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This simple Coconut Cake recipe has a fresh and delicious pineapple filling inside layers of coconut cake and frosted with a creamy coconut cream cheese frosting. It's one of my absolute favorite cakes!
Trust me, you'll fall hard for this Coconut Cake.
Everyone does! We can't make this for an event without everyone asking for the recipe. The secret to greatness is how we cut each cake layer in half, to create four thin layers of cake, add some pineapple filling between each, and coconut cream cheese frosting to frost the cake. It's to die for; on the same level as my Mom's incredible German Chocolate Cake!
The original recipe was from Utah State Fair Winner, Lisa Blodget (and was shared by Si from A Bountiful Kitchen). I adapted Lisa's version to add my cream cheese buttercream frosting with a splash of coconut milk for extra creaminess and the perfect hint of coconut flavor. This is the best coconut cake recipe, perfect for Easter, birthdays, or any occasion.
How to make Coconut Cake:
Make Cake Batter: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix well. Add coconut extract and 1 ¼ cups of coconut milk. Add flour mixture. Whip egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form then fold into batter.
Bake: Line 8″ cake pans with parchment and spray with cooking spray. Divide cake batter between pans and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. After they have cooled use a sharp serrated knife to cut each cake round in half horizontally, so you have 4 thin cake rounds.
Assemble and Frost: Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with half of the pineapple filling. Top with second cake layer and then some frosting. Add third cake layer and the rest of the pineapple filling. Finally, add the last cake layer and frost the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle with shredded coconut flakes, if desired. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Follow the instructions to make and frost the cake and refrigerate for 1-2 days. The pineapple filling and coconut frosting can be made up to a week in advance, stored separately in the fridge. Allow frosting to come to room temperature before using.
To Freeze: Slice cake rounds in half horizontally as indicated in recipe, then wrap each layer in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. The pineapple filling and coconut frosting can also be frozen in separate freezer safe containers.
More Cake Recipes:
- Hummingbird Cake
- Meringue Roulade
- Carrot Cake
- Lemon Tiramisu
- Biscoff Cake
- Hershey's Chocolate Cake
- Mini Pavlova
- Cinnamon Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Berry Cake
Coconut Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Coconut Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (250g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder, (12g)
- 1 teaspoon salt, (6g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (113g), room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar, (400g)
- 13.5 ounces canned unsweetened coconut milk, , divided (400 ml)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract, (7.5 ml)
- 5 large egg whites
Pineapple Filling:
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, (567 g)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, (134g)
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, (16 g)
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, (113g), room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, , room temperature (226g)
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar, (480g-600g)
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons leftover coconut milk, , regular milk (15-30 ml)
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, (85g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray the bottom and sides of the pan lightly with cooking spray.
- Mix dry ingredients In a mixing bowl; flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter on medium speed with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer for 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix until well creamed together. Add 1 ¼ cups canned coconut milk and coconut extract and mix.½ cup unsalted butter, 2 cups granulated sugar, 13.5 ounces canned unsweetened coconut milk, 1 ½ teaspoons coconut extract
- Gradually add flour mixture and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until incorporated.5 large egg whites
- Bake: Divide cake batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, or with few moist crumbs. Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before inverting them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Torte Cakes: Once cakes have cooled, use a sharp serrated knife to torte/cut each cake round in half horizontally, so that you end up with four thin cake rounds.
- Pineapple Filling: Add all ingredients to medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir well to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and looks "glossy", about 5-8 minutes. Pour filling into a container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling. Once cooled, cover container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to one week.20 ounce can crushed pineapple, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add powdered sugar and a splash of remaining coconut milk and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add a little more milk, to thin, or powdered sugar to stiffen, if needed, until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Stir in coconut flakes, saving some for sprinkling on the sides and top of the cake, if desired.½ cup butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 4-5 cups powdered sugar, 1 – 2 Tablespoons leftover coconut milk, 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- Assemble: Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread half of the pineapple filling over it. Top with another cake layer, and smooth a layer of cream cheese frosting over it. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining half of the pineapple filling over it. Top with last (4th) cake layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake with coconut cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle outsides of cake with shredded coconut, if desired.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, before serving. (Tastes even better the next day!)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe February 2018. Updated March 2021, April 2023, and April 2025.
