closeup photo of coconut bundt cake sliced on a wire rack

About The Tom Cruise Coconut Bundt Cake

Every holiday season, actor Tom Cruise sends his friends and favorite coworkers from the year the “famous Tom Cruise coconut cake.” The cake is a white chocolate coconut bundt cake from Doan’s Bakery in Los Angeles, CA. This homemade white chocolate coconut bundt cake recipe is inspired by the famous Tom Cruise coconut cake!

The bundt cake is moist and tangy because of sour cream in the batter. It’s studded with white chocolate and flavored with both coconut and vanilla, and frosted with a creamy cream cheese frosting and covered with lightly toasted coconut flakes.

For more fun and unique bundt cake recipes, check out Hummingbird High‘s bundt cake recipe collection!

photo of coconut bundt cake on a gold wire rack

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make the famous Tom Cruise coconut cake, let’s talk about some key ingredients:

Sources, Recommendations, and Substitutions

  • Nonstick Baking Spray: I like Bak-Klene ZT All Purpose Release Spray. Avoid using a baking spray made with butter, coconut oil, or shortening. While recipe testing, I found that these sprays don’t release bundt cakes as easily!

  • Kosher Salt: I know from years of recipe testing that kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes. But you can replace the kosher salt in the recipe with table salt. Just use half the amount listed in the recipe when you do!

  • Coconut Extract: I used McCormick Coconut Extract that I found at my local grocery store. If you want to buy something online, I’ve used LorAnn Coconut Bakery Emulsion and Watson Coconut Extract for past recipes and liked the results! If you don’t want to source coconut extract, you can skip it completely or replace it with pure vanilla extract. Your cake will taste less coconutty though.

  • Shredded Coconut: I found in recipe testing that both sweetened or unsweetened shredded works in this recipe. Use unsweetened coconut if you prefer a less sweet dessert.

  • White Chocolate: For this recipe, I recommend using chopped white chocolate from a baking bar like Ghirardelli Classic White Baking Bar. I don’t recommend using white chocolate chips—they tend to melt into the pan, making it hard to turn out the bundt cake!
2 cans of Bak-Klene ZT All Purpose Release Spray

Bak-Klene ZT All Purpose Release Spray

Bak-Klene ZT All Purpose Release Spray has flour mixed into the fat/oil of the spray. The flour helps prevents baked goods from sticking in detailed bundt pans. I recommend it for all my bundt cake recipes!
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photo of three slices of coconut bundt cake on patterned plates

Key Steps In The Recipe (With Photos!)

photo showing the unbaked coconut tom cruise coconut cake batter in a silver mixing bowl
Here’s a photo of the cake batter—it should be thick and airy, with a texture similar to sour cream.
photo showing the coconut cake batter after being poured into the prepared bundt pan
After making the cake batter, the recipe instructs you to spray the cake pan and immediately pour the cake batter into it.
photo showing the baked coconut bundt cake still in the cake pan before being turned out
Here’s what the cake looks like after being baked—don’t be afraid of a toasted, golden color! The cake will still be moist.
photo showing the first step in turning the cake out of the bundt pan
After pulling the cake out the oven, wait 10 minutes, then turn it out of its pan. Place a serving plate or second wire rack over the bundt cake.
photo showing the second step of turning the cake out of its bundt pan
Working quickly, turn the entire thing (both racks and the cake pan) upside down.
photo showing the coconut bundt cake out of the pan on a wire rack
The cake should turn out of the pan easily. Carefully lift both the pan and wire rack off the cake. Be careful! Everything will be hot.
photo showing the toasted shredded coconut flakes
As the cake cools, toast the shredded coconut. Don’t overtoast it—it should still be pale and light in color (like in this picture).
photo showing the texture of the cream cheese frosting for the coconut bundt cake
When everything is cool, make the cream cheese frosting. It should have a light, creamy, and silky texture.
photo of michelle from hummingbird high frosting the coconut bundt cake
Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting all over the tops and sides of the bundt cake. Don’t forget to do the sides of the bundt cake’s hole, too!
photo of the coconut bundt cake fully frosted before topped with toasted coconut
Here’s what the bundt cake looks like after being frosted—don’t worry if it doesn’t look ‘pretty’, or if there are some ridges showing. You’ll cover everything with the shredded coconut!
photo of the frosted bundt cake being covered with toasted shredded coconut
Once you’ve frosted the cake, cover the top and sides of the cake completely with shredded coconut. Gently press the coconut into the frosting to get it to adhere.

