August 5, 2025
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This Southern Coconut Cake is comfortable, fluffy, and filled with coconut taste from high to backside. The layers bake up tender each time, and the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting is clean, wealthy, and simple to work with. It seems to be spectacular however comes along with easy substances and clear steps.
Ingredient Notes + Variations
This coconut cake is constructed on pantry staples, however a number of key substances make it particular. Actual buttermilk, coconut extract, and a combo of butter and oil carry the flavour and texture. Right here’s what to know:
- All-purpose flour – Offers the cake construction with out making it dense. Be sure you measure it accurately (see my professional tip in that step).
- Buttermilk – The acidity retains the cake further tender. Don’t skip it.
- Butter + vegetable oil – Butter provides taste, oil retains it moist.
- Eggs + egg whites – The combo provides richness whereas protecting issues mild.
Make Coconut Cake
Making a layered cake might be tough, but it surely actually doesn’t need to be. Grease and line your pans nicely, comply with the comparatively easy instructions, cool your desserts utterly and also you too may have scrumptious success! For full recipe particulars, together with substances wanted and measurements, see the printable recipe card down beneath.
Step 1: Preheat Oven + Prep Pans
preheat oven to 325° F + line two spherical pans with parchment paper + spray with nonstick spray
Step 2: Combine the Dry Elements
whisk collectively flour, baking powder, baking soda + salt
Professional Tip: Be sure to are measuring your flour accurately utilizing the fluff, spoon, and degree methodology. Fluff the flour within the bag or container with a spoon to loosen it up. Spoon the flour frivolously into your measuring cup—don’t scoop straight from the bag, otherwise you’ll pack it down and find yourself with an excessive amount of. Degree it off with the flat fringe of a knife. Voila! An correct measurement.
Step 3: Mix Buttermilk + Vanilla
add buttermilk to a liquid measuring cup
stir in vanilla extract
Step 4: Cream Butter, Oil + Sugar
mix oil, sugar + butter
beat till mixed
Step 5: Add Eggs
add in eggs + egg whites, one after the other
combine till mild + fluffy
Step 6: Mix Moist and Dry
Professional Tip: Why alternate dry and moist substances on this order? For those who dump all of the liquid in directly, it might probably trigger the batter to separate. And in case you add all of the flour/dry substances directly, it might probably recover from combined, which might make the cake robust. Alternating lets all the things mix extra evenly and gently. The batter can higher soak up flour than liquid, so beginning with flour helps it come collectively easily. Ending with flour helps hold the construction of the batter balanced and steady.
Step 7: Bake
Step 8: Make the Frosting
Step 9: Assemble the Cake
Suggestions for Success
After plenty of trial and error, listed here are my ideas and tips for making one of the best Coconut Cake.
- Use room-temperature butter, cream cheese, and eggs.
- Don’t skip the parchment. It makes eradicating the desserts from the pans method simpler.
- Gentle-colored pans bake extra evenly. Darkish pans = darkish edges.
- Let the cake cool utterly earlier than frosting, or issues get messy.
- Chill the completed cake for 20–half-hour earlier than slicing for the cleanest minimize.
This Southern Coconut Cake brings the comfortable layers and creamy frosting each coconut fan desires about. Make it as soon as and also you’ll be requested to carry it to each occasion ceaselessly.
Southern Coconut Cake
Moist, fluffy, and comfortable, this Southern Coconut Cake recipe has the right quantity of sweetness all topped with coconut cream cheese frosting.
Elements
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup butter very comfortable however not melted (I used salted butter)
- 16 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 kilos powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
Directions
for the cake
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line two 8-9″ spherical baking pans* with parchment paper and spray nicely with nonstick cooking spray. Put aside.
In a big bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt collectively to mix. Put aside.
In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk and vanilla extract collectively. Put aside.
In a separate giant bowl, utilizing an electrical hand mixer or a stand mixer, combine butter, oil, and sugar collectively till mixed.
Combine in eggs and egg whites, one after the other, till the combination turns into very mild and fluffy. This course of ought to take at the very least 3 minutes. Scrape the edges of the bowl and blend once more briefly.
Alternate including in flour combination with buttermilk combination, being certain to start out and finish with flour. Scrape the edges and blend once more to make sure a clean batter. Fold in coconut by hand.
Divide evenly between baking pans and clean the highest. Bake 30-40 minutes within the decrease two thirds of the oven. The cake will likely be executed when a toothpick comes out clear or principally clear with a number of moist crumbs.
Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans earlier than making an attempt to invert on cooling racks. Cool utterly earlier than frosting and adorning.
for the frosting-
In a big mixing bowl, utilizing an electrical hand mixer or stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese along with the paddle attachment till clean. Scrape sides and blend once more.
Add in powdered sugar with vanilla extract and coconut extract and blend very slowly till it begins to return collectively.
As soon as the powdered sugar has labored in, enhance the mixer velocity and whip till utterly clean, about 1 minute.
Scrape the edges and backside of the bowl to make sure a totally clean frosting. Stir once more if wanted.
assembly-
Utilizing a serrated bread knife, slice every utterly cooled cake in half lengthwise to get 4 even layers.
Place one layer down on a cake stand and high with 3/4-1 cup of frosting. Unfold evenly, pushing the frosting out in the direction of the sides.
Proceed stacking the layers of cake with frosting collectively till all 4 layers are stacked up along with frosting in between.
With remaining frosting, full frosting the cake. I like so as to add giant dollops of frosting to the highest and unfold throughout to cowl after which push extra down the edges. It is simpler to drag frosting off with an offset spatula…much less crumbs that method!
As soon as the cake is frosted, utilizing the palms of your palms, coat the cake fully with coconut, about 2 cups.
Refrigerate till able to slice and serve.
Notes
- 1- 9×13 cake (bake for 30-45 minutes)
- 2- 8 or 9-inch spherical desserts (30-40 minutes)
- 24 cupcakes (bake for 18-20 minutes)
Make-Forward + Storage Instructions
To avoid wasting you time and from worrying, I’ve outlined how one can make an ideal Coconut Cake forward of time! As soon as your cake has been baked, cooled and minimize into layers, cowl them tightly with plastic wrap and retailer at room temperature in a single day. Put together the frosting then cowl and retailer within the fridge in a single day as nicely. When you find yourself able to assemble and adorn, set the frosting out at room temperature to melt for about quarter-hour. Give it a fast combine to loosen it up in your mixer for a couple of minute, then frost away! To Freeze: If you wish to make this cake even farther forward of time, take into account freezing it! Frosted or unfrosted cake layers might be frozen as much as 3 months. To thaw, switch from the freezer to the fridge in a single day after which carry to room temperature earlier than adorning or serving.Diet
Energy: 873kcalCarbohydrates: 115gProtein: 7gFats: 44gSaturated Fats: 24gPolyunsaturated Fats: 6gMonounsaturated Fats: 10gTrans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 114mgSodium: 466mgPotassium: 187mgFiber: 2gSugar: 95gVitamin A: 1119IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 1mg
Extra Coconut Desserts
For those who make this recipe, I’d actually recognize it in case you would give it a star score and go away your assessment within the feedback! If in case you have an image of your completed dish, submit it on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
