Coconut Cake – Sugar Spun Run

An old style coconut cake recipe, made with cushy, fluffy cake layers, iced with an old school frosting, and coated in candy shredded coconut. My recipe comprises a variety of guidelines and methods for flawless effects and features a how-to video educational.

Comfortable, Fluffy Coconut Cake

The ones of you who apply the weblog incessantly (💗) are acquainted with numerous my grandmother’s recipes. Possibly you’ve attempted her sizzling milk cake, potato sweet, or apple dumplings, however her coconut cake with its distinctive, silky-smooth frosting used to be all the time one in all my favorites. Alternatively, her cake layers all the time got here from a field!

We don’t do box-mixes right here, so, after years of trying out cake recipes, I in spite of everything evolved a perfect cushy, tremendous wet, strong and strong cake with a young, melt-in-your-mouth crumb that works as the easiest base for these days’s coconut cake.

It’s a surprising, but additionally easy cake, with gentle, cushy, fluffy layers and an old school frosting.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fantastic texture. In case you’ve ever struggled prior to now with dense, dry, cornbread-esque muffins, you’re in for a pleasing wonder with this one. Now not most effective is it moderately designed to be cushy, gentle, and so wet, I additionally come with notes within the recipe and video to lend a hand save you some vintage errors bakers run into when making muffins from scratch.
• The BEST taste. It’s difficult to steadiness the flavors of coconut cake when coconut has this kind of distinct taste that may temporarily turn into overwhelming. We calmly taste the cake layers with a bit of of coconut extract, then use coconut milk within the frosting and canopy the whole thing in shredded, sweetened coconut. The easiest steadiness.
• A confirmed recipe. I first shared this recipe in 2016 and it’s since now not most effective been a favourite with my circle of relatives however has gained dozens of 5 big name opinions ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
• It’s simply lovely! It looks as if an enormous, fluffy snowball and tastes like heaven. It’s a phenomenal dessert to grace your Easter (or any vacation) dessert desk.

Whilst this cake is excellent any time of the 12 months, one thing about it simply appears like springtime to me. Possibly it’s the recent coconut taste, possibly my grandmother made it round Easter once a year, however to me it belongs within the ranks of alternative spring recipes like my hummingbird cake, carrot cake, and carrot cupcakes (all nice springtime dessert choices!).

What You Want

For the Cake Layers

This can be a wet fluffy cake created from two thick layers. I tailored it from my gender divulge cupcakes as a result of I cherished the fluffy crumb and style of the ones. Right here’s an outline of what is going into the cake layers.

• Butter and oil. I took a web page from my vanilla cake and chocolate cake and used a mix of butter and oil for easiest taste and texture (the oil in reality is helping stay the cake wet because it preferably is refrigerated).
• Taste. Vanilla extract is very important for taste. Whilst my grandmother by no means used coconut extract in her cake, I really like the beautiful tropical taste a dash of it provides to my coconut cake and suggest the use of it.
• Bitter cream. Complete-fat bitter cream (or a undeniable, full-fat Greek yogurt) works easiest right here. Bitter cream provides a stupendous intensity of taste along with moisture (and that’s why it’s this kind of key aspect in my yellow cake, too!).
• Egg whites. You’ll want simply the whites for this recipe, discard the yolks or save them to make creme brulee or chocolate pie. Whilst this cake isn’t a white cake in colour, it’s very similar to that one in that it get a lot of its fluffy construction from whipped egg whites.

For the Frosting

The frosting that I take advantage of (and my grandmother used) for coconut cake is a bit of distinctive so I assumed it deserved its personal phase. It makes use of flour and is reasonably very similar to my ermine frosting in style and texture, most effective there’s no want to make a roux!

