Coconut Layer Cake

Recipe for coconut layer cake: fluffy and moist coconut cake, filled and frosted with coconut cream cheese frosting and topped with toasted coconut flakes.

About Coconut Layer Cake

The love for coconut cake runs deep in my family. It’s my dad’s favorite cake so I’ve been making coconut cakes for him pretty much my whole life. This recipe has been perfected to be dad approved and I know you’ll love it too. It’s a fluffy and moist white cake flavored with coconut milk and a little coconut extract. Sour cream is also used in the batter to give it a rich, creamy texture. The cake is filled and frosted with coconut cream cheese frosting and topped with toasted coconut flakes. It’s absolutely the fluffiest, moistest, most divine coconut cake you’ll make!

Ingredients for Coconut Layer Cake

• Cake flour- I recommend cake flour for the fluffiest coconut cake, but you can also use all purpose flour
• Granulated sugar- used to sweeten the cake
• Butter- softened unsalted butter is used in the cake and frosting
• Egg whites- five egg whites get whipped into the batter to yield the fluffiest cake texture
• Sour Cream- full fat sour cream gives this cake added moistness
• Buttermilk- used to make the cake super moist and to help give it a classic, fluffy texture
• Coconut milk- canned, full fat coconut milk gives this cake a delicious coconut flavor and adds extra richness
• Coconut extract- optional, but adds extra coconut flavor to this cake
• Vanilla- I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best flavor
• Baking soda & powder- used to leaven the cake and give it a fluffy texture
• Cream cheese- full fat cream cheese will yield the best cream cheese frosting
• Powdered sugar- used to sweeten the cream cheese frosting
• Coconut flakes- sweetened coconut flakes get slightly toasted and get added on top of the cream cheese frosting

How to Make Coconut Layer Cake

For the Coconut Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by creaming 10 tablespoon of softened, unsalted butter together with 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar until pale in color and fluffy. Next add in five egg whites, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2 teaspoon of coconut extract. Blend for about 3 minutes until the egg whites are fully incorporated. Mix in 1 cup of canned, unsweetened coconut milk, ½ cup of buttermilk and ½ cup of sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift 2 ½ cups of cake flour, 1 ¾ teaspoon of baking powder, ¼  tsp of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time until everything is blended together. Divide the batter evenly between 3 6” cake pans. Bake the cakes for 38-41 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers.

For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Add 1 ½ cups of softened, unsalted butter to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until the butter is pale in color and fluffy, around 5-8 minutes. (The butter will about double in size). Add in 12 oz. of softened cream cheese and mix until incorporated and fluffy again. Sift in 3 ½ cups of powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Lastly mix in 1 teaspoon of coconut extract.

For the Toasted Coconut Flakes

Set oven to low broil. Spread 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes out on a cookie sheet. Toast the coconut for 3-4 minutes. (Make sure to check it often to make sure it's not getting to brown.) Stir the coconut half way through to ensure it's toasted evenly. Let it cool before adding on to the cake.

Assembling the Cake

Once the cakes are completely cooled you can assemble the cake. You can simply fill each layer and ice the outside with cream cheese frosting and add the toasted coconut on top. However, if you are looking to make a really beautiful cake, follow these extra steps.

For These Steps You’ll Need

• a cake scraper
• a rotating cake turntable
• a cake frosting spatula
• a sharp knife
• a piping bag with small hole cut from bottom
• an icing bag fitted with a decorative star tip (Wilton 1M)

Getting Perfectly Sized Layers

Once the cakes are completely cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for a few hours. Once they are frozen, or nearly frozen, remove them from the freezer and begin to make each layer as similar in size as possible. Usually you will only have to cut the tops off of each cake layer. With a sharp knife, remove the tops from each cake layer until each are flat and can be stacked to where the cake is even. So, each layer should sit flat on each other without the cake leaning.

Creating the Crumb Layer

Then place a dollop of cream cheese frosting in the center of your cake turntable. Place the first cake layer over it. Then add a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on top of the cake layer and even it out with your frosting spatula, turning the cake table as you go. Place the next layer over top and repeat the step. Then place the final layer over the top and place small dollops of frosting on the outsides and top of the cake. Even out the frosting as much as possible with your frosting spatula.

Then with your cake scraper, scrape the icing across the cake, turning the cake table as you go to make this as easy as possible. This layer of frosting should be very thin. This is called the ‘crumb layer’ and will ensure that the cake’s final coating of frosting is smooth and free of crumbs. Freezing the cake layers before frosting them also helps tremendously with this step.

Final Layer of Frosting

Once the crumb layer of frosting has been applied, place the cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to harden. Once the cake has chilled in the fridge, remove it and apply the final coating of frosting. Apply generous dollops of frosting on the sides and top of the cake and smooth them out with your cake frosting spatula.

Then with your cake scraper even out the frosting, turning the cake table as you go, to give you an even coating of cream cheese frosting. Make sure it is not too thin so you do not see the layers underneath, unless of course that it is how you want it to look. (You may have to apply a layer of frosting, place the cake back in the fridge for 30 minutes and repeat the step to ensure the frosting is on thick enough and the cake cannot be seen underneath). Reserve some of the frosting for piping onto the top of the cake.

Decorating & Storing the Cake

Once the final layer of frosting is on, coat the edges of the cake with the toasted coconut flakes. Add the remaining cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. (I always use my Wilton 1M tip for this). Pipe frosting around the top edges of the cake. Then serve the cake! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

If you make this cake please tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!

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