This Coconut Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting is easy to whip up, filled with coconut flavor and topped with a light and sweet whipped cream cheese frosting.
It's summer, and with summer comes delicious summer flavors! My sister texted me a couple weeks ago asking if I could make her a coconut dessert. She didn't specify what she wants. All she said was that she wanted something light. I had some coconut milk and shredded coconut in my pantry and brainstormed some ideas and came up with this delicious Coconut Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting. It's a keeper!
In the middle of June, I quit my job of 8 years because I accepted a job with another company. I wanted a bit of a break between jobs so I took a week off and it was the best decision. During that week, I had some plans to cross some things off my to-do list: cleaning, organizing, taking my car to the car wash, and baking! I did some cleaning around the house, and even managed to clean out the garage with my husband and get rid of a ton of junk! Never got a chance to take my car to the car wash, but I did bake 4 different recipes that I'm slowly adding to the blog!
One of those recipes was this cake! It's incredibly easy, quick, and comes out so light and delicious!
Ingredients for Coconut Cake
- Cake flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Egg
- Coconut Milk
- Shredded Coconut
Ingredients for Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered Sugar
Instructions
For the cake
This Coconut Cake recipe is so easy to make! You could make it all in one bowl if you so choose. I like to separate the dry ingredients at first so that I can whisk them all together, but you don't have to.
First, add all dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk, then set aside. Next, add sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and coconut milk in a bowl and mix until completely combined. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Then fold in the shredded coconut. Pour the batter into an 8x8 pan and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
For the Frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the cold heavy cream and whisk on high speed until almost stiff peaks. Don't overmix. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue beating until stiff peaks.
Fold in ⅓ cup of toasted shredded coconut. Save the rest to top after cake is frosted.
What Makes This Cake So Good?
- For starters, it's made in an 8x8 pan, which creates easy clean-up, very little fuss, and you don't have to worry about decorating a layer cake! But you still get all the good taste. Also, it's an 8x8, which means it's a small cake and you don't have to worry about so much leftovers, especially for small gatherings!
- This cake is incredibly tender, created by using cake flour! Cake flour contains less protein, which results in a more tender crumb.
- The coconut milk and shredded coconut creates a delicious coconut flavor without overpowering the cake!
- The frosting is absolutely delicious! A whipped cream cheese frosting with toasted shredded coconut creates a light and delicious topping to any cake! You can even reduce the amount of sugar if you think it's too much.
How to Make the Best Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure your bowl and whisk start off cold! If you need to place them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before you start whipping, do it! It will help keep the whipped cream stable and chill. Especially in the summer.
- Before adding the heavy whipping cream, make sure the cream cheese is completely smooth.
- Don't overbeat the whipped cream once added. This can cause the whipped cream to separate, and that's fine if you're trying to make butter, but in this case it's important it's not overwhipped.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Keep the frosted cake refrigerated.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you try this recipe, leave a review below to let me know what you think!
📖 Recipe Card
Coconut Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 8x8 square pan
Ingredients
Coconut Cake
- 1¾ cup (196g) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz. cream cheese
- 1¾ cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
Toasted Coconut
- ½ cup shredded coconut
Instructions
Coconut Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper OR grease the pan so that it doesn't stick.
- In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, whisk and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add sugar, oil, milk, and coconut milk and whisk until completely combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add the shredded coconut and fold until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven once baked and let cool completely before frosting.
Toasted Coconut
- While cake is cooling. Preheat oven to 325°
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the shredded coconut. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on it and start checking at 5 minutes. Once the shredded coconut starts to turn golden brown, stir the coconut around so that it evenly cooks. Remove once you reach the desired color. Let cool before using.
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the cold heavy cream and whisk on high speed until almost stiff peaks. Don't overmix. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue beating until stiff peaks.
- Fold in ⅓ cup of toasted shredded coconut. Save the rest to top after cake is frosted.
- Once the cake is cooled, frost with whipped cream cheese frosting. You'll have a little extra frosting.
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