Best The Best Coconut Layer Cake Recipes

COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites until combined, then add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Beat until combined. Mixture will look curdled as a result of the varying textures and solid butter combining. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and coconut milk. Beat on low speed until combined, then add the shredded coconut. Whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no butter lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 21-23 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, coconut milk, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin, more coconut milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
• Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I use and recommend an icing spatula to apply the frosting and bench scraper to smooth the sides. Sprinkle coconut on top of the cake and apply it to the sides. This can get a little messy and you can watch me do it in the video tutorial above. See blog post above about buttercream rose decoration.
• Refrigerate cake for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting, though it's still a pretty fluffy cake!
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

SIMPLY THE BEST COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), or 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for coated pans. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray.
• Stir sugar, frozen coconut, and sour cream for filling together in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
• Combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla for cake in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Blend on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then invert onto a parchment-lined cooling rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Use a large, serrated knife to cut each cake layer in half lengthwise; you will have 4 pieces. Flip top pieces so all cut sides are facing up. Stack layers and filling on a serving platter as follows: 1 bottom layer, 1/3 of the filling, 1 top layer, 1/3 of the filling, remaining bottom layer, remaining filling, remaining top layer. Cover and chill, 30 minutes to overnight.
• Combine sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, water, vanilla, and cream of tartar for frosting in a large heat-proof bowl; stir until well combined. Place the bowl over a double boiler and whisk using an electric hand mixer until thick and glossy, about 7 minutes. Take care that the double boiler doesn't reach higher than a slow simmer.
• Spread frosting over cooled cake immediately and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

COCONUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl to blend.
• Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and sweetened cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy.
• Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract.
• On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.
• Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with pinch of salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry.
• Fold beaten egg whites into batter.
• Divide cake batter between prepared pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• Cool cakes in pans on rack 10 minutes.
• Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cakes.
• Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.
• Place 1 cake layer on cake plate.
• Spread 1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over cake layer.
• Sprinkle 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut over.
• Top with second cake layer.
• Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
• Sprinkle remaining coconut over cake, gently pressing into sides to adhere.
• (Coconut Layer Cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.)*Canned sweetened cream of coconut is available in the liquor section of most supermarkets nationwide.
• Makes 10 servings.

COCONUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Adjust the rack to the center of the oven. Butter 2 (9-inch) round layer-cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust all over lightly with flour. Set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter to soften a bit. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat for a few minutes. Add the eggs and milk and beat until smooth. On the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, and beating only until smooth after each addition. Remove from the mixer and stir in the orange rind.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Tilt and shake the pans gently to level the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cakes come away from the sides of the pans and tops spring back when lightly touched.
• Remove from the oven. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Cover with racks or cookie sheets and invert. Remove pans and papers. Cover with racks and invert again to cool right side up.
• When the layers have cooled completely, place 4 strips of waxed paper or baking parchment around a cake plate, and place 1 layer on the plate, upside down. Spread with a thin layer of smooth preserves, reserving some for the second layer.
• Spread 1/3 of the icing on the bottom layer. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the coconut. Put on the second layer, right side up, so that the 2 cake bottoms meet in the middle. Spread the top with the remaining apricot preserves. Use another 1/3 of the icing to ice around the sides of the cake. Use the remaining 1/3 of the icing to ice the top of the cake. Quickly spread with a long, narrow metal spatula to smooth the top and sides.
• With the palm of your hand, press another 1/3 of the coconut onto the sides and sprinkle the remaining coconut evenly over the top. Remove the paper strips, pulling each 1 out by a narrow end.
• Mix all of the ingredients except for the vanilla and almond extracts in the top of a large double boiler; it must have at least an 8 to 10-cup capacity. Place over hot water on moderate heat. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture stands in peaks when the beaters are lifted.
• Immediately, in order to stop the cooking, transfer to a the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat at high speed for about 5 minutes more, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl almost continuously with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth and very thick. Use immediately.

COCONUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with flour; set aside. Whisk the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the cream of coconut and milk in a small bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the vanilla and coconut extract and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with flour, until combined.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 15 minutes in the pans, then invert onto the rack to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Spread the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway through, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and beat until fluffy, about 3 more minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar and coconut extract until combined. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Put 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Combine 1 heaping cup frosting with 1 cup of the toasted coconut; spread on the cake. Top with the other cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake (this is the crumb coat; it doesn't have to be perfect). Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake; top with the remaining 1 cup toasted coconut.

COCONUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks in the center of the oven. Line the bottom of three 6-by-2-inch buttered round cake pans with parchment paper. Dust the bottom and the sides of the cake pans with flour, and tap out any excess. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set the bowl aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-low speed until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and keep beating until the mixture is fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes. Gradually drizzle in egg yolks, beating on medium-low speed between each addition until the batter is no longer slick. Beat until the mixture is fluffy again, about another 3 minutes.
• Alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in vanilla. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans in the oven, if needed, for even browning. Transfer cake pans to wire racks to cool, about 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, and let cool completely on racks, tops up.
• To assemble, remove parchment paper from the bottoms of cakes. Split each layer in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Set aside the prettiest dome; it will be used for the final layer. Place another domed layer, dome side down, on the serving platter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of flaked coconut over the cake. Spread a generous 1/2 cup coconut-cream filling over coconut flakes. Repeat sprinkling and spreading process on the remaining layers until all but the reserved domed layer are used. Top cake with the reserved domed layer. Transfer cake to the refrigerator to firm for 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator, and frost the outside of cake with seven-minute frosting. Sprinkle remaining coconut flakes all over cake while frosting is soft; do not refrigerate. Cake can be left out at room temperature for several days.

INCREDIBLE COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. , Preheat oven to 325°. In another large bowl, beat sugar, butter and oil until well blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. , Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in coconut and extracts.. , Add cream of tartar to egg whites; with clean beaters, beat on medium until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites., Transfer to 3 greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and extract; beat until smooth. , Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting and sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut. Repeat. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting. Store in the refrigerator.