Every bite of my Coconut Pound Cake recipe is straight up perfection. It’s rocking that classic dense and rich classic pound cake feel with a crazy good cream cheese coconut glaze with toasted coconut flakes on top. And the real tea? It’s a breeze to make. Just one mixing bowl for the batter, and before you know it, it’s ready to serve. Trust me, if you liked my coconut cake recipe or even this fun pineapple coconut cake, you’ll absolutely LOVE this old-fashioned coconut bundt cake recipe!!
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Coconut Pound Cake Ingredients
- Butter: Unsalted. If you use salted, decrease the salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: For sweetness.
- Eggs: Large and at room temp.
- Cake Flour: Lighter than all-purpose flour, it provides a tender, fine crumb. Remember to sift it! If you don’t have any around but have all-purpose flour and cornstarch, you can make homemade cake flour.
- Coconut Cream Instant Pudding Mix: This little packet is my secret weapon! It adds an extra layer of coconut flavor and helps keep the cake moist.
- Fine Sea Salt: Kosher is fine also.
- Baking Soda: Just a little helps our coconut pound cake rise and become beautifully fluffy.
- Sour Cream: It brings moisture and a subtle tang that balances the sweetness.
- Milk: Any help you prefer. For more coconut flavor, swap out regular milk for unsweetened coconut milk.
- Banana Extract: Bet you didn’t expect this ingredient! Banana extract pairs wonderfully with coconut, giving an extra layer of flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Grab the real stuff, nothing artificial.
- Cream Cheese: Softened for the best texture.
- Powdered Sugar: Feel free make homemade powdered sugar with just granulated sugar and your mixer if you ran out.
- Milk: Thins out the icing. Use what you have on hand.
- Coconut Extract: Adds more coconut flavor. Swap in vanilla if you want.
- Coconut Flakes: Toast these for a nice garnish on your cake.
How To Make Coconut Pound Cake
Make the Cake Batter
Step 1: Add butter and sugar to a measuring bowl. Mix on high until pale yellow and fluffy.
Step 2: Then, lower speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each egg, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 3: Sift together cake flour, instant pudding mix, sea salt, and baking soda. Turn mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add sifted dry ingredients.
Step 4: Add sour cream, milk, and both extracts.
Step 5: Mix until the batter is just combined. Don’t overdo it!
Step 6: Pour cake batter into prepared Bundt pan and spread evenly. Bake at 325 until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Glaze it Up!
Step 7: Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, milk, and extract to a small bowl.
Step 8: Whisk the glaze until smooth.
Step 9: Pour the glaze over cooled cake. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top and serve.
Coconut Pound Cake Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Coconut Pound Cake
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1-3.4 ounce package coconut cream instant pudding mix
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon coconut extract
- 1 tablespoon banana extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Coconut Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ¼ cup coconut flakes toasted, for garnish
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F. Place rack to middle position. Liberally coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar on high until pale yellow and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Lower speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each egg, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Sift together cake flour, instant pudding mix, sea salt, and baking soda.
- Turn mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add sifted dry ingredients in two additions. Do not overmix.
- Lastly, add sour cream, milk, and both extracts and mix until just combined. Turn off mixer.
- Pour cake batter into prepared Bundt pan and spread evenly.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about an hour and 20 minutes. Rotate cake halfway through baking.
- Cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert cake onto serving platter to continue cooling, for at least an hour before glazing and serving.
For the Glaze
- Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, milk, and extract until smooth.
- Pour over cooled cake. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top and serve.
Notes
How To Store Coconut Pound Cake
To keep your Coconut Pound Cake fresh, store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, this will help maintain its moisture and flavor. If you’ve already glazed the cake, make sure it’s set before covering. You can also refrigerate and freeze the glaze separately if you’ve made a bit extra or want to save some for later use.How Long Will This Coconut Pound Cake Last?
In terms of shelf life, at room temperature, the cake will stay fresh for about 2 to 3 days. If you store it in the fridge, it can last up to a week.Can I Freeze Coconut Pound Cake With Sour Cream?
