10 Coconut Cake Recipes

By Southern Living

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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The Coconut Chiffon Cake

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: The Coconut Chiffon Cake

White as a Sunday glove, coconut is the doyenne of Southern layer cakes, a masterpiece of home cookery that has crowned dining room sideboards for more than a hundred years.

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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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