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.
Going to try this over the weekend. Thank you for the recipe and for answering all these questions from everyone. Read them all so I had all the best tips. ???
Hi, can I substitute strawberries for the pineapple filling? My family doesn’t like pineapple.
Or are there any other flavor substitutes you can recommend?
Hi Janet, you could use strawberries, that would be delicious. I can’t say exact amounts because I haven’t tested it, but I would finely chop (in a food processor) 1-2 lbs of strawberries and then cook them similar to the pineapple filling. You’ll need to adjust the cornstarch amount, until you reach your desired thickness for filling the cake. I’d love to hear how it turns out 🙂
Are the layers cut in half before freezing or after? I’m sure it would be easier to cut before freezing unless it would make it crumble too easily. Sounds delicious and I want to try it soon!
Hi Rosemary, I usually cool the cake and cut it unfrozen, and then freeze the 4 layers. But some people also find it easier to torte a cake when it’s frozen…so it’s really up to you! If you’re worried, then frozen may be your best bet for the first try. Enjoy!
Hi Lauren
This sounds really good i was
wondering if i could use a bunt pan
for this cake. When i bake cakes i only use
a 13×9 inch pan or my bunt pan
Thank you Karen George
Hi Karen, I have never baked this one in a bundt pan, but I think it would work just fine 🙂 Just be sure to adjust the baking time
This cake sounds wonderful but unfortunately I canno eat anything dairy so could I use oil instead of butter and if so how much. As for the cream cheese, I can use my dairy free cream cheese. I have not found dairy free butter.
Hi Geneva, substituting the oil for butter will change the taste and texture of the cake (and I haven’t tried it to say how it will turn out) but if you do decide to try it I would suggest 6 tablespoons of oil in place of the butter. Hope it works great for you 🙂
This sounds fabulous. Can I use Almond Flour instead of regular flour?
Trying to cut carbs –
Thanks
I haven’t ever baked with almond flour, so I’m totally unfamiliar with it and I couldn’t say for sure. I’d love to know if you try it!
How much sugar could I remove or Sun to make this cake more diabetic friendly. Don’t laugh please…..
Hi Terry, you could try cutting the sugar down to 1 1/2 cups in the cake. You could also greatly cut down on the sugar in the pineapple filling. You may need to add a little more cornstarch to help the mixture thicken.
Is there any way to replace the canned pineapple with fresh pineapple and if so How would I get the correct portion of pineapple and juice?
Hi Heather, a can of crushed pineapple is about 2 cups of chopped fruit and 1/2 cup of juice.
I have just baked the cake in two 9” pans… both cake height is only 3/4”. How in the world do you slice that horizontally? … or did my cake not rise enough?
Hi Doreen, it sounds like the cake didn’t rise enough. There are a lot of good resources online that explain the many reasons this can happen. Here is one: https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/bake/how-to-make-sure-your-cake-will-rise/
The filling and the frosting turned out very well, but the cake did not rise very well and seemed too dense. I followed the directions carefully. Also, the cake was a little hard around the edges, but not burned. I would like to try and make the cake again tomorrow so I do not waste the filling and the frosting. Any suggestions?
Thank You,
Kelley
Kelley, I’m so sorry the cake didn’t rise properly for you. There are many factors that can effect that, and the density of cake. Here is a great article with lots of tips to know before baking a cake. I hope you find it useful. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/cakes-tips-and-techniques