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Our Best Coconut Cake Recipes

Our Best Coconut Cake Recipes

Updated March 14, 2012

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Coconut cake is rich and airy at the same time, making it a perfect dessert for spring. From impressive coconut layer cakes to easy coconut sheet cakes and cupcakes, we’ve got the perfect coconut cake recipe for you.

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Ultimate Coconut Cake

Credit: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey and Elise Mayfield; Prop Styling: Kay Clarke and Laura Evans

Ultimate Coconut Cake Recipe

"Ultimate" is no exaggeration here—this cake features coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut sugar, coconut extract, and (of course) flaked coconut. Given this cake's incredibly moist layers, intense coconut flavor, and lighter-than-air filling, our test kitchen chefs fought over the leftovers.

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Mile-High Coconut Cupcakes

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mindi Shapiro and Amanda Widis

Mile-High Coconut Cupcakes Recipe

These coconut cupcakes are a mile-high with icing and amazing flavor.

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Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Dylan + Jeni; Styling: Scott Horne

Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Zucchini makes a brilliant addition to carrot cake, adding a verdant note to the sweet carrot.

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Coconut Cream Cake

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Coconut Cream Cake Recipe

The filling in this beautiful Coconut Cream Cake calls for packaged coconut shavings. Look for them in your grocer's natural foods section.

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Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pound Cake

Credit: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pound Cake Recipe

Lightly toasting the macadamia nuts brings out their rich, buttery flavor.

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Coconut Layer Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

Credit: Oxmoor House

Coconut Layer Cake with Marshmallow Frosting Recipe

Swirls of rich, fluffy marshmallow frosting and flakes of toasted coconut are the crowning glory of this luscious layer cake. Did we mention it's completely gluten-free?

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Coconut Cake with Raspberry Filling

Credit: Raymond Hom; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Coconut Cake with Raspberry Filling Recipe

A little coconut flour (look for it with specialty flours) adds extra nutty essence. But don't get overzealous and use more than we specify; because this flour lacks the gluten of wheat-based cake flour, it would wreck the structure.

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Towering Coconut Layer Cake

Credit: John Kernick

Towering Coconut Layer Cake Recipe

This cake couldn't be more traditional: four layers of rum-brushed yellow cake filled and frosted with a light and airy, coconut-scented meringue-buttercream.

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Double Coconut Cake

Credit: Oxmoor House

Double Coconut Cake Recipe

Double the coconut flavor in your cake by adding coconut milk to the cake batter and coconut extract to the fluffy frosting.

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Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting Recipe

This three-layer coconut cake recipe is one of our readers' all-time favorites. The frosting is also popular for several other cupcake and cake flavors like carrot, spice and basic white.

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Coconut-Almond Cream Cake

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Coconut-Almond Cream Cake Recipe

This elegant three-layer cake has a creamy whipped cream-coconut filling and a rich cream cheese frosting and is sprinkled with toasted coconut and almonds for an impressive presentation.

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Hazel’s Fresh Coconut Cake

Credit: Oxmoor House

Hazel’s Fresh Coconut Cake Recipe

Southerner Hazel Burwell has been making this stately cake for her family for over 40 years. She brushes the layers with a coconut syrup to keep the cake moist, and adds marshmallows to the frosting to keep it soft.

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Coconut Layer Cake

Credit: Mark Thomas; Styling: Susan Vajaranant

Coconut Layer Cake Recipe

This moist, two-layer Coconut Layer Cake is worthy of any special occasion. With sweetened flaked coconut in the filling and sprinkled on the top and sides of the cake, it makes a striking presentation.

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Coconut Cake

Coconut Cake Tout

This classic two-layer coconut cake recipe features a homemade frosting made from sugar, lemon juice, egg whites, vanilla extract, and shredded coconut.

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Coconut Triple-Layer Cake

Credit: Oxmoor House

Coconut Triple-Layer Cake Recipe

Impress your guests with this low-fat, three-layer coconut cake that’s topped with a fluffy frosting made with egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.

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Coconut Cupcakes

Credit: Dan Goldberg

Coconut Cupcakes Recipe

Coconut cakes are always showstoppers at family gatherings. Instead of baking a single cake, spoon that delicious batter into lined baking cups and serve cupcakes.

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Toasted Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Toasted Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Coconut and pecans are a match made in Southern dessert heaven, so these cupcakes are divine. Coconut extract and coconut milk (be sure to shake the can) make the pecan-filled cake taste and smell sensational.

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Fresh Coconut Cake

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro

Fresh Coconut Cake Recipe

Make your coconut cake extra-special by using shaved fresh coconut instead of packaged coconut and by adding coconut water to the cake batter.

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Toasted Coconut Refrigerated Cake

Credit: Anna Williams

Toasted Coconut Refrigerated Cake Recipe

Make a super-easy coconut cake using packaged pound cake, vanilla pudding, whipping cream and flaked coconut.

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Coconut Sheet Cake

Coconut Sheet Cake Recipe

Coconut cake just got easier. Make a sheet cake instead of a layer cake for a dessert that's as easy as it is delicious. Top with cream cheese icing and a sprinkle of coconut for a cool, delicious dessert.

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Five-Spice Toasted-Coconut Cake Roll with Tropical Fruit Compote

Credit: Photography: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

Five-Spice Toasted-Coconut Cake Roll with Tropical Fruit Compote Recipe

This is a great make-ahead dessert because you can freeze the rolled cake for up to 2 days before serving it with the compote.

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Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Fonda Shaia

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Create a memorable dessert packaged in a pint-size liner. These too-cute-to-eat treats get their vibrant flavor from coconut extract.

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Coconut Butter Cake with Ginger Ice Milk

Credit: Photography: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro

Coconut Butter Cake with Ginger Ice Milk Recipe

The texture and flavor of this coconut cake may remind you of a pound cake. The cake is baked in a springform pan, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with ginger ice cream.

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The Coconut Chiffon Cake

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

The Coconut Chiffon Cake Recipe

Coconut is the doyenne of Southern layer cakes, a masterpiece of home cookery that has crowned dining room sideboards for more than a hundred years. Purists sing the praises of simple but divine, opting for coconut water-doused cake layers and dreamy swirls of meringue. With this latest creation, we opted for a thick and rich filling.

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Coconut Cake with Rum Filling and Coconut Ermine Frosting

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Coconut Cake with Rum Filling and Coconut Ermine Frosting Recipe

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Our Best Coconut Cake Recipes

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Ultimate Coconut Cake

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Mile-High Coconut Cupcakes

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Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

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Coconut Cream Cake

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Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pound Cake

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Coconut Layer Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

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Coconut Cake with Raspberry Filling

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Towering Coconut Layer Cake

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Double Coconut Cake

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Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting

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Coconut-Almond Cream Cake

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Hazel’s Fresh Coconut Cake

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Coconut Layer Cake

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Coconut Cake

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Coconut Triple-Layer Cake

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Coconut Cupcakes

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Toasted Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

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Fresh Coconut Cake

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Toasted Coconut Refrigerated Cake

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Coconut Sheet Cake

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Five-Spice Toasted-Coconut Cake Roll with Tropical Fruit Compote

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Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

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Coconut Butter Cake with Ginger Ice Milk

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The Coconut Chiffon Cake

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Coconut Cake with Rum Filling and Coconut Ermine Frosting

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