Coconut Cake with Cream of Coconut
This ultra-moist coconut cake is soaked with sweet cream of coconut, layered with fluffy whipped cream frosting, and coated in shredded coconut. The cream of coconut soak transforms every crumb into a tender, pudding-like bite that stops people mid-conversation at any party.
Equipment
- Oven - Preheated to 350°F (175°C)
- Two 9-inch (23cm) round cake pans
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Wooden skewer or cake tester
- Offset spatula or butter knife - For frosting
- Wire cooling rack
- Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl - For warming cream of coconut if needed
- Parchment paper
- cake turntable - (optional) helpful for frosting
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour - 315g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter - 225g, softened to room temperature
- 1.75 cups granulated sugar - 350g
- 4 large eggs - at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream - 240ml, at room temperature
- 0.5 cup whole milk - 120ml, at room temperature
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut - 80g, for the batter
For the Cream of Coconut Soak
- 15 ounces cream of coconut - 1 can (425ml) such as Coco Lopez or Coco Real
For the Whipped Cream Frosting
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream - 720ml, very cold
- 0.5 cup powdered sugar - 60g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Finishing
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut - 160g (or up to 3 cups / 240g) for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, grease parchment, and dust with flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl.
- Add eggs one at a time on medium-low, beating well after each. Add vanilla and coconut extract, beat 30 seconds, and scrape down bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and milk until smooth.
- With mixer on low, add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream mixture in three additions of dry and two of wet, beginning and ending with dry. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut by hand with gentle sweeping motions until evenly distributed.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 28-34 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Stir cream of coconut; warm if needed until pourable.
- Poke holes all over each warm cake layer with a skewer. Slowly pour half the cream of coconut over each layer, allowing it to soak in.
- Cool cakes completely in pans (about 1 hour). Run a knife around edges, flip onto rack, and peel off parchment. Chill layers for 1 hour or overnight for easier assembly.
- In a chilled mixing bowl, beat cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on medium until soft peaks, then increase to medium-high until stiff peaks form.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with a generous layer of whipped cream. Top with second layer and frost entire cake with remaining cream.
- Press sweetened shredded coconut generously onto the sides and top of the frosted cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Notes
- Room-temperature ingredients: Bring all dairy and eggs to room temperature for 45-60 minutes before baking to prevent curdling and ensure a tender crumb.
- Don't skip the soak on warm cakes: The warm cake is porous and absorbs the cream of coconut far more effectively than a cool one, creating that signature pudding-like texture.
- Chill before frosting: Refrigerate the soaked layers for at least 1 hour (or overnight) so they're firm and easy to assemble without sliding.
- Cold cream for whipping: Use very cold heavy cream and chill your bowl and beaters if your kitchen is warm for best volume and stiff peaks.
- Coat immediately: Press shredded coconut onto the cake right after frosting while the whipped cream is still sticky for best adhesion.
- Make-ahead: Bake and soak layers up to 2 days in advance; wrap tightly and refrigerate. Frost and coat the day before serving.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The cake improves on days 2 and 3 as the soak continues to meld.
- Freezing unfrosted layers: Wrap soaked and cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap and foil; freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before frosting.
- Cream of coconut vs. coconut cream: Use sweetened cream of coconut like Coco Lopez or Coco Real, not unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk, which will not produce the same results.
- Variation - Toasted coconut: For extra flavor, toast the exterior coconut in a 325°F oven for 5-8 minutes until golden brown before coating the cake.