Amazing 1 coconut cake recipe joy

Oh, the search for the perfect cake! We all chase that mythical dessert—the one that’s impossibly moist but still light, packed with flavor but never heavy. If achieving that dreamy, bakery-quality texture feels like a mystery, trust me, I’ve been there. That’s why I’m sharing my absolute best Southern Coconut Cream Layer Cake from Scratch with you today. This isn’t just some quick fix; this is my tried-and-true coconut cake recipe engineered to bring soul and comfort back to your kitchen, just like my grandmother taught me. If you want to know more about my philosophy on bringing joy back to the daily table, you can read up on my journey over on my About page. It’s perfect for those big celebrations when only the best will do.

Why This Southern Coconut Cake Recipe Delivers Bakery-Style Perfection

I know there are a million ways to make a coconut cake, but this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. When you’re aiming for that pure, delicious result, only a from-scratch approach gives you this level of control. This is how you get that incredible, rich coconut flavor everywhere!

• It’s completely from scratch—no doctoring up cake mixes here!
• It produces layers that are incredibly soft and fluffy.
• The hint of coconut milk soak makes it genuinely a moist coconut cake.

If you want to see how others have achieved this dreamy finish, you can check out some inspiration from other bakers, but honestly, this method is gold. We are hitting that high-end bakery style coconut cake standard right at home.

Achieving That Tender Coconut Dessert Texture

The secret to keeping this cake from getting tough is using room-temperature ingredients, especially the egg whites and buttermilk. They emulsify so much better when they aren’t chilly, which locks in the air bubbles we create. This ensures a beautifully tender coconut dessert that practically melts when you bite into it.

Ingredients for the Best Coconut Cake Recipe

Okay, pulling out the ingredients is the first big step in making magic happen! For this coconut cake recipe, you really need to make sure you have everything prepped and measured before the mixer even comes out. Good ingredients mean good outcomes, and I always try to lay everything out so nothing gets forgotten halfway through the process. Trust me, finding out you’re out of buttermilk when you’re ready for the wet ingredients is THE WORST!

For the Fluffy Coconut Layer Cake

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, plus more for coating

For the Coconut Milk Soak

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat)

For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Cake

• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Sweetened flaked coconut for coating the outside of the cake

How to Prepare Your From Scratch Coconut Cake Recipe

Now we get down to the fun part—actually baking! Since this is a from scratch coconut cake recipe, it requires a little more attention than pouring from a box, but I promise you, the payoff is worth every second. Remember that organization we talked about? It really pays off in this stage. We want everything singing together perfectly before it hits the oven. If you’re looking for more tips on baking other incredible desserts, you can browse through my desserts category!

Mixing the Tender Cake Layers

First things first: preheat that oven to 350°F (175°C). Get your three 8-inch cake pans ready! Grease, flour, and drop in those parchment circles, because we do *not* want any sticking later. In your big bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Next, add the softened butter and mix it low and slow until it looks like coarse, sandy crumbs. Seriously, don’t rush this! In another bowl, whisk your room-temp egg whites, buttermilk, vanilla, and coconut extract. Now, gradually add those wet ingredients to the sandy butter mixture, only mixing until they barely combine. Stop the mixer! Overmixing is the enemy of fluffy layers, so gently fold in your cup of flaked coconut by hand.

Baking and Cooling the Coconut Cake Recipe Layers

Divide that gorgeous batter evenly and pop those pans into the oven. They usually take about 25 to 30 minutes. You’ll know they are done when that little toothpick test comes out clean! Let the cakes hang out in the pans for just 10 minutes—this lets them firm up slightly. Then, flip them gently onto a wire rack to cool completely. They *must* be totally cool before we start the soak, or things get messy!

Applying the Coconut Milk Soak

While the layers are cooling down, warm up that half-cup of full-fat coconut milk—just warm, don’t boil it. Once the cakes are ready, take a skewer or a sharp fork and poke holes all over the top of each layer. This is my favorite part! Slowly brush or gently drizzle that warm milk over the tops. This step is absolutely vital for achieving that signature heavenly, moist coconut cake quality. Let each layer soak up every single drop before moving on.

