24 Coconut Cake Recipes

RX_1904_Coconut Cake Recipes Update_Chocolate-Coconut Layer Cake

Coconut is a true Southern ingredient, and one of our favorite flavors in beautifully baked cakes. These delicious recipes make it simple to have a bite of coconut every day. You’ll love the ease of making the Lemon-Coconut Pound Cake Loaf, or the Coconut Sheet Cake. For beautiful coconut cake kitchen creations, bake the Coconut-Almond Cream Cake—it looks as good as it tastes, and the Four-Layer Coconut Cake. If you prefer your coconut as a bite-size delight, whip up a batch of the Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes. They mix two classic Southern tastes into one handheld treat. However you crack it, coconut cake is one of our favorite sweet treats.

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Coconut Chiffon Cake

Recipe: Coconut Chiffon Cake

“If there were ever a cake that could be deemed the most Southern, most classic, and most treasured layer cake of all, the Coconut Chiffon Cake would reign supreme.” Our Test Kitchen Professional Ivy Odom gives this storied cake quite the compliment, but she would never exaggerate—the Coconut Chiffon Cake is legendary in the South. This specific recipe is one of our most popular recipes of all time. Need proof? It’s been published more than 40 times since it was first printed in the December 1968 issue of Southern Living. When we call something “a classic” or “timeless,” we mean it, honey.

Ivy explains that for a standard chiffon cake, you need to make a well in your dry ingredients, add your wet ingredients into the well, and whip the wet ingredients into the dry. With this recipe, our dry ingredients that go in the bowl first are cake flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix the dry ingredients before making your well, and then add the wet ingredients–canola oil, egg yolks (save the whites!), vanilla, and water. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar until fluffy. The eggs are used to create air for the ultimate soft cake texture. Next, fold the egg white mixture into the batter, and you’re ready to pour it into your pans. We used four greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans for this recipe. Bake the cake at 350˚ for 12-14 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Our test kitchen recommends checking for doneness at the minimum bake time, as even one to two minutes of extra baking can result in a dry cake. Once the cakes are done, let them cool on wire racks in the pans for about 10 minutes, remove them from the pans, and then let them cool completely on the wire racks (about 30 minutes).

While the cakes are cooling, it’s time to make the coconut-mascarpone filling, which Ivy says is “reminiscent of a cloud.” In a bowl, whisk whipping cream until fluffy. In a separate bowl, add mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and stir together. Then fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Next, stir in grated coconut to complete the filling. Now that the filling and the cakes are finished, you can get to stacking. After you carefully (carefully!) stack your layers and filling, cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill for 12 hours.

Once the cake is chilled, you're ready for the White Chocolate Buttercream. In a bowl, combine chopped white chocolate and whipping cream, and heat them together until melted, and stir. Let the mixture cool completely (about 20 minutes) In a separate bowl, mix butter and powdered sugar with a hand- or standing-mixer, and then add the white chocolate mixture, vanilla, and more powdered sugar before mixing again until it’s fluffy. Carefully ice the top and sides of the cake, and cover with sweetened flaked coconut. Congratulations—you have now completed a beloved Southern recipe, the beautiful Coconut Chiffon Cake.

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Coconut Cream Cake

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Recipe: Coconut Cream Cake

The nostalgia of coconut cream pie meets the fanfare of a layer cake in one delicious dessert.

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Coconut-Almond Roulade

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Recipe: Coconut-Almond Roulade

If you can't find desiccated coconut, process shredded coconut in a food processor until finely ground.

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Coconut-and-Pecan Strawberry Shortcakes

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Recipe: Coconut-and-Pecan Strawberry Shortcakes

For a creative, updated take on shortcake, we added coconut and pecans to the dough.

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Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Recipe: Pineapple-Coconut Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting

These delectable Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting start with a cake mix and are a favorite dessert for any gathering. Make an impression by making birds' nests with malted milk balls and edible paper as a garnish for these cupcakes.

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Ambrosia Coconut Cake

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Recipe: Ambrosia Coconut Cake

Make the filling and frosting up to 2 days ahead. Then, build the cake, and chill up to 24 hours.

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Lemon-Coconut Pound Cake Loaf

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Recipe: Lemon-Coconut Pound Cake Loaf

Garnish this pound cake with flaked coconut or, for a dressier look, curly shavings of coconut. See the Test Kitchen note below for instructions on making fresh coconut shavings.

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Coconut-Almond Cream Cake

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Recipe: Coconut-Almond Cream Cake

Brooks Hamaker, from New Orleans, makes this cake with the precision of a skilled baker who has made his masterpiece many times. If the tops of the layers are a little rounded, he recommends leveling them with a serrated knife. "This is a tall cake," he says, "and it needs to be level if you want your friends to admire your work before they devour the cake--as they absolutely will."

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Four-Layer Coconut Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Four-Layer Coconut Cake

Coconut shavings can be purchased in the bulk section of your local health food store or dried fruit section in the supermarket.

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Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes

Small bites are big treats! These Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes topped with a sweet Caramel Frosting make for a perfect after-dinner treat.

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Coconut Sheet Cake

Recipe: Coconut Sheet Cake

Coconut cake just got easier. Make a sheet cake instead of a layer cake for a dessert that's as easy as it is delicious. Top with cream cheese icing and a sprinkle of coconut for a cool, delicious dessert.

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Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake

Your guests will never realize this gorgeous and delicious dessert is dairy-and gluten-free, but the ones who usually have to decline dessert based on dietary restrictions will be so grateful.

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Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream

Swap out your usual carrot cake with a lightly spiced, coconut-sweet version this Easter. A sheet cake feeds a crowd and travels better than a layered cake.

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Coconut Pound Cake

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Coconut Pound Cake

Coconut pound cake sounds delicious enough, but this recipe packs two secret Southern ingredients that take this cake over the top—pecans and bourbon.

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Coconut Cake with Rum Filling and Coconut Ermine Frosting

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Coconut Cake with Rum Filling and Coconut Ermine Frosting

This stunning layer cake will be the star of any Southern holiday table, and if you’re a baker who’s never tried ermine frosting, you’ll love its soft, buttercream-like texture.

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Japanese Fruitcake with Lemon-Coconut Frosting

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Japanese Fruitcake with Lemon-Coconut Frosting

This spiced cake is a holiday favorite for many families, and unlike some of the less-than-appetizing fruitcakes that might come to mind, this one only contains raisins—no odd dried fruits.

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Toasted Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Toasted Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

These rich cupcakes are filled with coconut flavor. They’re perfect for feeding a crowd at the potluck but impressive enough for a holiday dinner.

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Coconut Tres Leches Sheet Cake

Alison Miksch

Recipe: Coconut Tres Leches Sheet Cake

The word might make you cringe, but there’s no other way to describe a well-done tres leches cake than moist—and this one has dreamy coconut flavor to go along with that velvety texture.

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Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake

Southern Living

Recipe: Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake

A sweet, tangy orange filling between layers adds so much zest to a traditional Italian cream cake, and it’s perfect for a dressy holiday celebration.

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Tropical Carrot Cake

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Tropical Carrot Cake

This tropical treat combines everything you love about carrot cake and our beloved Hummingbird cake into one decadent dessert that might become a new Easter tradition.

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Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pound Cake

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pound Cake

This dreamy dessert is topped with an easy rum glaze that’s festive for any dinner party or Christmas cocktail.

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Festive Piña Colada Cheesecake