recipe, I found that coconut milk, while it’s common to use in a coconut cake, just doesn’t have enough fat to make the cake moist. I swapped it for a whole milk and it resulted in a moist, fluffy cake! But after all, this is a coconut cake so I added coconut extract to achieve the flavor. So, the only coconut milk you will find in this recipe is actually in the frosting.
Making the coconut cream cheese frosting
When I imagine a bite of fresh coconut cake, I imagine a fluffy and creamy cake that’s delicately sweetened. Typically, cream cheese frosting is made with powdered sugar, but I wanted it to be smooth and light so I used granulated sugar. When blended into cream cheese, granulated sugar evenly dissolves creating more of a sweetened cream cheese effect rather than a heavy frosting. To help the sugar fully dissolve, I pulse it in my food processor for 10 seconds to make the granules smaller before adding it to the cream cheese. This is one of my secret methods for making irresistible cream cheese frosting but I’m happy to share it with you!
My tips for making the fluffiest coconut cake
- Only use cake flour for this recipe. Cake flour has a lower protein and gluten content than all purpose flour, making it perfect for baking a fluffy cake!
- When making the frosting, the most important step is to ensure that your butter and cream cheese are softened. If they are still cold and hard, they will not mix together properly, and your frosting will have clumps.
- Also when making the frosting, be sure to pulse the sugar for about 10 seconds before adding it to the mixture. (Click on the video tutorial below for full details!)
- Measure your flour correctly. Never dig your measuring cup into the flour. Instead use a scooper to add the flour into the measuring cup then scrape off the excess. For the best accuracy, you can also use a food scale.
FAQs
1. For the cake, can I use coconut milk, then add sour cream or another dairy product instead of using whole milk?
- Great question! The short answer is, no. I’ve tried to use coconut milk and other dairy products like sour cream and Greek yogurt, but it was doing too much chile! The cake had a weird texture and using whole milk is simple but it works!
2. Can this recipe be used to make cupcakes or a sheet cake?
- Absolutely! This recipe will yield 24 cupcakes, using 3 tablespoons of batter per cupcake and bake for about 15 minutes. You can also make a quarter sheet cake (19 x 13 inches) with this recipe.
3. How do I store the fluffiest coconut cake?
- Since it’s dairy, it must be kept cold. The cake can be sliced individually or left whole then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days or for longer storage, place in an airtight container then pop it into the freezer after covering with plastic wrap. This cake will stay moist and flavorful for up to two months. To enjoy a slice from the freezer, simply remove it from the container, unwrap it, then place it on a plate. Allow it to come to room temperature then enjoy!
This recipe WORKS and here’s why:
Did I mention how easy this cake is to make? Unlike most cake recipes, you can just throw everything together without spending time creaming together the butter and sugar, for example. It’s a quick recipe with ingredients and instructions so easy, anyone can make it! You don’t have to be a “baker” to make this delicious cake. I love sharing recipes like this for everyday people who enjoy desserts but hate baking and also for those who love to bake and want to sharpen their skills! CAKING doesn’t have to be hard and my simple recipe makes it easy!
Discover more easy baking recipes
The Fluffiest Coconut Cake (with video!)
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Moderate12
servings30
minutes30
minutesThis cake checks all the boxes including flavor, texture, and beauty! It’s a moist and fluffy cake topped with a smooth coconut cream cheese frosting and sweetened shredded coconut. You can expect to be blown away by how easy it is to make the fluffiest coconut cake!
Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 box (1.7 oz) white chocolate instant pudding mix
2 eggs, room temperature
1 stick salted butter, melted
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- Coconut cream cheese frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) salted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
Directions
- First, preheat your oven to 325°F.
- To a large bowl add cake flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and instant pudding mix. Stir to combine.
- Whisk two eggs together in a separate bowl then pour in butter, oil, milk, and extracts. Gently stir to combine.
- Next, pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a whisk to slowly mix everything together.
- Scrape down the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are evenly mixed then continue whisking until batter is smooth.
- Grease two 8 inch round baking pans then evenly distribute the batter into each pan.
- Gently tap the bottom of each pan to remove any air bubbles.
- Place the cakes into the oven for 30 minutes, then get started on the frosting.
- Start by mixing together softened cream cheese and butter on high-speed until smooth and free of clumps.
- To a food processor or blender add the granulated sugar and pulse for 10 seconds. The sugar granules should be big enough to feel between your fingertips but small enough to easily blend into the cream cheese. This is not powdered sugar.
- Next, add the sugar to the cream cheese mixture on low speed and once combined, continue mixing on high speed.
- Scrape down the bowl then add coconut milk and extracts. Mix on low speed to incorporate then switch to high speed until fluffy, about 60 seconds.
- Once cakes are done baking, allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- Finally, assemble the cakes with coconut cream cheese frosting then cover the outside with shredded coconut.
- Place coconut cake in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving to give the frosting time to set up. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Leave me a comment if you give this recipe a go! 😊
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