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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.
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
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.
Perfect recipe! I just tried it yesterday for my husband’s birthday and it came out amazing. The recipe was easy to follow and tasted yum! So soft and moist. I don’t kike my cakes very sweet and reduced the sugar in the cake to 1.25 cups and also in the filling. The final result was just perfect. Thank you for this amazing recipe. It is a keeper. <3
Delicious! I made this cake for my husband for our anniversary and it turned out even better than expected. He said it’s the best cake’s ever had!
This cake was amazing, everyone loved it.
Omg! Love this recipe! I didn’t want it to be too rich so I used 2/3 of the sugar the recipe calls for and didn’t put too much frosting on the cake. Everything about it was delicious!!!
Can I replace the coconut milk with regular milk ?
Loved this cake!! So moist, so flavorful!! I want to make this same cake only w/ o the coconut milk and make it a lemon cake using lemon extract and zest. Do I just substitute the coconut milk for regular milk?
This cake was AWESOME!
I am really excited to make this. I only have one 9inch by 1.5inch pan. Could I use half the ingredients and make one cake that I cut into two parts? I don’t really want to bake two cakes in the same tin.
Wow! I’m not a baker, so I probably messed something up along the way, but I needed something last week for my partner’s birthday while we’re in pandemic lockdown. All the ingredients are “pantry staples” in my household, so I thought I’d give it a try. It turned out to be one of the moistest and most delicious cakes I’ve ever eaten. I will definitely be making this again!
This is the third time I have made this cake. I first made this for my mom’s 90 th birthday. We ate the whole thing, they even scraped the crumbs off of the plate. It is absolutely delicious. I will be making this again.
I’m making this cake tonight! Does it have to be refrigerated after it’s made? Thanks so much!!
It will keep best in the fridge.