This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
This easy Coconut Cake recipe is adapted from my wildly popular vanilla pound cake. This one-bowl quick bread recipe is ready in under an hour. I love to serve coconut pound cake with juicy fresh mango and toasted coconut for a total taste of the tropics.
Meggan’s notes
Light, tropical, and irresistibly moist, coconut cake is exactly what comes to mind for springtime gatherings like bridal showers, baby showers, or brunch—especially for folks living in the South.
As a classically-trained chef, I believe in keeping recipes simple, flavorful, and easy to follow. While developing the recipe for this delightful coconut cake, I started with my trusty pound cake recipe and enhanced it with coconut extract to give it a sweet, nutty flavor with a tropical twist.
In my first test, I used a food processor to mix the ingredients, and it came out great. But when I mixed it by hand in a bowl the second time, it came out even better!
This cake is delicious on its own, but you can elevate it by topping it with toasted coconut and diced mango. For a truly unforgettable dessert, serve it as the base of a Peach Melba to really wow your guests.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cake flour: This finely milled, bleached flour has a lower protein content (about 8%) than all-purpose flour. Making cakes with cake flour gives your desserts a soft, tender texture and an excellent crumb.
- Vanilla extract: You can make your own vanilla if you want to.
- Butter: Cold butter usually softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature (much longer if frozen). To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Afterward, gently press on the butter with your finger. If still too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, coconut extract, and vanilla extract.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, whisking constantly until most of the lumps are gone. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50 to 60 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and peel the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Cool completely, then slice and serve with mango and toasted coconut.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 loaf of Easy Pound Cake, enough for 8 slices or so depending on how you cut them.
- Storage: Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Once the cake has cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to freezer-safe zip-top bags. Stored this way, the cake will last well for a month. Thaw at room temperature.
- Mixer: If you prefer to use a stand mixer, start with your dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk your wet ingredients together separately, then add to the dry and combine on medium speed.
- Mini pound cakes: This recipe will also make 4 miniature pound cakes. Use four 2-cup mini loaf pans and reduce the baking time to 40 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
To ensure your pound cake rises perfectly and doesn’t collapse, make sure your leavening agent is fresh and not expired. This recipe uses baking powder, but the same principle applies to baking soda. Do not over-mix the cake batter either. Over-mixing can incorporate too much air which gives an artificial lift to the batter while it’s baking but ultimately, it might fall. Finally, resist the urge to open the oven door until the baking time is complete—no peeking!
If you overmix, overbake, or use too much flavor, a coconut cake will taste dry. Make sure to mix the batter until just combined, check for doneness with a toothpick, and measure your ingredients accurately.
Coconut cake originated in the Southern region of the United States. The blanket of flaky fresh coconut is a tradition in American Southern cooking that brings back fond memories of special occasions and time spent with family.
More tropical favorites
Appetizer Recipes
Coconut Shrimp
Mexican Recipes
Pineapple Salsa
Salad Recipes
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Cake Recipes
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Join Us
Coconut Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour (see note 1)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter melted (2 sticks)
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large ripe mangos peeled, pitted, and diced, for serving
- 1 cup toasted coconut for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, coconut extract, and vanilla extract.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, whisking constantly until most of the lumps are gone. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50 to 60 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and peel the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Cool completely, then slice and serve with mango and toasted coconut.
Notes
- Cake flour: This finely milled, bleached flour has a lower protein content (about 8%) than all-purpose flour. Making cakes with cake flour gives your desserts a soft, tender texture and an excellent crumb.
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 loaf of Coconut Cake, enough for 8 slices or so depending on how you cut them.
- Storage: Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I felt so welcomed. I just happened across you and am already finding some great recipe ideas. I lack the desire to create but am a baking enthusiast.
Hi Peg! Thank you so much for writing, I’m so glad you feel welcomed! ๐ I hope you enjoy baking this cake, and if you have any questions on this or any other recipe, please let me know! Thank you again and take care – Meggan