This post contains affiliate links.
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.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
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.
Perfection, loved by all I’ve served it to! I use fresh pureed pineapple, even better than the canned. And add less powdered sugar to the cream cheese icing. Thank you!
I can’t get started on this little jewel soon enough. I love fruity cakes and this sounds like a home run. My daddy used to make delicious pineapple coconut pies that tasted, to me at least, like Juicy Fruit chewing gum. I’m just so sorry he and Mama aren’t around to enjoy this heavenly sounding creation and a cup of coffee with me.
I need this recipe in a gluten free dairy free cupcake version help!! This cake is amazing!
I haven’t assembled the cake yet, but I’m curious….how deep are the 8″ pans you use? My layers ran over the top while baking. Sure hope I can salvage my cake.
Wow, This is a terrific cake. …my official favorite. I made a few adjustments based on the reviews: I used 1/2 cup of sugar for the pineapple filling and 2 cups in the coconut frosting. Perfect balance of sweet and fruit. My husband is a tough critic, and a pretty talented cook in his own right. My adjustments met his seal of approval. Of course, the vanilla bean ice cream was the “grand finale”. I will definitely repeat this recipe for my own birthday In August.
One of the best cakes I’e made!!! It was so easy, yet sooo delicious! I’m definitely making this cake again because my entire family has been asking me to make it for them again! 10/10!!
This cake is phenomenal! I did however make a few tweaks to the recipe. I cut down the amount of sugar in the cake batter by half a cup and used cake flour instead of AP. I also substituted the coconut extract with coconut rum and after baking, drizzled each cake layer with a shot of coconut rum as well. The result was a tender, fluffy, and moist cake! I doubled the recipe and made this into a beautiful, tall, 4 layer cake. A HUGE hit!
I have made this several times and it is amazing. It is great to make for company as it is actually better after a day or 2 in the refrigerator. I have also made it gluten free with success using this gluten free flour. https://www.cup4cup.com/. I made no changes to the recipe except to switch flour. I will have to try some of your other recipes
Amazing. The best cake ever. I’ve made it over and over. My daughter requested I make for her birthday this week. A friend asked me to make just for her after enjoying the first one she asked me to make for an event that was shared by all. Freezing the cake before frosting is brilliant. I changed up how I assemble the cake. I layer each cake with both frosting and pineapple filling. Also, I haven’t figured out how to properly cut the cake to get all the layers, so I make a three layers cake. The fourth layer I freeze for a rainy day.
If I could give 10 stars, I would! Made this cake twice and I’m already getting requests from people to make one for them. I was nervous at first because I have always struggled to make cakes from scratch that didn’t fall. I followed the directions exactly and it came out perfect. It tastes like a professional cake made for fine dining or a cake they would serve at a formal wedding or something. Unbelievably tasty! You won’t be able to stop yourself from eating it all!
Delicious! I added no sugar in the pineapple filling and only 3/4 cup powdered sugar in the frosting. Cake was amazing! I’ve made it 6 times in the last month because everyone loves it!