Southern Coconut Cake
45m prep 40m cook 2h ready
A rich and moist coconut cake with cream cheese frosting, layered with coconut-almond frosting and covered in toasted coconut flakes.
Ingredients
- 532 ml unsalted butter at room temperature
- unsalted butter for greasing
- 1.18 L all-purpose flour
- 22.2 ml baking powder
- 9.86 ml kosher salt
- 4.93 ml baking soda
- 355 ml canned coconut cream or coconut milk
- 14.8 ml vanilla extract
- 14.8 ml almond extract
- 14.8 ml coconut extract
- 710 ml sugar
- 7 large eggs at room temperature
- 532 ml sweetened coconut flakes
- 567 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 237 ml unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1.66 L confectioners' sugar
- 14.8 ml vanilla extract
- 14.8 ml coconut extract
- 7.39 ml almond extract
- 532 ml sweetened coconut flakes toasted, for decorating
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 15 of 20 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 152 mg
- Iron: 3.15 mg
- Magnesium: 35.7 mg
- Phosphorus: 210 mg
- Potassium: 275 mg
- Zinc: 1.1 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients - no prep needed yet.
- 1.18 L all-purpose flour
- 22.2 ml baking powder
- 9.86 ml kosher salt
- 4.93 ml baking soda
- 355 ml canned coconut cream or coconut milk
- 14.8 ml vanilla extract
- 14.8 ml almond extract
- 14.8 ml coconut extract
- 710 ml sugar
- 532 ml sweetened coconut flakes
- 1.66 L confectioners' sugar
- 14.8 ml vanilla extract
- 14.8 ml coconut extract
- 7.39 ml almond extract
Prepare
- 532 ml unsalted butter, at room temperature
- unsalted butter, for greasing
- 7 large eggs, at room temperature
- 567 g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 237 ml unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 532 ml sweetened coconut flakes, toasted, for decorating
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Thoroughly butter three 9-inch cake pans, making sure to coat the sides, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and set the pans aside. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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Step 2.
In a large bowl, sift together 5 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ tablespoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. In a small bowl, combine 1½ cups canned coconut cream or coconut milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon almond extract, and 1 tablespoon coconut extract.
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Step 3.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 2¼ cups (4½ sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature) and 3 cups sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add 7 large eggs (at room temperature) one at a time, scraping down the bowl after every two eggs. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture and the coconut cream mixture in alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour, mixing just until combined. Mix in 2¼ cups (7 ounces) sweetened coconut flakes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.
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Step 4.
Bake until the cake springs back when you touch the center with your finger and is pulling away from the sides of the pan just a bit, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Let the cakes cool in the pans until you can touch the pans comfortably, about 15 minutes, then flip the cakes out onto the lined baking sheets to cool completely before frosting.
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Step 5.
While the cakes cool, make the frosting. In the clean bowl of the stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat 20 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature) and 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature) until no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Add 7 cups confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon coconut extract, and 1½ teaspoons almond extract, and blend until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
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Step 6.
Once the cakes are completely cool, place one layer on a serving plate. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top. Repeat with the second and third layers, then frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate the top and sides of the cake with 2¼ cups (7 ounces) toasted sweetened coconut flakes, pressing gently to adhere.
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Step 7.
Note: To toast the coconut, spread the flakes on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F until golden brown, about 10 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes. Let the coconut cool completely before decorating the cake.
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