How To Store Tom Cruise Coconut Cake

Store the bundt cake, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 3 days at room temperature. After that, tightly wrap any leftover slices in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.

How To Freeze This Cake Properly

Yes, with reservations. You can freeze the cake after it’s been baked, but before glazing it. Tightly wrap the entire cake in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature before glazing and serving.

Tips To Know For This Recipe

  • The most time consuming part about ingredient prep is chopping the white chocolate. You need to finely chop the chocolate into small ⅛- and ¼-inch pieces. Any larger, and you’ll risk the chocolate sinking to the bottom of the cake while baking and sticking to the pan!

  • Speaking of which, most cake recipes instruct you to prep their baking pans first. However, it’s better to grease a bundt pan right before filling with batter. That’s because bundt pans require a LOT more grease than traditional cake pans. And all that grease has a tendency to slide down the sides of the pan and pool at the bottom. But by greasing the bundt pan immediately before filling it, you avoid that issue entirely!

  • Make sure to turn cake out while it’s still warm. Several legit sources recommend cooling the your bundt cake for only 10 minutes before turning it out. And it’s true—a warm cake is easier to turn out than one that’s cooled completely.
closeup photo of coconut bundt cake sliced on a wire rack
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Get the Recipe: Tom Cruise Coconut Bundt Cake (Copycat Doan’s Bakery Recipe)

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Bake Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total: 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 1 (10-inch) bundt cake
Author: Michelle Lopez
This is the famous Tom Cruise coconut bundt cake that he gifts every holiday season! The bundt cake is made with a moist sour cream cake base studded with white chocolate and topped with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut.
(4.88 stars) 8 reviews
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Ingredients

For The White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

  • 3 cups (13.5 ounces or 383 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons coconut extract
  • 3 cups (21 ounces or 595 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 8 ounces (227 grams) white chocolate, finely chopped into ⅛- and ¼-inch pieces

For The Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 ½ cups (4.30 ounces or 122 grams) shredded coconut
  • 1 (8-ounce) box cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (1 stick or 4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (8 ounces or 227 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted if necessary
  • pinch kosher salt

Equipment

  • nonstick baking spray
  • 12-cup capacity bundt pan

Instructions
 

  • First, make the coconut bundt cake. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • Mix the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
    In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and the coconut and vanilla extracts.
  • Cream the sugar and butter, then add the eggs. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 3 to 4 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. 
    Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one has been fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
  • Add the dry and wet ingredients, then the white chocolate. With the mixer still on low, add the the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in two parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds. 
    Add the white chocolate and distributed evenly throughout the batter, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Prep and fill the bundt pan. Generously spray a 12-cup capacity bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Set the filled bundt pan on the sheet pan.
  • Bake the bundt cake. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  • Cool the bundt cake. After 10 minutes, place a serving plate or second wire rack over the bundt cake and flip the cake to turn it out of its pan. Cool completely before frosting.
  • Toast the shredded coconut. Spread the shredded coconut in a large nonstick frying pan over low heat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, using a spatula to toss the flakes occasionally, until fragrant but still pale. Remove from heat and scrape the coconut flakes onto a plate to stop them from cooking further.
  • Make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, and extracts. Beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, until very soft and creamy.
    Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and salt and beat until just combined.
    Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula once more. Then, beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, until completely smooth.
  • Frost and decorate the bundt cake. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the cake with the frosting completely. Garnish with the shredded coconut, pressing the coconut gently into the frosting to adhere.
  • Serve and store. Serve at room temperature. The assembled bundt cake can be stored at room temperature, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 3 days. Press a sheet of plastic wrap against any cut surfaces to prevent the cake from drying out.
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!
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