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Southern Coconut Cake Recipe
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This Southern Coconut Cake is soft, fluffy, and full of coconut flavor from top to bottom. The layers bake up tender every time, and the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting is smooth, rich, and easy to work with. It looks impressive but comes together with simple ingredients and clear steps.
Ingredient Notes + Variations
This coconut cake is built on pantry staples, but a few key ingredients make it special. Real buttermilk, coconut extract, and a combo of butter and oil bring the flavor and texture. Here’s what to know:
- All-purpose flour – Gives the cake structure without making it dense. Be sure to measure it correctly (see my pro tip in that step).
- Buttermilk – The acidity keeps the cake extra tender. Don’t skip it.
- Butter + vegetable oil – Butter adds flavor, oil keeps it moist.
- Eggs + egg whites – The mix adds richness while keeping things light.
How to Make Coconut Cake
Making a layered cake can be difficult, but it really doesn’t have to be. Grease and line your pans well, follow the relatively simple directions, cool your cakes completely and you too will have delicious success! For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below.
Step 1: Preheat Oven + Prep Pans
preheat oven to 325° F + line two round pans with parchment paper + spray with nonstick spray
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda + salt
Pro Tip: Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly using the fluff, spoon, and level method. Fluff the flour in the bag or container with a spoon to loosen it up. Spoon the flour lightly into your measuring cup—don’t scoop directly from the bag, or you’ll pack it down and end up with too much. Level it off with the flat edge of a knife. Voila! An accurate measurement.
Step 3: Combine Buttermilk + Vanilla
add buttermilk to a liquid measuring cup
stir in vanilla extract
Step 4: Cream Butter, Oil + Sugar
combine oil, sugar + butter
beat until combined
Step 5: Add Eggs
add in eggs + egg whites, one at a time
mix until light + fluffy
Step 6: Combine Wet and Dry
alternate adding dry mixture
alternate adding buttermilk
stir in coconut by hand last
Pro Tip: Why alternate dry and wet ingredients in this order? If you dump all the liquid in at once, it can cause the batter to separate. And if you add all the flour/dry ingredients at once, it can get over mixed, which can make the cake tough. Alternating lets everything blend more evenly and gently. The batter can better absorb flour than liquid, so starting with flour helps it come together smoothly. Ending with flour helps keep the structure of the batter balanced and stable.
Step 7: Bake
divide batter between baking pans + smooth tops
bake in lower 2/3rds of the oven
cool in cake pans before inverting on to cooling rack
Step 8: Make the Frosting
whip butter + cream cheese until smooth
add remaining ingredients
mix until fluffy + smooth
Step 9: Assemble the Cake
slice each cake horizontally to make 4 layers
stack and frost in-between each layer
frost the whole cake + press coconut onto the sides + top
Tips for Success
After lots of trial and error, here are my tips and tricks for making the best Coconut Cake.
- Use room-temperature butter, cream cheese, and eggs.
- Don’t skip the parchment. It makes removing the cakes from the pans way easier.
- Light-colored pans bake more evenly. Dark pans = dark edges.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting, or things get messy.
- Chill the finished cake for 20–30 minutes before slicing for the cleanest cut.
This Southern Coconut Cake brings the soft layers and creamy frosting every coconut fan dreams about. Make it once and you’ll be asked to bring it to every event forever.
Southern Coconut Cake
Moist, fluffy, and soft, this Southern Coconut Cake recipe has the perfect amount of sweetness all topped with coconut cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
For the Coconut Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup sweetened, shredded desiccated coconut plus more for decoration
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup butter very soft but not melted (I used salted butter)
- 16 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
Instructions
for the cake
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Line two 8-9" round baking pans* with parchment paper and spray well with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to combine. Set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix butter, oil, and sugar together until combined.
- Mix in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, until the mixture becomes very light and fluffy. This process should take at least 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.
- Alternate adding in flour mixture with buttermilk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter. Fold in coconut by hand.
- Divide evenly between baking pans and smooth the top. Bake 30-40 minutes in the lower two thirds of the oven. The cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
for the frosting-
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese together with the paddle attachment until smooth. Scrape sides and mix again.
- Add in powdered sugar with vanilla extract and coconut extract and mix very slowly until it starts to come together.
- Once the powdered sugar has worked in, increase the mixer speed and whip until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure a completely smooth frosting. Stir again if needed.
assembly-
- Using a serrated bread knife, slice each completely cooled cake in half lengthwise to get four even layers.
- Place one layer down on a cake stand and top with 3/4-1 cup of frosting. Spread evenly, pushing the frosting out towards the edges.
- Continue stacking the layers of cake with frosting together until all four layers are stacked up together with frosting in between.
- With remaining frosting, complete frosting the cake. I like to add large dollops of frosting to the top and spread across to cover and then push excess down the sides. It's easier to pull frosting off with an offset spatula…less crumbs that way!
- Once the cake is frosted, using the palms of your hands, coat the cake entirely with coconut, about 2 cups.
- Refrigerate until ready to slice and serve.
