Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake – Brown Eyed Baker
For the Cake
- 3 cups (384 g) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups (297 g) granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1¼ cups (301 g) unsweetened coconut milk
For the Coconut Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 to 5 cups (454 to 568 g) powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons (60 g) coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
To Garnish
- 1 cup (60 g) large flake coconut, toasted
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Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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In a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add extracts, beating to combine. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with coconut milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
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In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing top if necessary. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
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Make the Frosting: With a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about 3 minutes. Add 4½ cups of the powdered sugar, the coconut milk, and the coconut extract. Mix on low until all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. If the frosting is too thin for your liking, beat in more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Conversely, if you find the frosting too thick, you can beat in an additional 1 tablespoon of coconut milk to reach your desired consistency.
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Spread the frosting over the cake, then top with the toasted coconut flakes.
- Cake Flour – Using cake flour gives this cake a light and tender crumb and keeps it wonderfully moist. You can substitute all-purpose flour if need be; the texture will be a little denser but it will work.
- Canned Coconut Milk – This should be unsweetened and make sure to give it a good shake before opening!
- Coconut Extract – This is found in most grocery stores’ baking sections.
- Large Flake Coconut – I love the look of large flakes for garnishing the top of the cake, but you can use the more readily available sweetened shredded coconut if that’s all you have.
- Frosting – If you want to switch things up, you can make a coconut cream cheese frosting by preparing my cream cheese frosting and use 1 teaspoon coconut extract instead of the vanilla extract.
- How To Toast Coconut – Place the coconut in a large pan (I use my non-stick skillet for this) over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a silicone spatula, until coconut is browned and toasted. Transfer the coconut to a clean plate to cool completely before using.
- Storage – Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Whole Cake – I would recommend freezing it before frosting it – cover tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost and garnish with the toasted coconut.
- Freezing Individual Slices – Wrap each slice well in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Calories: 775kcal, Carbohydrates: 91g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 30g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 136mg, Sodium: 222mg, Potassium: 212mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 66g, Vitamin A: 1025IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 1mg