SAVE IT

Whipping the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Cake

Time for the dreamiest part! In a clean bowl, beat the room-temperature cream cheese and softened butter until they are perfectly smooth—no tiny lumps allowed. Now, slowly start adding your powdered sugar so it doesn’t fly everywhere! Once it’s incorporated, crank the mixer up to medium-high. Add your coconut extract and heavy cream, and whip it until you see it become genuinely light and fluffy. This frosting is so good, you might want to grab a spoon before you even think about frosting the cake! If you ever need inspiration for sour cream buttercream alternatives, check out this recipe for ideas.

Tips for the Ultimate Coconut Cake Recipe Success

We’ve mixed, we’ve baked, and we’ve soaked, but trust me, these final little tweaks are what take your gorgeous dessert from homemade good to absolute showstopper. Baking any great celebration cake recipe really comes down to respecting your ingredients and mastering a few key techniques. I learned this watching my grandmother; she never settled for anything less than spectacular! If you want more general baking wisdom and reliable finds, you can always browse my latest blog posts.

Ingredient Temperature Matters for a Fluffy Coconut Layer Cake

I have to hit this one more time because it’s so important: room temperature! If your butter, eggs, and buttermilk are straight out of the fridge, they tense up. Cold ingredients don’t blend smoothly with fats. When everything is soft and relaxed, it whips up and traps the air beautifully, which is exactly what gives us that light, fluffy coconut layer cake we’re dreaming of. Make sure those eggs sit out for at least 30 minutes, okay?

Toasting Coconut for Extra Flavor

When you’re coating the outside of this amazing coconut cake recipe, don’t just toss the sweetened flakes on straight from the bag! That toasted flavor adds such a wonderful depth that you just can’t fake. Spread your flaked coconut thinly on a baking sheet—use the same temperature as the cake (350°F) but watch it like a hawk because it burns fast! It only takes about 5 to 8 minutes until it turns golden brown around the edges. Let it cool completely before you press it onto the frosting; you want that crunch and nutty aroma accompanying every bite of your cake! For the ultimate Southern coconut cake inspiration, check out how they handle the coating on Amy’s version.

SAVE IT

Assembling Your Bakery Style Coconut Cake Recipe

Okay, this is where the artistry comes in! We’ve baked perfection, we’ve added the mandatory soak, and the frosting is whipped into submission. Now, we turn this into the showpiece I promised you—a true bakery style coconut cake centerpiece. It’s all about careful stacking and making sure you get coconut coverage everywhere the eye can see!

Start by placing your first, fully soaked cake layer onto your serving plate. Don’t be shy here; spread a thick, generous layer of that fluffy cream cheese frosting right over the top. Immediately after frosting that layer, use your hands to gently press a scattering of those sweetened flaked coconut pieces over the frosting. You want to build flavor in every row! Repeat this process with your second layer, frosting it and giving it a good sprinkle of coconut.

SAVE IT

Place your final cake layer on top. Now, take your remaining frosting and cover the entire exterior—the top and sides. Make sure you get an even coat; this acts like cement for the final coconut layer! Once the sides are mostly covered, grab a big handful of those flaked coconut pieces and gently press them onto the sides of the cake. You can press them on firmly or just lightly dust the top, depending on how much texture you like. If you’re looking for tips on other decorating techniques, maybe check out my post on royal icing sometime!

The goal here is that gorgeous, snow-covered look that screams celebration. Take your time with the final coat of coconut flakes. Once it’s coated, step back and admire what you’ve done! This is the moment you realize you made a truly stunning, moist coconut dessert without stepping foot in a professional bakery.

SAVE IT

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips for Your Coconut Cake Recipe

Listen, this gorgeous cake is going to disappear fast, but if, by some miracle, you have leftovers, we need to handle them right! Because we used that luscious cream cheese frosting, storage is a little different than if we were dealing with a simple buttercream. My goal is always to keep that soak we added in Section 4 doing its job, meaning the cake stays impossibly moist coconut cake heaven.

