“Life’s no piece of cake, mind you, but the recipe’s my own to fool with.”- Haruki Murakami.
I’ve just returned from a very short beach vacation and can still feel the sand beneath my feet and the breeze in my hair. I adore everything tropical—especially coconut.
Growing up in South India, there’s almost never a time when a coconut isn’t in my kitchen. That means it often makes its way into my baking, like in these cookies and, of course, this cake. This coconut cake is versatile: sweet, light, moist and incredibly satisfying.
I’ve made this cake countless times and it turns out well every single time. I’ve eaten wedges plain while reading Perry Mason, served it with whipped cream and pineapple compote at dinner parties, and even torted and filled it for a friend’s birthday. If you love coconut, you really must try this one.
Coconut cake
Ingredients
- 155 grams or 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 200 grams or 1 cup granulated sugar
- 113 grams or 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 120 ml or 1/2 cup milk at room temperature
- 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
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Line an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan with parchment (bottom and sides) or grease it well with butter and flour. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
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Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
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Cream the butter for 3–5 minutes until smooth. Add the sugar and beat another 3–5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping the bowl as needed so everything is well incorporated.
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Stir in the vanilla extract.
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Add one-third of the dry mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
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Add half the milk and mix, then repeat with the next third of the flour, the remaining milk, and finally the last third of flour, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl thoroughly.
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Fold in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45–50 minutes if using an 8-inch pan, or 35–40 minutes with a 9-inch pan.
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The cake is ready when the top springs back, the sides pull away slightly from the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
This recipe can be doubled or halved. It can also be baked in an 8 or 9 by 4 inch loaf pan for 50–55 minutes. Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I used fresh shredded coconut here, but desiccated coconut works too—if using sweetened coconut, reduce the sugar. You may substitute coconut milk for regular milk, though I prefer regular milk for texture and flavor balance.
This is not a coconut-flavored cake; it’s the real thing. Each bite contains plenty of coconut bits, making the cake genuinely coconut-forward—sweet, moist and utterly delicious.