This Coconut Cake Recipes delivers so many levels of deliciousness. The cake is tender. The coconut custard is creamy and luscious– and could be a stand alone dessert. The creamy coconut buttercream has a slight tang from cream cheese and is decorated with toasted coconut. It’s a beautiful cake, and it’s even better once you slice into it. There is more than a whisper of coconut flavor. This cake truly speaks “Coconut”. (You can use the “JUMP” to the recipe button– or scroll through to see how I made this cake.)
Easter seems to be the time of year that Coconut recipes are posted all over the internet. Fortunately, I have plenty of family and friends who share their love of coconut with me. Whenever there is a holiday, I jump at the chance to bake a new cake recipe. I enjoy baking, and my family has come to anticipate my desserts. Win!
I have a few other Coconut Cake recipes on my blog. However, this is the first Coconut Cake I’ve filled with a custard. How does this cake rank against my others? I’d say, it’s nudging my Southern Coconut Cake from first place. The Coconut Custard is so incredibly delicious. I’m glad that I made the coconut custard the day before, because the cake is a little time-consuming to make. The custard comes together pretty quickly, but it needs to chill until firm.
We start with whole milk, sugar and cornstarch. Heat the mixture until it begins to thicken. You’ll want to “temper” the eggs by pouring a little of the hot mixture into the eggs– this prevents you from getting scrambled eggs.
Add sweetened shredded coconut to the mixture and continue to cook until thick. Remove from the heat and add both vanilla and coconut extract.
Before I covered up the finished custard, I tasted it. Wowee Zowee! I could’ve eaten a bowl of this! This went into the fridge to chill completely.
Baking the cake is pretty straightforward. The batter includes coconut milk, butter and vegetable oil– so you can pretty much guarantee that it’ll be moist. My favorite cake pans are these 8″ USA Pans. To prepare my cake pans, I use Baker’s Joy Spray (I buy mine at Wal-Mart) and pre-cut 8″ parchment cake liners. My cakes slide right out; cool the cakes completely.
Buttercream frosting is so easy to make, and tastes so much better than the canned stuff. Softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, coconut extract and vanilla are the ingredients. I’ve learned how to gauge how much powdered sugar that I need, according to the texture– so that’s why I rarely measure nowadays.
I want a creamy texture, that will be smooth enough to “pipe” onto my cake. If it’s too thick, I add a little bit of milk, half and half or milk. If it’s too thin, I add a little more powdered sugar. Easy! I took a class at a local “Michael’s” Craft Shop a few years ago. That’s how I learned how to use piping bags, couplers and piping tips. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun! I’m nowhere close to be as advanced as professional pastry chefs– but I get better every time. I’ve picked up a few tips and tools to improve my cake frosting skills. For one, I upgraded my cake turntable to be a rotating model. What a great improvement! It’s so much easier to turn the cake, rather than ME turning around, while trying to frost.
Have you ever picked up a cake layer, only to have it break in half?! I have. Ugh. The problem is now solved, by using a large cake lifter. Since there will be custard in between each layer, I piped a strip of frosting around each cake layer, to make a dam (This will prevent the creamy custard from oozing over the side.)
Now to add the custard and smooth it out with an off-set spatula.
The third cake layer is set on top, and it’s time to frost the rest of the cake. I didn’t photograph the process, because frosting and a camera makes a terrible mess! I started with a generous layer of frosting on top and then a “crumb coating” all the way around. Then I slathered on the rest of the frosting, and piped a little bit of decorating around the top edge. Oh! Toasted coconut!
I’ve recently discovered that my Air Fryer is a terrific alternative for toasting nuts or coconut.
It takes just a few minutes, with me watching it very closely so it doesn’t burn. (I also included how to toast coconut in a microwave.)
My trick to “sticking” coconut on the edges of a cake it to set it over a sheet pan. That way, I can scoop up remaining coconut and adhere it to areas that I missed. How long did it take me to make this cake? Well, with the coconut custard being made the day before, I’d say about an hour. Cleanup is another story… I tend to make quite the mess! I set the cake into the refrigerator to chill overnight.
It’s so hard to photograph my desserts, when you’ve had three two glasses of Prosecco and you have guests looking anxious to taste the cake.
I simply didn’t have time, not the best lighting to capture a slice of the cake. I mean, white plates, white cake, light filling and white frosting– but, you can see how tender the crumb of the cake is.
