Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake
Calories: 1220.9kcal|Fat: 73.6g|Carbohydrates: 131.2g|Protein: 11.1g
| 1 hour
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The ultimate coconut cake raises the bar for homemade desserts. It offers an exceptionally moist texture, a light and airy crumb, and a rich coconut flavor.
Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake is a heavenly confection that embodies the essence of coconut in every bite. The cake itself is incredibly moist, thanks to the addition of buttermilk and coconut milk, which infuse it with a rich, creamy texture. Each layer is delicately flavored with shredded coconut, almond, and vanilla extracts, creating a fragrant and irresistible taste. The cream cheese frosting, topped with a coating of shredded coconut, raises the benchmark for this indulgent homemade dessert, making it difficult to compete with.
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Why you’ll like it
- Indulgent: The combination of cream cheese frosting, shredded coconut vanilla and almond extracts will transport you to a tropical paradise.
- Moist and Tender: The cake keeps moist, fluffy and tender melting in your mouth with every bite.
- Easy: One thing that impresses me is how anyone can bake a gourmet cake with little knowledge of baking. Thanks to Ina Garten’s recipe, even novice bakers can achieve impressive results.
- Showstopper: This cake is impressive, with shredded coconut giving it a snow-covered appearance while cleverly hiding any imperfections. Little Effort – Big Results.
- Budget: You can easily assemble the cake for less than 10$ and given it’s simple to make you might want to save the $50 to buy it from a confectionery.
Tips
- Make sure the butter, eggs, and cream cheese are at room temperature for optimal results.
- Toasting the shredded coconut before using it as a topping adds a lovely nutty flavor.
- For an extra coconut kick, you can brush the cake layers with coconut syrup before frosting.
What You Need
- Butter – Use unsalted butter, at room temperature. You also need a little more for greasing the pans
- Sugar – Use normal or confectioner sugar for the cake but sifted confectioner sugar for the frosting.
- Eggs – Eggs – You need 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature. If you have large eggs, use 6¼ eggs to make up for the size difference.
- Flavourings – Use pure vanilla and almond extract. Don’t replace it with any other flavourings. If you don’t have it simply omit.
- Flours – Use all-purpose flour or plain flour together with the baking powder, baking soda and Kosher salt. You can simply replace all these by using self-raising flour.
- Milk – Use full-fat milk. As a plant-based non-dairy alternative use coconut milk or soya milk
- Shredded coconut – Use sweetened shredded coconut. Subs with unsweetened shredded coconut if you want it with less sugar.
- Cream cheese – Use cream cheese at room temperature. Subs with mascarpone.
Save The Coconut Cake For Later
- Leftovers: To store a coconut cake with cream cheese frosting, cover it with a cake dome or loosely wrap it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Refrigerate the cake to keep the frosting fresh. It can be stored for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature before serving for optimal taste.
Serving the Coconut Cake
If you want to take this cake to the next level you can:
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or pairing it with a scoop of coconut, vanilla or roasted rice ice cream.
- Enjoy alongside a cup of freshly brewed coffee or a tropical peach iced tea – a delightful combination.
Health Info
| Calories: | 1220.9kcal |
| Sugar: | 98.9g |
| Sodium: | 434.2mg |
| Fat: | 73.6g |
| Carbohydrates: | 131.2g |
| Fiber: | 2.9g |
| Protein: | 11.1g |
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Homemade Coconut Cake Recipe
Fat: 73.6g|Carbohydrates: 131.2g|Protein: 11.1g
Description
The ultimate coconut cake raises the bar for homemade desserts. It offers an exceptionally moist texture, a light and airy crumb, and a rich coconut flavor.
Ingredients
- ¾ lb (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp pure almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting the pans
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp Kosher salt – ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 oz sweetened shredded coconut
For the frosting
- 1 lb cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp pure almond extract
- 1 lb confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 6 oz sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans lining them with parchment paper, greasing them, and lightly dusting them with flour.
- Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer using a paddle attachment on medium-high speed.
- Mix for 3 to 5 minutes until they turn light yellow and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer still on medium speed, scraping down the bowl once during mixing.
- Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. Don't worry if the mixture appears curdled.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients (mixed together in step 7) and the milk to the batter with the mixer on low speed in the following way: i) 1/3 milk ii) 1/3 dry ingredients iii) 1/3 milk iv) 1/3 dry ingredients v) 1/3 milk vi) 1/3 dry ingredients.
- Mix until combined.
- Fold in the coconut using a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the pans and smooth the tops with a knife.
- Bake in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes until the tops turn brown and a knife comes out clean.
- Set aside the cakes for 30 minutes.
- Turn them out onto a wiring rack to finish cooling.
For the frosting:
- Combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and almond extract with a mixer on low speed
- Add the confectioner's sugar and mix until just smooth, avoiding overmixing.
To assemble the cake
- Place one layer on a flat serving plate with the top side down and spread frosting over it.
- Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Decorate by sprinkling coconut on top and lightly pressing more coconut onto the sides. Serve the cake at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
- Ingredients: Ensure butter, eggs, and cream cheese are at room temperature for best results.
- Storage Tips: Cover cake with dome or wrap in plastic/aluminum foil. Refrigerate to preserve frosting freshness; store up to 5 days. Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving for optimal taste.
- Serving: Serve with whipped cream or serve with coconut, vanilla, or roasted rice ice cream. Pair with freshly brewed coffee or tropical peach iced tea for a delightful treat.
- Butter: Unsalted, at room temperature; extra for greasing pans.
- Sugar: Normal or confectioner’s sugar for cake, sifted confectioner’s for frosting.
- Eggs: 5 extra-large at room temperature; use 6¼ large eggs as a substitute.
- Flavourings: Pure vanilla and almond extract; avoid substitutions.
- Flours: All-purpose or plain with baking powder, baking soda, and Kosher salt.
- Milk: Full-fat; substitute with coconut or soy milk for non-dairy option.
- Shredded Coconut: Sweetened; unsweetened for less sugar option.
- Cream Cheese: Room temperature; substitute with mascarpone if desired.
- Variations:
- Toast shredded coconut for a nuttier flavor when using it as a topping.
- Brush cake layers with coconut syrup for an extra coconut boost before frosting.