Easy Coconut Cake Recipe
Easy Coconut Cake – a moist and flavorful coconut cake topped with a sweet and creamy coconut buttercream frosting. This easy to make cake is perfect for spring and summer, or any time you need a coconut fix!
Coconut cake is an easy favorite at my house. I recently made this for Easter, but it’s amazing for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, graduations, or any spring or summer get together.
It’s SUPER easy to make, which is a huge plus. It’s one of my favorite kinds of simple desserts because it takes a boxed cake mix and dresses it up a bit! When you need a delicious dessert that everyone will love, and you don’t want it to be too complicated, this is the one!
Ingredients For Easy Coconut Cake
- white cake mix
- eggs
- water
- vegetable oil
- coconut extract
- milk
- cream of coconut
- sweetened flaked coconut
- butter
- powdered sugar
How to Make Easy Coconut Cake – Step by Step
Step 1: Mix
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs, water, coconut extract, and vegetable oil until moistened, then beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Step 2: Bake
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until top of cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 3: Add the Cream of Coconut
Remove cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. While cake is still warm, poke holes over the entire surface of the cake with a toothpick or fork. Whisk 1 cup cream of coconut and 1/2 cup milk together in a small bowl and pour evenly over the warm cake. Allow cake to cool completely.
Step 4: Make the Frosting
Beat the softened butter over medium speed with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Continue to beat over medium speed as you gradually add the powdered sugar. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to fully incorporate all of the sugar. Once butter and sugar have come together, gradually beat in the remaining cream of coconut (about 1/3 cup). Add the coconut extract 1 teaspoon at a time and taste in between for desired flavor. 1 teaspoon is plenty for me.
Step 5: Frost and Serve
After cake is completely cool, top with coconut buttercream frosting and sprinkle with coconut. You can also toast the coconut before sprinkling on top; directions for that are below. Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Tips and Notes
Where to find the Cream of Coconut
Cream of Coconut can usually be found with the mixers for alcoholic beverages.
How to Store
Store the frosted cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can this Coconut Cake be made ahead of time?
Yes! This can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. I do recommend removing it from the refrigerator and allowing it to come closer to room temperature about 1-2 hours before serving, but that’s just personal preference. It tastes delicious cold as well!
More Delicious Easy Cake Recipes
- Pina Colada Poke Cake
- Banana Cake with Vanilla Frosting
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
- Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Easy Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 (15.9 oz) box of white cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 cups water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup cream of coconut
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Coconut Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 1/3 cup cream of coconut
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs, water, coconut extract, and vegetable oil until moistened, then beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until top of cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. While cake is still warm, poke holes over the entire surface of the cake with a toothpick or fork. Whisk 1 cup cream of coconut and 1/2 cup milk together in a small bowl and pour evenly over the warm cake. Allow cake to cool completely.
- After cake is completely cool, top with coconut buttercream frosting and sprinkle with coconut (toasted or not). Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
To make the frosting:
- Beat the softened butter over medium speed with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Continue to beat over medium speed as you gradually add the powdered sugar. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to fully incorporate all of the sugar.
- Once butter and sugar have come together, gradually beat in the remaining cream of coconut (about 1/3 cup). Add the coconut extract 1 teaspoon at a time and taste in between for desired flavor. 1 teaspoon is plenty for me.
To make the toasted coconut:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread coconut flakes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Toast until lightly browned all over, then remove from the oven.
Notes
- Where to find the Cream of Coconut: Cream of Coconut can usually be found with the mixers for alcoholic beverages.
- How to Store: store the frosted cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Making ahead of time: This can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. I do recommend removing it from the refrigerator and allowing it to come closer to room temperature about 1-2 hours before serving, but that's just personal preference. It tastes delicious cold as well!
I made this cake for my mom (I don’t like coconut). I took the advice of another comment and only used 1/2 the amount of liquid for the “glaze” before putting on the frosting. Mom gave the cake rave reviews and so did her friends as she shared it with neighbors the morning I made it.
My daughter and I made this cake for my husband’s birthday and it was amazing and easy!
Made this for my sons bday it was fabulous! First cake I wanted seconds!
Did you use whole eggs or egg whites? Wondering if I want egg whites for the white cake if I would need to update the number of eggs.
Hi there, it’s whole eggs.
Hi, can I use coconut milk or almond milk? Can I also substitute the vegetable oil for coconut oil or will it mess the cake up? Thank you
Hi Samantha, yes you can definitely make those substitutions. I’d go with the coconut milk over the almond milk.
Hey this is my favorite coconuts cake.
not a comment but a question. Can I make this cake as a 2layer cake?
Yes you sure can!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. However, the amount of liquid poured over the top at the end resulted in an overly saturated cake, similar to a “Tres Leches”. Next time, I’ll reduce this liquid by half.
Mmmm good! Me and my bf ate it almost all it in 24 hrs! Deciding to make another one soon! Thanks it couldn’t be better! ♥️🎂
Just made this tonight! It turned out so well. It was moist and perfectly sweetened, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I plan to make it again for the holidays.
Buttercream fosting and coconut, the perfect combo. Loving this simple and deliciously moist cake. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Yummy! This coconut cake looks so fluffy and delicious. I’ve never tried to make one before, I think I will!
Yum what a tasty cake recipe we love coconut even though I have a lot of friends that do not, so I will have to pick and choose when I make it.
This looks so tasty!!! I love anything with coconut in it!!
I would love this so much! I just love coconut cake and I love that it’s easy.
I loved it! It was for my hawaiin husband’s birthday and the
Only thing I added on top i cut up a fresh cocnut and decorated the top with it using the empty shell to make it look like a flower fresh cocnut being the petals not perfect but cute. Thanks Linda
My husband is so obsessed with coconut. I’ll have to make this for him.
Excellent !!!
What a great way to elevate boxed cake mix! this looks fantastic
I just need to pick up some coconut extract this weekend, then make this. It looks delicious.
coconut and strawberry together… this looks so fresh and must be delicious!
I love coconut, so this is a must try for me!