Video
Notes
Recipe will make:
- 1- 9×13 cake (bake for 30-45 minutes)
- 2- 8 or 9-inch round cakes (30-40 minutes)
- 24 cupcakes (bake for 18-20 minutes)
Make-Ahead + Storage Directions
To save you time and from worrying, I’ve outlined how you can make a perfect Coconut Cake ahead of time! Once your cake has been baked, cooled and cut into layers, cover them tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight. Prepare the frosting then cover and store in the fridge overnight as well. When you are ready to assemble and decorate, set the frosting out at room temperature to soften for about 15 minutes. Give it a quick mix to loosen it up in your mixer for about a minute, then frost away! To Freeze: If you want to make this cake even farther ahead of time, consider freezing it! Frosted or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer from the freezer to the fridge overnight and then bring to room temperature before decorating or serving.Nutrition
Calories: 873kcalCarbohydrates: 115gProtein: 7gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 466mgPotassium: 187mgFiber: 2gSugar: 95gVitamin A: 1119IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 1mg
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More Coconut Desserts
- Best Coconut Bars – Don’t sleep on these chewy coconut dream bars.
- Coconut Cream Pie – Silky coconut filling, flaky crust, and a mountain of whipped cream.
- Easy Coconut Cookies – Crisp edges, chewy centers, and packed with coconut.
- Coconut Macaroons – Golden on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle.
- Coconut Peanut Butter Oatmeal Scotchies – These cookies check every box.
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
In the cake itself. May I use coconut extract instead of vanilla?
I made the cupcakes. I didn’t have coconut extract, but added flaked coconut on top. They were delicious.
A little tip that worked great for me, I made the cake and put it in the fridge (covered well with Saran Wrap) for a day before I frosted it as it does seem to be a “somewhat” delicate cake. It really made a difference ?
Delicious every time I make it! Coconut cake is my husband’s favorite and he loves this one!!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I’m wondering if it’s usually an extremely soft cake or if I did something wrong? The layers seem very fragile. It also didn’t rise much, any way to make it puff up a bit more? Thanks!
I made it!! ???
The first night, I thought it was too sweet!! But the subsequent days, each slice was more and more delicious… On the 4th night, I sliced the remainder and put in the freezer. I will def. make this again. It was really good!! Bravo!!
Note: I added more coconut flavoring – to taste (probably 2-3 tbsp.) I think it may depend on the brand. ??
I have made this cake several times and everyone loves it! It is so moist and delicious. If you love coconut this is the cake for you!!
Absolutely delicious! I made this coconut cake for Easter and it turned out wonderful! The cake was moist, and fluffy- just as described with a small crumble to it and excellent flavor. The icing was sweet but not overpowering and the perfect compliment to the texture of the cake! This will be a yearly Easter cake for our family. Highly highly recommend!
can you use coconut milk instead of the buttermilk or at least use half of each “
HI, I’m interested in baking your coconut cake. I have baked coconut cake before, but want to try it with other ingredients. I’m curious as to why not coconut mike instead of buttermilk? Does it change anything in the moisture?
Can you “half” the recipe and have enough batter for two 6” rounds? It’s only my husband and I.
yes!
It is totally incredible but I have felt very sweet using 400 grams for the recipe. They have tried to remove sugar but it does not affect the humidity?
After trying someone else’s coconut cake recipe and it being a dry disappointment, I was looking for another one to satisfy my coconut craving. I’m so glad I found yours! It’s absolutely moist and delicious. My family’s new favorite, thank you!
Would this cake hold up as a 3 tier cake for a wedding?
Absolutely love it. Thank you.
If you have dowels supporting it, then yes, it should work!
I usually don’t leave comments on anything. But this time I have too.
This cake is absolutely AWESOME!!
I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Hi, what is 2 pounds powdered sugar in cups please
This coconut cake is sooooooo moist and soft! I added coconut extract in the cake instead of vanilla and toasted the coconut shreds before decorating.
Cake taste soooooooo good. I used cake flour instead of flour. Moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Now this cake will be apart of holiday desserts.
This cake is delicious! My husband who is not a cake lover kept wanting more. Definitely my favorite cake recipe! Thank you.
I love this cake recipe… By far one of the best one i found hands down…. I use this cake recipe as a base for many. Great job? every time i make this cake it’s a hit.
Such an excellent cake, 5 stars! Made it for a party and everyone raved for it. Really great coconut flavor and super moist. I used coconut oil instead of veg oil. Made 2×9″ cakes and halved the frosting as I didnt cut each cake in half and didnt frost the sides either. Otherwise I think it would have been too sweet. Frosting could use less sugar so I would start less and add to taste. This is in my favorite recipes file!
I don’t have coconut extract so what should I do
If I want to make this in 9-x13 pan do I still need the same amount of frosting or could I cut the frosting ingredients in half?
Hi, Lauren! Really excited to try this. As we are also in quarantine, we don’t have buttermilk (I have 2%, no lemons). Could you recommend a substitute? Assuming the buttermilk is for moisture, could I use instant pudding with a 1/4 cup of sour cream to balance out the extra dry ingredients? I also have Greek yogurt. Thanks in advance! I can’t wait to have a well-stocked pantry again!
Try milk with a splash of vinegar. That’s the best substitute for buttermilk.
We love the coconut cake from The Peninsula Grill in Charleston, this was a great version to make during quarantine. It was my husband’s birthday this past week and I made it with my daughters – it was delicious! Wondering if we could freeze part of it? It is huge and there are only 4 of us. Do you think we could freeze slices of it?
Keep the awesome recipes coming.
Yes, you can definitely freeze! Just be sure to wrap it well so it doesn’t get freezer burnt.
Best Coconut Cake and Frosting Ever! Will be using this as my only Coconut Cake from now on. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I made this cake on Easter. I have to say it is the BEST Coconut Cake I have ever baked. The frosting is also the best. I give it a 5 Star rating. I should have taken a picture but we were anxious to give it a taste. You won’t be disappointed.
I made this cake last month and It was ABSOLUTELY the best Coconut Cake I have ever tasted.! Will be making it again.