About This Easy Coconut Cake Recipe
This easy coconut cake comes together in just 5 minutes, using two bowls and a whisk. That’s right! You don’t need a stand mixer to make the cake batter (although you will need one for the frosting). The cake is made in an 8-inch square pan and contains shredded coconut AND coconut milk to make it extra flavorful. The cake is then topped filled with lemon curd and topped with a silky, creamy American coconut buttercream frosting.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make this coconut cake, let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:
Common Ingredient Sources and Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour. Substitute the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1-1 Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (I like the ones by Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Baking Company) to make the cake gluten-free!
- Kosher Salt. Kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes—learn more in this post! Replace the ½ teaspoon kosher salt in the recipe with ¼ teaspoon of table salt.
- Coconut Oil. Either virgin or refined coconut oil will work in the cake recipe—however, virgin coconut oil will make it taste more coconutty!
- Lemon Curd. Substitute the lemon curd with any jam of your choice. Other flavors that would work well in this cake: strawberry, raspberry, and apricot.
Best Recipe Tips
Equipment Tip
- To fill my cake with lemon curd, I used this fancy pastry tip that’s specifically used for filling donuts. If you have one on hand, I recommend it! Otherwise, no worries—a regular round tip will do.
Ingredient Tip
- Make sure to shake the canned coconut milk thoroughly before opening and measuring it out for the recipe!
Foolproof Techniques
- When prepping ingredients for the cake batter, I like to melt the coconut oil first. Doing so gives it time to cool slightly before using in the recipe.
- When making the frosting, I give you a range of coconut milk to use. Why? Because the texture of your frosting is affected by weather, how long you’ve had the confectioners’ sugar, and more. So start by adding 1 Tablespoon of coconut milk. If the frosting still seems too dry/stiff/hard, add another teaspoon. Just don’t add more than 2 Tablespoons of coconut milk total because the frosting might start to split!
Customizing The Recipe
Here are the different ways you can customize this coconut cake with different flavors and techniques:
- Use toasted coconut and different flavored curds, jams, and jellies. Customize its flavors by using toasted coconut instead of regular coconut, and different flavored fruit curds and jams and jellies for the lemon curd. And of course, you can always use homemade versions of curd and jam!
- Make it extra zesty. If you want to make the cake extra citrusy, you can zest one lemon or lime over the sugar. Use your hands to rub the zest into the sugar—this will help release oils from the zest, making the sugar extra flavorful! Use the zested sugar in the recipe as instructed.
- Use different pan sizes:
- You can bake the cake as is in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan instead. Bake Time will increase to 45 to 50 minutes. You probably won’t need as much frosting if you go the loaf cake route. I would halve the frosting recipe, or even make a coconut glaze instead by whisking together 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 to 2 Tablespoons of coconut milk!
- You can double the recipe and bake the batter in two 8- OR 9-inch round cake pan to make a simple layer cake. Bake Time shouldn’t change that much, but I would test for doneness a few minutes earlier at 28 minutes instead of 30. A instead of poking holes in the cake and filling them with the curd, you can use it as a filling between the two layers! You’ll need more lemon curd though. Depending on how zesty you like your cake, I’d estimate needing ¼ cup to ⅓ cup of lemon curd.
- You can bake the cake as is in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan instead. Bake Time will increase to 45 to 50 minutes. You probably won’t need as much frosting if you go the loaf cake route. I would halve the frosting recipe, or even make a coconut glaze instead by whisking together 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 to 2 Tablespoons of coconut milk!
Get the Recipe: Easy Coconut Cake Recipe
This easy coconut cake recipe has coconut in the batter and frosting. It comes together in just 5 minutes with just a bowl and a whisk.
Ingredients
For The Cake Batter
- 1 ¼ cups (5.65 ounces or 160 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (1.15 ounces or 33 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (5.25 ounces or 149 grams) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) canned coconut milk
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 Tablespoons lemon curd
For The Coconut Frosting
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces or 170 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted if necessary
- 4 Tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons canned coconut milk
- unsweetened shredded coconut, for garnish
Equipment
- a piping bag with a tip
Instructions
- First, make the coconut cake by prepping your oven and cake pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Spray the parchment, too.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk the eggs, then add the sugar, coconut milk, and coconut oil. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Whisk in the sugar until thick and homogenous, then whisk in the coconut milk and coconut oil until combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients all at once, and mix with a rubber spatula until combined.
- Assemble the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth its top if necessary.
- Bake the cake. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. When done, the top of the cake should bounce back when gently pressed and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely in the pans on a wire rack before frosting.
- Fill the cake. Once the cake is cool, Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan and use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the cake out of the pan and onto a cutting board or wire rack.Use a wooden skewer or a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.Fill the pastry bag with the lemon curd. Pipe lemon curd into the holes of the cake, using an offset spatula to smooth out any extra curd over the top of the cake.
- Make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, and salt for the frosting. Beat on medium-low until soft and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.With the mixer on low, add 1 Tablespoon of the coconut milk for the frosting. Beat until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on medium-high until the frosting is creamy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Frost and decorate the coconut cake. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the cake with the frosting completely. Garnish with extra unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Serve and store. Serve at room temperature. The cake will keep in an airtight container for 1 day. After that, transfer to the refrigerator and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment and rating for the recipe using the form below!
Your ratings make it easier to find the recipe online, and I’m always looking for ways to improve Hummingbird High.
get new recipes via email:
buy the book
Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
thank you, coconut cake is a nice alternative for me, and easy is nice too! Great topping too
What is the purple flower you have on your cake?
Lilacs! They’re edible but mostly taste like salad if I’m being honest.
I have not made this yet, but will. Looks great.
Check your instructions. First one says:
“First, make the chocolate cake by prepping your oven and cake pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.”
Pretty sure you mean coconut.
Oops fixed the typo—thanks for the head’s up!
This is a really good coconut cake. I appreciate that it is not overly sweet. Icing to cake proportions were spot on. I added 1/2 tsp of coconut extract to the buttercream frosting for added coconut flavor and it was delicious. Cake is very moist and the texture from the added unsweetened coconut is really nice. *Full disclaimer: I did not add the lemon curd but I can see where it would be a lovely addition. All my guests enjoyed this cake and it was gone in a flash.