This cake is also known as Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake. It’s said that Tom Cruise gifts this to his friends for Christmas. (A shipped cake costs $130.00.) This home baked version is so much cheaper and fresher to make. It’s moist, and delivers a lovely coconut flavor. The cream cheese buttercream frosting “tops” this cake off, with a little bit of coconut to bring home the tropical flavor.

I baked this cake, right before we left for our January Caribbean Cruise on the Sun Princess. I was inspired to bake this cake, because my BFF told me they actually ordered the “real” Tom Cruise Coconut Bundt Cake via mail order. My BFF loves anything coconut, so I did some sleuthing to see if I could come close to a mail order bundt cake.

This cake has white chocolate in the batter. (See tasting notes.)

Canned coconut milk, buttermilk and coconut extract are key ingredients to add moisture and plenty of coconut flavor.

Bakers Joy Baking Spray is my weapon of choice, to ensure that my cake doesn’t stick to the pan. A cookie/ice cream scoop helps to evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Last, but not last, an even layer of coconut flakes go right on top. Bake at 325F for 50-55 minutes. I always test with a long wooden skewer to more accurately check that the cake is properly baked.

Allow the cake to completely cool before inverting it to be frosted. The cake slipped right out of the pan, thanks to Bakers Joy Spray!

The frosting is a butter and cream cheese recipe, with more coconut extract added.

Top the frosted cake with coconut flakes and it’s glorious, if I do say so myself

Coconut Cake is as much a favorite of mine, as it is for my BFF. This slice is all mine!

TASTING NOTES: The cake was moist and tender and the coconut flavor really came through. Could I taste the white chocolate? Not really. What I really loved what the crunchy layer of baked coconut flakes on the bottom of the cake. Wow! The remaining slices were wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen in a Zip-Log bag. It’s a good thing, because I’m not tempted to eat too much of this. Is this as good as Doan’s Bakery? I have no idea! I just can’t fathom spending that kind of money on a mail order cake! I will say that this cake is delicious!

NOTE: I have started on the new 2025 Weight Watchers plan again AFTER I baked this cake. I gained a few too many pounds in the last couple of years– lots of bread, cake and cookie baking! Plus, we indulged a bit on our cruise. I’ve been cooking lighter fare (and have lost weight) but I haven’t photographed the recipes. I’ll start doing that now that I’ve settled down from the death of my oldest brother. I’m happy to be back!

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White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

This cake is also knows as Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake. It's said that Tom Cruise gifts this to his friends for Christmas. A shipped cake costs $130.00. This home baked version is so much cheaper and fresher to make. It's moist, and delivers a lovely coconut flavor. The cream cheese buttercream frosting "tops" this cake off, with a little bit of coconut to bring home the tropical flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Frosting time20

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Coconut Bundt Cake, Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

Servings: slices

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

1 Bundt Pan
non-stick baking spray recommended: Baker's Joy Baking Spray
off set spatula for spreading frosting
stand mixer or hand mixer

Ingredients

FOR THE COCONUT CAKE:

3 cups all-purpose flour 360 g
2 teaspoons baking powder 8 g
1 teaspoon salt 6 g
½ cup canned coconut milk, mixed before measuring 125 g
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature 120 g
2 teaspoons coconut extract see notes
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar 350 g
1 cup unsalted butter 226 g room temperature
4 ounces white chocolate melted
3 eggs room temperature
2 egg whites room temperature (see notes)

FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM:

1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g slightly softened
4 ounces cream cheese
2 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted (see notes)
1 teaspoon coconut extract 5.3 g (see notes)
Pinch of salt omit if using salted butter

GARNISH:

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut (see notes)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325℉. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick spray. (My recommendation is Baker's Joy Baking Spray). Spread the spray, thoroughly, with a pastry brush.

FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE COCONUT CAKE:

In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the coconut milk, buttermilk, and coconut extract. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the melted white chocolate, followed by the eggs and egg whites, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl in between additions.
Continue beating on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture gets smooth in texture and slightly bigger in volume.
With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by ½ the coconut mixture, another ⅓ of the flour, the second ½ of the coconut mixture, and then the remaining flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake (which turns into the bottom) with the coconut. Set aside a piece of foil to place on top of the cake, in case the coconut begins to darken too fast (about halfway through baking.)
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Remove the cake from the oven and place the bundt pan on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Allow the cake to cool for about an hour before inverting the cake on a cake stand.

FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip (or paddle) attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition. Add more powdered sugar, in tablespoon increments, until the frosting has reached your preferred creamy texture.
If the frosting seems too thick, add a tablespoon or so of an leftover coconut milk.
Stir in the coconut extract and salt (omit if using salted butter).
Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. The buttercream will become lighter in color and texture.

Frosting the cake:

A cookie scoop makes this much easier, by adding even mounts of frosting all around the bundt cake. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread the frosting along the top, half the sides, including the inside.
Garnish with coconut flakes. You can garnish with toasted coconut, but I liked the pretty white of sweetened coconut, right out of the bag.
This cake freezes well, once sliced and wrapped in plastic wrap.

Notes

Recipe notes:

I used egg whites from a carton, without any problems.

There is a difference in coconut extract vs. coconut emulsion. I find that the extract can be a bit more concentrated than an emulsion. Either works. My recommendation is to be conservative when adding it to you batter. Give it a taste test, and add a little bit more according to you preference.

There are no specific measurements for the coconut. I spread just enough on top of the cake batter for an even layer. For the garnish, same thing– just enough to gently press into the frosting.

There is no need to toast the coconut, before adding it on top of the cake batter. I noticed that the coconut began to darken about halfway through. Laying a piece of foil over the cake, as it baked, prevented the coconut from burning. This added a lovely, chewy texture to the cake.

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