• Butter. Once I first shared this recipe I used a mixture of butter and shortening (I believe my grandmother most effective used Crisco). I don’t favor to make use of this in my baking anymore so switched the whole thing over to butter and feature been more than pleased with the effects. I take advantage of salted butter, however in the event you most effective have unsalted simply upload ¼ teaspoon of salt into the frosting.
• Sugar. We’re the use of granulated sugar, now not powdered sugar. On account of this, the frosting must be overwhelmed for a longer period of time (over 10 mins!) in order that the sugar can absolutely dissolve.
• Flour. Since uncooked flour used to be within the information a couple of years in the past for being infected, I now suggest heat-treating any flour that isn’t baked into your baked just right (like fit for human consumption cookie dough). This may temporarily be completed within the microwave in beneath a minute and I give an explanation for find out how to within the recipe card.
• Coconut milk. You’ll change entire milk as an alternative, however I favor to stick in coconut-theme since this can be a coconut cake, in the end, and go for coconut milk. Shake the can rather well sooner than opening!
• Extract. I take advantage of simply vanilla extract and skip the coconut extract right here. You should indisputably upload a small quantity in the event you sought after, however I felt it overpowered the cake and made issues too coconut-y
• Coconut. My grandmother all the time used frozen shredded coconut, however I will be able to’t ever to find that during my grocery retailer. I take advantage of sweetened shredded coconut. Since that may be a bit of stringy, I’ll regularly pulse it in my meals processor for a number of seconds sooner than the use of it on my cake.

SAM’S TIP: When you have a stand mixer, use it to make the frosting! This recipe calls for at least 12 mins of stirring to correctly dissolve the sugar. It’s nice to have a system do the heavy lifting!

That is simply an outline of the substances I used and why. For the overall recipe please scroll all the way down to the ground of the submit!

Useful Pointers When Making Coconut Cake

Coconut cake comes in combination lovely temporarily and simply, however there are some things that I sought after to hide in additional element sooner than we commence:

• Pointers for the egg whites: This recipe requires egg whites that want to be whipped to stiff peaks. Set your self up for luck and use a stainless-steel or glass bowl (keep away from plastic or silicone) and ensure it’s utterly blank, dry, and grease unfastened. Make certain now not even a tiny drop of egg yolk will get in with the whites or they gained’t succeed in stiff peaks. (those are guidelines I’ve additionally shared when whipping egg whites for macarons and meringues). I display how I do that within the video within the recipe card, if this is useful.
• Shred the coconut (once more). Sweetened shredded coconut can once in a while be a bit of stringy, lending itself to a texture that many of us simply don’t love. To lend a hand with this, I once in a while like to cut the coconut even finer; a couple of blitzes within the meals processor most often does the trick!
• Carry within the machines (for the frosting). As I discussed above, the coconut cake frosting is made with granulated sugar, which will have to be dissolved for the frosting to have its signature, comfortable consistency. This hasn’t ever taken me not up to 12 mins. Save your self a significant arm exercise and use your stand mixer when you’ve got one. In case you don’t have a stand mixer or an electrical mixer, you might need to go for one in all my different frosting recipes (I give a couple of choices under!).
• The frosting WILL turn into comfortable. Simply stay blending and be affected person! It takes time however will in the end be silky comfortable.

Steadily Requested Questions

Experience!

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Coconut Cake Recipe

You can LOVE this tremendous cushy and wet coconut cake! Made with a easy vanilla cake and coated in an old school frosting recipe passed down from my grandmother!Make sure to take a look at the how-to VIDEO under the recipe!

Print Pin Charge

Route: Cake, Dessert

Delicacies: American

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook dinner Time: 30 mins mins

Overall Time: 1 hour hour 30 mins mins

Servings: 12 slices

Energy: 889kcal

Cook dinner ModeSave you your display screen from going darkish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease and flour the edges of 2 8” cake pans (or spray with baking spray) and line the ground with rounds of parchment paper.

• Mix butter, oil, and sugar within the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in a big bowl and use an electrical mixer) and beat till substances are creamy and well-combined.

  6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, ⅔ cup (157 ml) avocado, vegetable, or canola oil, 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar

• Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl after which stir in bitter cream, vanilla extract, and coconut extract.

  1 cup (240 g) bitter cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon coconut extract

• In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk in combination flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

  2 ¾ cup (344 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon desk salt

• The usage of a spatula and stirring via hand, step by step, gently stir the dry substances into the rainy (butter/sugar combination) till utterly mixed. I will most often upload the dry substances in 3-4 portions.

• Scrape the edges and backside of the bowl to make certain that your entire substances are well-combined. Put aside.

• Pour egg whites right into a medium-large sized glass or stainless-steel bowl this is utterly blank, dry, and grease-free. The usage of an electrical mixer, beat on high-speed till stiff peaks shape (which means that in the event you take away the beater from the combination, the height that paperwork holds its form and does now not fold over or dissolve again in on itself).

