Coconut Cake

5 from 9 votes

This Easy Coconut Cake recipe has 3 layers of coconut meringue inspired frosting frosting and the most tender, and moist coconut cake.

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 801kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

Coconut Cake

1 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 sticks
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs separated
3 cups cake flour sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Coconut Frosting

2 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 cup boiling water
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Set them aside.
To make the cake, in a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar thoroughly until light and creamy.
Add the egg yolks one at time, beating well after each addition.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with the milk, beating after each addition. Stir in the coconut and vanilla extract.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Fold them into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each layer comes out clean. Transfer the pans from the oven to wire racks.
Allow to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then unmold them onto the wire racks to cool completely.
To make the frosting, in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and boiling water.
Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, and cook until the mixture spins thread and reaches 242 degrees on a candy thermometer.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Pour the sugar and syrup mixture over the egg whites, beating constantly.
Add the vanilla extract, then cool the frosting until firm enough to spread.
Transfer one cake layer to a serving platter; spread 1/3 of the coconut frosting on top. Sprinkle coconut on top.
Top with another cake layer and spread with the second third of the frosting. Sprinkle more coconut on top.
Top with the remaining cake layer, then spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake.
Sprinkle with the remaining coconut, pressing gently into the frosting if you want to.

Notes

Spotless Egg Whites: Make sure not even a smidge of yolk gets into the whites when separating the eggs A little yolk will keep them from reaching stiff peaks, and we need that frosting fluffy, y'all. Keep those bowls clean as a whistle!
Cool Completely: Let those cake layers cool all the way before you start frosting. If they’re even a little warm, that frosting will slide right off, and we don’t want a slip-and-slide coconut cake, do we?
Don’t Overmix: When mixing the batter (especially after adding the coconut) just mix until everything’s combined. Overmixing will make your cake tough.
Level Layers: For a cake that looks like it came straight from your fave bakery, use a serrated knife to level your cake layers before frosting. You'll be impressin' everyone with your pro skills boo!

How To Store old fashioned coconut cake

Fridge: Keep your coconut cake fresh by storing it in an airtight container at room temp for up to two days. If you want to keep it longer, pop it in the fridge. It will last for 3-4 days. And hey, you can make the frosting a day ahead and keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator!

Freezer: Wrap the unfrosted cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months. When you're ready to assemble, let the cake layers thaw in the fridge overnight before frosting.

Nutrition