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.
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:
- 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
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Recipe
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
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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
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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.
Has anyone tried using coconut flour instead of regular flour to make this cake more Carb friendly?
I saw an earlier comment that tried coconut flour and they said it did not turn out
Made this with gluten-free flour and it turned out delicious!
Thanks for sharing–I’m glad to hear it worked with gluten-free flour!
Hi Lauren,
I can’t wait to try this recipe this weekend! I have a question- if I have boxed coconut milk (Pacifica Brand) can I substitute that for the canned coconut milk? Or do you recommend canned?? Is there a real difference for baking? Thank you!
There is actually a big difference between the two, be sure to used canned. Best wishes.
I made this cake for the first time today. It is excellent! I do suggest that you make the cake layers ahead of time and slice them while cold, the prep work is better if you do it in advance, it’s work but it’s definitely worth it! My husband says this is the best cake he has ever eaten, I was happy to hear this as I cooked it for his birthday! I came across this recipe almost by accident because I was looking for a coconut cake recipe and stumbled on this. I am already excited about the next time that I make this cake!🎂
This really was one of the best cakes I have ever had. That includes bakery bought cakes as well! My dad likes the pinapple coconut combination so I was looking for a recipe to incorporate both. I, myself, don’t particularly care for the combo so I wasn’t really expecting to like it a lot, but, it was for my dad anyway… Well, I loved this cake! I ate almost all the leftovers myself and I rarely will even eat any leftovers at all. My husband doesn’t even usually eat a whole piece of cake at the party, but I noticed that he sliced himself a big slice for breakfast the next day. This was a definite success! I did use some extra coconut on the outside of the cake and toasted some of it for looks. I also didn’t have coconut flavoring so I used a little almond and some vanilla, but I dont think it was crucial to the success of this recipe. I look forward to trying it with the coconut flavor next time.
I made this coconut cake and frosting for my daughters birthday at the end of June this year. I made a key lime, pineapple curd filling (using key lime juice and pineapple juice). It tasted amazing.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing.
This cake is the best. Moist and delicious. The only problem is I can’t stop eating it. I’m going to make it with a flag design with strawberries and blueberries for the 4th of July today. I’m sure it will be amazing as well! Thank you!!!.
I love that idea! I hope everyone loves it!
I’ve made this cake before and it is amazing !! Fantastic recipe !! Going to make the frostingagain for another cake since it was a big hit – How long will this frosting keep in the fridge before being used ?
Thanks Jenn, I’m so happy to hear that! The frosting will last for 2 weeks in the fridge, or you can freeze it.
Awesome flavor in the cake but a little too sweet. Next time I’ll cut back on the sugar.The frosting was way too sugary. I had to scape it off in order to eat the cake.
This is my husband’s new favorite cake! I made it for his birthday and again for Father’s Day weekend. It went much easier the second time around as I knew I had to use my kitchenaid to beat the egg whites first then transfer them out of the stainless steel bowl (I only have one) so I could use that for the cake batter.
I also bought new baking powder since the cakes didn’t rise enough to be cut in half the first time. That time I went ahead and made more batter to get a true four layer cake. Even with the new powder, the cakes still didn’t rise enough. It’s just a two layer cake this time. Still delicious and moist and the perfect combination of flavors!