Keeping the Coconut Cream Cake Fresh

Since this coconut cake recipe involves cream cheese, the refrigerator is your best friend, but we have to be careful. If you plan to eat the cake within two days, store it tightly covered at room temperature. Why? Because if you refrigerate it too soon, the delicate cake layers can dry out, and honestly, all that soaking time will be slightly wasted! If you need it to last longer, tightly cover individual slices or the remaining cake and keep it chilled for up to four days.

If you are making this ahead for a big holiday—say, a holiday coconut cake party—my advice is to bake and cool the layers completely, then wrap each layer very tightly in plastic wrap. You can freeze these naked layers for up to a month. When you’re ready to assemble, just let those layers thaw on the counter for a couple of hours. Then whip up the frosting fresh, apply the soak, and then frost as normal. That way, the cake tastes like it was just baked, even if you made it weeks prior!

Variations on the Classic Coconut Cake Recipe

Even though I think this coconut cake recipe is pretty much flawless—fluffy, moist, perfect—I know that sometimes you just need to shake things up a bit! Life gets boring if we make the exact same thing every single time, right? That’s part of the joy of home cooking: making something yours. I’ve played around with this base recipe a few times, and I have some fun ideas for you if you are feeling adventurous.

One huge hit that I’ve seen people absolutely rave about online is turning this into a coconut poke cake. That soak we added in Section 4? Double it! Seriously! After you bake those layers, poke extra holes everywhere, pour every drop of that warm coconut milk across the layers, and let it utterly saturate. Then, you can skip the thick layer of frosting and just spread a thin layer of whipped cream or even use a canned *whipped topping* if you are in a real pinch, then cover the whole thing in those toasted coconut flakes. It makes it even softer, almost cushiony!

If you want to be really decadent and aim for something truly special, you can try swapping out the cream cheese in the frosting for some melted white chocolate.

Hold on, let me explain that one! To get a kind of white chocolate coconut cake vibe, you chill the frosting ingredients down slightly and fold in about 4 ounces of cooled, melted white chocolate chips right at the end, just before you whip it fluffy. It makes the frosting taste richer, almost like a truffle filling instead of classic cream cheese tang. It’s amazing on a birthday cake!

If you ever get stuck on dessert creation and need a little inspiration for creamy fillings (though not coconut!), I have a fantastic banana cream cheesecake recipe that uses similar layering techniques. But honestly, for a crowd-pleasing, easy version of a traditional bake, people also love following the simple directions for a basic coconut poke cake when time is short. Give these tweaks a whirl next time you make this tender coconut dessert!

Frequently Asked Questions About This Coconut Cake Recipe

I feel like whenever I bake something this special, I always have a few little doubts right before I start, so let’s clear up any last-minute worries about this coconut cake recipe! Getting the details right ensures you get that perfect soft, fluffy result every single time you try. Here are the questions I get asked most often when people try to make my favorite celebration cake recipe.

Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk in this coconut cake recipe?

Oh, if heaven forbid you run out of buttermilk, don’t panic! Buttermilk is acidic, and that acid reacts with the baking powder to help give the cake its lift and tenderness. If you only have regular milk, measure out one cup, take one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice, stir it in, and let it sit on the counter for about five minutes until it curdles a little. That homemade substitute works just fine in a pinch! It won’t be *quite* as tender, but it saves the day.

How do I make this a ‘coconut cream cake’ without the cream cheese?

The cream cheese adds a wonderful stabilizing tang to the frosting, but if you aren’t a fan, you absolutely can skip it. To keep that creamy mouthfeel, you need to swap it out for something that can handle the sugar. For a lighter texture, look into making a Swiss meringue buttercream base and flavoring that heavily with coconut milk and extract. It will be fruitier and lighter—a true coconut cream cake style—but note that it won’t have the signature slight tang the cream cheese provides!

Why is my *moist coconut cake* crumb dense?

