Coconut Cake
Our coconut cake is deliciously fluffy, topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled with sweetened coconut flakes. It’s perfect for all your best celebrations!
Are you a coconut lover? Of course, you are! That’s why you’re here, right?
As a huge fan of all things coconut, this coconut cake is one of my top favorites.
What’s not to love? It’s light, fluffy, and has the most amazing cream cheese frosting, with a generous sprinkling of sweetened coconut flakes on top.
It has the best coconut flavor!
My favorite part? I’m using a boxed mix to make this recipe super easy.
Turning a box of cake mix into a delicious cake or cupcakes is kinda my thing. It’s how I make my lemon poke cake and these red velvet cupcakes.
So, grabbing some Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker white cake mix for this coconut cake recipe was a no-brainer. Not to mention, it’s how my granny taught me to make it.
I’ve tweaked her recipe a bit, but honestly, I don’t think she’d mind. This cake tastes exactly like hers, right down to the cream cheese frosting.
If you’re a coconut lover like me and crave more coconut in your life, try our homemade mounds bars, coconut no-crust pie, German chocolate earthquake cake, or pineapple coconut margarita.
Tips for the Best Coconut Cake Recipe
Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese are at room temperature. This makes a smoother cake batter and frosting for the fluffiest cake and creamiest frosting.
Cream of Coconut: Don’t confuse cream of coconut (I love Coco Lopez brand!) with coconut cream. These are two completely different products.
Don’t Overmix: When combining the cake ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. You don’t want a dense cake with a dry, crumbly texture.
How to Store Leftovers
Since the cake has a coconut cream cheese frosting, you’ll have to store it in the fridge. Cover the cake with some foil or put it in an airtight container, and it will stay fresh for 5-6 days.
Want to save some cake for later? Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
More Cake Recipes to Try
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 14.25 ounce box white cake mix
- ¾ cup canola oil, or vegetable oil
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 15 ounce can cream of coconut, (we used Coco Lopez brand)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 8 ounces block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- 7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
To Make the Cake Mix
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9×13-inch metal pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake ingredients. Pour into the prepared pan, and spread into an even layer.14.25 ounce box white cake mix¾ cup canola oil4 eggs1 cup sour cream15 ounce can cream of coconut
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and enough milk to make the frosting spreadable.16 ounces powdered sugar8 ounces block-style cream cheese1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with coconut flakes, and refrigerate until ready to serve.7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
Notes
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of 1 slice of cake. Actual calories will vary.
- We updated this recipe/photos slightly on 5/15/24. Inspired by Coconut Cake recipe from The Good Taste of Hope.
This cake came out way too dense and eggie. More like flan. Wondering if a dry ingredient was left out of this recipe. It seemed like there were too many wet ingredients to one box cake mix. I may try again using 3 eggs and no sour cream. I liked the idea of the cream of coconut
Hi, Betty!
I’m sorry this cake didn’t turn out as expected. All the dry ingredients are there. You could definitely try the cake the way you mentioned (using 3 eggs and leaving out the sour cream), and that should give it different texture.
If you want another variation to consider, try using a box of cake mix, 1 cup of water, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 3 eggs, 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix, and ¾ cup of either sour cream or coco lopez. Use the same frosting. This way reduces the eggs and omits one of the other ingredients and still leaves you with a moist cake. Hope that helps! 😊
This cake tastes like what I would imagine it would be like biting into a wet heavy sweet dish spong and then frosting it with a heavy cream cheese frosting made it even worse, definitely not worth making
Good morning Julie, thank you for your unsolicited feedback. It’s clear from your comments you didn’t actually try the recipe. Therefore, I removed your 1-star rating. You only get to rate a product if you try it. That’s how rating systems work. Have good day.