  6 (190 g) wide egg whites

• Upload the whipped egg whites to the batter and use a spatula to softly fold the egg whites into the batter. Whilst you don’t want to over-mix this batter, it’s important that the egg whites are utterly mixed. Use a gradual hand and stir till you’ll’t see any streaks of egg whites within the batter.

• Divide batter frivolously into ready cake pans.

• Bake on 350F (175C) for 35-37 mins or till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out most commonly blank or with a couple of wet crumbs (no rainy batter).

• Permit muffins to chill in pans for 10-Quarter-hour sooner than operating a knife across the edge to loosen the muffins and moderately inverting onto a cooling rack to chill utterly sooner than frosting.

Frosting

• Warmth deal with the flour: Position flour in a microwave-safe dish and warmth for 30 seconds. Stir, then use an instant-read thermometer to test the temperature (will have to exceed 160F (71C)). If now not heat sufficient, proceed to warmth in 10-second periods till temperature is reached. Permit flour to chill utterly sooner than the use of (whether it is lumpy, run it via a sifter sooner than the use of). This “heat-treats” the flour in case it used to be infected. Put aside.

  4 Tablespoons (31 g) all-purpose flour

• Mix butter and sugar within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-speed till creamy and well-combined.

  1 ¼ cup (282 g) salted butter, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar

• Upload flour, one tablespoon at a time, beating on medium velocity for 15 seconds after every addition. Scrape down facets and backside of bowl and beat once more for 20 seconds.

• Upload coconut milk and vanilla extract and stir to mix

  1 cup (236 ml) coconut milk, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

• Flip mixer velocity as much as medium-high and beat for six mins. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl and beat once more no less than every other 6 mins, till frosting is comfortable.

• Check the frosting via tasting or rubbing between your arms, it will have to now not be gritty or grainy in any respect. If it nonetheless is, moderately scrape the edges and backside of your blending bowl once more and stir once more on excessive velocity till not grainy.

• As soon as your muffins are cool, ice them via striking one layer to your serving dish and making use of a fair layer of frosting to the highest. Sprinkle liberally with probably the most shredded coconut.

  3 cups (300 g) sweetened shredded coconut, divided

• Position your moment layer on most sensible of the primary and follow a fair layer of frosting across the most sensible and facets of the cake. Sprinkle ultimate coconut excessive of the cake, after which use your fingers to press coconut all over the facets.

Notes

Frosting: Butter vs Shortening

Within the authentic model of this recipe (and the only I recorded within the video) I at the beginning used ¾ cup of butter and 9 Tablespoons of vegetable shortening (Crisco). I don’t favor to make use of shortening in my baking any further so have examined and up to date the recipe to make use of all butter. Be at liberty to make use of whichever you like. 

Frosting – Stand Mixer Observe

When you have a stand mixer, without a doubt use it for this recipe because the frosting calls for an extended length of blending. It *can* be completed with an electrical hand mixer, however might take longer than indicated and will probably be an arm exercise!

Frosting possible choices

For me, coconut cake simply wouldn’t be coconut cake with out this out of date frosting. Alternatively, I realize it’s now not for everybody. This cake may be coated with any of those frostings under, simply be sure you quilt with coconut shavings!

Coconut

The shreds of coconut are regularly a bit of too lengthy for my liking so I’ll normally pulse them in my meals processor for a couple of seconds to make the shreds finer.  My grandmother all the time used 18 ounces of frozen shredded coconut for the outdoor of the cake, however that’s now not simply out there close to me any further. Simply thaw it first sooner than the use of. 

What To Do With The ones Leftover Egg Yolks?

Listed below are some nice recipes that use numerous egg yolks!

Storing

Retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. This cake will also be tightly wrapped and frozen for a number of months. 

Diet

Serving: 1slice | Energy: 889kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 7g | Fats: 58g | Saturated Fats: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 9g | Monounsaturated Fats: 14g | Ldl cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 431mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 63g | Nutrition A: 12IU | Nutrition C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 6mg

Dietary knowledge is in line with third-party calculations and will have to be regarded as an estimate most effective. Precise dietary content material will range primarily based upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking manner, portion sizes, and extra.

I at the beginning printed this recipe in April of 2016. In 2019 I made some enhancements to the cake recipe and in 2024 up to date the submit to be extra useful.

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