If your beautiful layers turned out dense instead of light and fluffy, nine times out of ten, we overmixed. Remember how I stressed stopping the mixer the second the wet and dry ingredients combined? If you keep mixing after that point, you develop gluten, which leads to toughness, not lightness! Also, check your butter temperature; if the butter was too cold, it wouldn’t have creamed correctly to trap those necessary air bubbles in the first place. Cold ingredients are the enemy of a moist coconut cake!

Estimated Nutritional Information for This Coconut Cake Recipe

Now, I always want to be upfront with you about what we’re putting into our bodies, especially when we are baking something this special and wonderful. While I’m certainly no nutritionist—my passion lives firmly in the mixing bowl—I always run the ingredients through a general calculator just so we have a good idea of what’s in that slice of heaven. This is just an estimate, of course, because every single ingredient brand can shift the numbers a tiny bit!

When you consider this is a rich, multilayered dessert, the numbers are pretty standard for a decadent coconut cake recipe. Remember that these values reflect one serving size, so if you cut smaller slices (which I never do!), the numbers go down!

Here’s the breakdown based on our recipe:

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 55g
• Fat: 22g (with 14g being Saturated Fat)
• Carbohydrates: 60g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 65mg

It’s definitely a treat, not an everyday snack, but that’s okay! We earned this spectacular Southern coconut cake. Baking with love means enjoying it responsibly, and knowing what’s in this gorgeous, high-quality dessert means we can go into it with clear eyes. Enjoy every single bite!

Share Your Southern Coconut Cake Experience

Now that you’ve made it through all those layers, soaking, and whipping, I really, truly want to hear about your masterpiece! If you followed along with this coconut cake recipe and created a moment of joy in your own kitchen, please don’t keep it to yourself. That’s the whole point of sharing recipes, right?

When you finish your beautifully frosted, snow-covered cake, please come back here and give this recipe a rating. Five stars if it brought you and your family true celebratory joy! I’m counting on your feedback to know that this recipe is working its magic for everyone. Don’t be shy about telling the world how moist and fluffy your layers turned out!

Did you try toasting your coconut, or maybe you added a hint of lime zest to the frosting? I love hearing about the little touches people add to make a recipe their own. Drop all your thoughts, success stories, and any fun tweaks you made in the comments below. I read every single one, and I love seeing pictures pop up!

If you have any specific questions that weren’t covered, or if you want to discuss more baking adventures, you are always welcome to reach out to me directly via my Contact Page. Thanks again for baking with me today. Happy serving!

Southern Coconut Cream Layer Cake from Scratch

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Bake a show-stopping, bakery-style coconut layer cake that is incredibly moist, soft, and full of rich coconut flavor. This recipe uses a from-scratch method for tender layers and a creamy coconut frosting.

• Author: Carla Davis
• Prep Time: 35 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Total Time: 65 min
• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, plus more for coating
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper circles.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and coconut extract.
5. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Gently fold in the 1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
9. While the cakes cool, prepare the coconut milk soak: Heat the 1/2 cup of coconut milk until warm. Poke holes all over the tops of the cooled cake layers using a skewer or fork. Brush or drizzle the warm coconut milk evenly over all layers. Let the layers absorb the liquid completely.
10. Prepare the coconut cream cheese frosting: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until combined. Add the coconut extract and heavy cream. Beat on medium-high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
11. Assemble the cake: Place one layer on a serving plate. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top. Sprinkle with extra flaked coconut. Repeat with the second layer. Top with the final cake layer.
12. Frost the top and sides of the entire cake with the remaining coconut cream cheese frosting. Press extra sweetened flaked coconut onto the sides and top for a bakery-style finish.

Notes

• For the moistest cake, ensure your butter, egg whites, and buttermilk are at room temperature before mixing.
• If you want an even stronger coconut flavor, use coconut oil instead of butter in the cake layers, though the texture will change slightly.
• This cake is best served the day it is made, but you can store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to two days.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 55
• Sodium: 250
• Fat: 22
• Saturated Fat: 14
• Unsaturated Fat: 8
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 60
• Fiber: 1
• Protein: 5
• Cholesterol: 65