Yep for sure boos! Wrap the unglazed cake securely in plastic wrap and then in foil to prevent freezer burn. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature. Oh, and glaze it right before serving for that freshly baked taste! The sour cream glaze can also be frozen separately in a tight container and thawed in the fridge when needed.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Gentle on the Mixing: When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, mix them gently. Overmixing can lead to a tough cake.
- Adjust Extracts to Taste: Extract strengths can vary by brand, so if yours is on the lighter side, feel free to add a smidge more. Remember, you’re aiming for that perfect balance of coconut, vanilla and banana notes!
- Perfect Glaze Consistency: When making the glaze, aim for a pourable but thick consistency. If it’s too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar; if too thick, a little more milk.
- Don’t Rush the Cooling: Let the cake cool completely before you even think about glazing so it won’t melt off the cake.
- Tap that Pan: After filling the Bundt pan with batter, give it a few gentle taps on the counter. This simple trick releases any trapped air bubbles, leading to a more evenly baked pound cake.
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Recipe Help
A few things could cause this. First, check if your baking soda is fresh; it’s crucial for the rise. Also, be gentle when mixing the batter. Overmixing can deflate the air bubbles necessary for a good rise. And this may sound like an obvious one, but make sure your oven is properly preheated before baking. It has happened to me that I forgot to preheat the oven and when I tried to bake in a hurry, my cake came out as flat as a pancake.
You can use all-purpose flour, but the texture might be slightly different. Cake flour has a lower protein content, which results in a softer crumb. If you use all-purpose flour, your coconut pound cake may be a bit denser.
Besides using coconut milk as suggested, you can also add more coconut extract or fold in some shredded coconut into the batter. Just be careful not to alter the wet to dry ingredient ratio too much!
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I made this cake to take to work everyone was over the moon for it!! And several people came back for seconds. Needless to say OMG delicious!!! The whole cake was gone before noon. I’ll be making this again.
OMG fantastic. I’m so glad you loved it!
I noticed you went with the paddle attachment on this recipe versus the whisk attachment. For my education, can you explain the difference?
Honestly you will get amazing results with both I promise.
Update: I just made this cake for a relative’s birthday and it was a smash hit! It had so much coconut flavor and moistness. The family could not get enough. You were right about the whisk attachment. No noticeable difference. This cake is heaven on Earth, especially for coconut lovers. I must admit. I was a bit skeptical about the banana flavoring being included in a coconut cake, but boy was I wrong. Something about the banana flavoring gave more accent to the coconut flavor. I guess that’s why you’re the food scientist and I’m not. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe. My relative absolutely loved it! Keep’em coming!
Well this was a hit! Grandson requested a coconut cake with cream cheese frosting so here we are. Couldn’t find coconut pudding so used cheesecake flavor. Using cake flour was definitely important for that nice soft crumb. I used coconut, almond and vanilla extracts and it was delicious. I chose to make the frosting thick reminiscent of Nothing Bundt Cakes. Loved this recipe and will make her other pound cakes, starting with strawberry pound cake next weekend. Thank you.
So happy to hear that it was a hit! Love the idea of using cheesecake pudding instead of coconut!
Couldn’t find the measurements on your recipe!
Hey Pamela. So sorry you had trouble. The full recipe card is at the bottom after all of the tips and step by step images. You can even click Jump To Recipe at the very top and you are taken right to it.
Hi!!! Just had to share that I made your coconut pound cake for Easter and it was delicious! I did throw my bundt pan in the TRASH afterwards! LOL That is the very last cake that will stick to that pan. I just added a bit more drizzle to cover the areas that stuck but no one cared.
Thank you for all the heavenly recipes you share with us! Just love you.
Leslie
Hope your new bundt pan doesn’t let you down!
What happened to the banana extract? I baked this cake a few weeks ago and it was amazing! Now it’s mentioned, but not listed in the ingredients.
Hi Maurice, the banana extract is there. Not sure what happened.