Some process photos by Nikole from The Travel Palate
OMG, LET ME TELL YOU, this recipe is amazing!! Im a new hobby/cake baker, and i made this cake exactly as is (i did only put 3 cups powdered sugar in the icing) and everyone who ate this almost died. and then came back for a second piece. Melts in your mouth and wonderful flavor. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
the icing is way to sweet..can I get a recipe for an icing who is not so sweet…everyone likes the cake so much…just way to sweet..
jakob_raschle@hotmail.com
Thanks so much for this recipe. I spent years searching for the perfect coconut cake recipe and this is it! I’ve made it a few times now and it is so good. I have a question though! It’s my son’s 11th birthday soon and he loves orange chocolate. There are plenty of orange chocolate sponge cake recipes out there but I was wondering if I could add orange zest and orange flavoring to this one in place of the pineapple filling would it work?
I’m so happy you’ve liked it! I’m sure the orange filling would be delicious, although if you leave the pineapple out you’ll need something else, like maybe mandarain oranges? to substitute to get the same thickness. Otherwise it will be more of a thick glaze, which would work if that’s what you want.
Hi Lauren. I really hope you get to answer this soon because I’ve got a few hours more to make the cake. Can I substitute butter for shortening (Crisco)? Also, I’m covering it in fondant. I’d like to use a nice icing that isn’t too sweet. Which would you advise? Can I use coconut cream with the icing to enhance the flavour for my crumb coat?
Hi Mira, I haven’t tried this cake with crisco–you will loose the taste that comes from a cake made with butter, but texture wise it should be fine. I’m confused what you’re asking me about the frosting…You are going to do fondant over an icing that isn’t too sweet, but you dont want to use the frosting recipe here? If you could clarify, I’ll try and answer 🙂
Thanks Lauren. I meant I’ll be making this with fondant but will need to make a crumb coat before the fondant. What is the nest frosting to use under the fondant?
I can’t wait to taste the cake. However, I only made 2 round cake pans of cake per the instructions. However when I went to assemble, it said 3 cake layers. I ended up cutting my cake layers in half but almost didn’t have enough pineapple filling. I’m glad I made it for home and not to take somewhere. It’s kind of short & squatty…
Recipe looks amazing !
Sorry if this question was already asked …. has the cake recipe been used for cupcakes ???
Does it work out just as good ???
How much time needed to bake cupcakes ???
I think it would work fine. You could hollow out a small hole and fill with the pineapple filling then frost or frost generously with pineapple filling followed by top layer of frosting. I think it would be yummy! As far as time for baking I really don’t know for sure, never tried.
I would fill cup two-thirds full and start with 18 minutes, test from there and just keep an eye until they are baked. Good luck.
Sharon
I did exactly that and the 4 layers were all perfectly even!
This cake is fabulous. I’ve been making it once a week because my family can’t get enough of it. But I am TERRIBLE at cutting the layers in half evenly. Has anyone tried baking 4 separate layers? And if so would the 8” x 3/4” shallow pans work?
Sharon
I did exactly that and the 4 layers were all perfectly even!
Sharon
I did exactly that and the 4 layers were perfectly even!
I made this because a close friend of mine who is a refugee from Pakistan said her favorite cake was Pineapple cake. I thought that her family would be the only ones who like it at her party so I had doughnuts for back up. Turned out everyone including myself loved this cake so much! My husband asked for it for his Birthday this year! : ) We live in Thailand so I used fresh pineapple, 2 cups fruit, 1/2 cup pineapple juice.
Thanks so much for the new family favorite!
Is there a high altitude version? Do we need to make any tweaks to high altitude? I’m at 4,300 ft.
I would add 2 Tbl. additional flour.