TASTING NOTES: My rule of thumb is to bake the cake at least 5 minutes less than the recommended time. I’m thankful that I followed my rule, as the cake wasn’t the least bit dry. It was tender. The flavor of the Coconut came through on every level, and I was in heaven. The frosting was sweet, but not cloyingly sweet. (NOTE: I had leftover frosting, and that will be repurposed for something else.) That’s what I love about cream cheese– it’s slight tang contrasts the sweetness of the sugar. I loved the texture of the coconut in the custard filling…but the crunch of the toasted coconut and a bite of cake frosting… wow! I sent my guests home with slices of leftover cake. Good idea, as I might’ve gone overboard eating most of it. Another cake dessert triumph!
Coconut Custard Cake with a Coconut Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Rotating Cake Turntable makes frosting so much easier
- piping bag for frosting
- off set spatula for frosting
- Parchment paper for cake pans
- 3 8" cake pans
Ingredients
Make the coconut custard (so it can thicken and chill:
- 2 egg yolks
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk or 2%
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp Salted Butter
- 1/4 tsp coconut extract recommended: LorAnn Coconut Extract
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
For the Coconut Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp coconut extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups coconut milk don't use Cream of Coconut
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 oz 452g Challenge Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup 224g unsalted Challenge Butter, room temperature
- 11 cups 1265g powdered sugar
- 2 tsp coconut extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp. heavy cream or half and half or milk to thin the frosting to desired consistency
Toasted Coconut (to decorate the cake):
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut toasted
Instructions
FOR THE CUSTARD:
- Add the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl and gently beat them together. Set aside.
- Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and whisk until smooth.Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until mixture begins to thicken and bubble. CAUTION: Don’t want turn up the heat to speed up the process. The mixture needs time to thicken properly.
- Remove a ladle full of the milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together, then return the egg mixture to the milk mixture. (This process tempers the eggs and ensures that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs.
- Stir in the shredded coconut and bring the mixture to a light boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute or so, stirring continuously, until thickened. (The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.) CAUTION: Don’t boil the mixture for longer than 2 minutes, or you can overcook it and it’ll actually break down, rather than get thicker.
- Remove from heat and add the butter and extracts. Stir until smooth, then pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed on top of the custard to prevent a film from forming on top. Set in the fridge to cool completely.
FOR THE CAKE:
- Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, oil and extracts to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Don't skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
- Add the coconut milk and mix until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled, and that's okay.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
FOR THE FROSTING:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the coconut extract and vanilla extract mix until well combined.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
- NOTE: If the frosting appears too thick to "pipe" or spread, add a little bit of heavy cream until it's the consistency you like. If the frosting appears too thin, add a few tablespoons more of powdered sugar.
TO FROST AND BUILD THE CAKE:
- Use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes. NOTE: I don't get domes on my cake. For a more level cake. I invert the domed side down.
- Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Pipe a dam of frosting around the outside of the cake. This prevents the custard from oozing over the side of the cake.
- Spread half of the coconut custard evenly on top of the cake layer, inside the dam.
- Add the second layer of cake, another dam of frosting and the remaining coconut custard.
- Add the final layer of cake on top, then frost the top of the cake. Using an off set spatula, frost a "crumb" coat all around the edges of the cake. Add the remaining frosting all over the cake (you may have leftover frosting that you can refrigerate or freeze for future use.)
Toast the coconut microwave method "easier than the oven":
- Start by spreading coconut on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave the coconut in 30-second bursts, until it shows signs of starting to brown–about 4 minutes in a microwave (set on high power).Continue to microwave in 30-second bursts, gently stirring to redistribute each time. When the coconut is as brown as you like – stop. It's done. — technique from King Arthur FlourLIKEWISE: I toasted my coconut in my air fryer in just a few minutes!
- Press the toasted coconut onto the sides and top of the cake, covering it fully. Do this immediately after frosting it. The frosting will “crust” as it sits and the coconut will not stick if you try to add it later.
- (Optional) Pipe shells or swirls of frosting onto the top of the cake. Note that it’s a little tricky for the frosting to stick to the coconut, so you may want to pipe the frosting onto the cake prior to adding the coconut. It just depends on the look you want.
- Refrigerate well covered until ready to serve. Cake should be eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
[…] keep a supply of disposable piping bags on hand, since I like to decorate layer cakes. Of course, you can use a ziploc bag, and cut out a corner, as […]