I’m over the moon about this vegan coconut cake! It came out like a dream.
It has heaps of coconut flavor as well as texture from two cups of dessicated coconut in the cake batter. And then the frosting has a bit of naughty coconut flavor via a quarter cup of coconut rum!
It’s gorgeous and it’s super easy to make too!
I had a minor snafu at first because when I was first trying to formulate the recipe I knew I wanted to put actual coconut in the batter, but I kept on thinking of it as a wet ingredient, which I know (now!) was silly!
So I was trying to replace some of the wet ingredients thinking that the coconut, being dessicated, would surely (or at least, possibly) break down in some way during the baking process and then leave me with a cake that was too wet.
Of course that didn’t happen and I had a cake a that was way too dry! So then I realized what I’m sure all you clever people already knew – of course it’s a dry ingredient because it’s like nuts, it’s a dry ingredient until such time as you process it into something like coconut butter, and then it becomes a wet ingredient, but if you don’t process it, it’s a dry ingredient, like putting nuts into a cake.
So then I stopped trying to compensate for it and used enough coconut oil and coconut milk to create enough moisture for my cake not to come out like a dry brick and then the beauty happened!
I will say though that, as you can see above, the batter is still quite dry, and this is because there are two cups of dessicated coconut that go into the batter, so it thickens the batter up a lot.
As you can see above, the cakes come out quite firm on the tops, I would even say a little ‘crispy’ I was comparing them to cookies. But don’t be put off, it works.
The dessicated coconut bakes into the cake but in the same way that if you added crushed walnuts to a carrot cake they would add delicious crunch to the cake, this adds a crunchy coconut texture and flavor to each bite.
Probably as a result of the added coconut, it’s not a super light and fluffy cake, not like you get with our vegan vanilla cake, or our vegan lemon cake, but what you lose in light and fluffy you gain in delicious coconutty texture and flavor.
And while it may not be super light and fluffy it’s definitely not overly dense either, I think you can see that from the photos. But it has more density than the other cakes mentioned above because of all the added coconut. So it’s sort of dense and fluffy, if that can possibly make sense!
And then it’s topped with the most delicious velvety coconut frosting that gets its coconut flavor from coconut rum and just a dash of coconut milk. And of course loads more dessicated coconut sprinkled everywhere because why wouldn’t you?
So I hope you will love this vegan coconut cake! It is:
- Super coconutty
- Two Layers
- Rich and Decadent
- Topped with Coconut Rum Frosting
- So Easy
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay deliciously fresh for a few days or covered in the fridge where it will stay fresh for up to a week.
So let us know what you think of this vegan coconut cake in the comments and please rate the recipe too! Thanks!
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Vegan Coconut Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10-12
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Fabulously coconutty two layered vegan coconut cake topped with a decadent coconut rum frosting. Super easy, moist, fluffy and dense at the same time (I know!) this delicious vegan cake is a total delight to the tastebuds!
Ingredients
For the Coconut Cake:
- 2 and 1/2 cups (312g) + 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) White Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 2 cups (160g) Dessicated Coconut
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) Full Fat Coconut Milk*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Coconut Oil (Melted)
- 1 Tbsp White Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Coconut Rum Frosting:
- 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) Vegan Butter
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Malibu Coconut Rum*
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Milk
For Decorating:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Spray two 8 inch cake pans with non stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and then add the sugar, baking soda, salt and dessicated coconut. Mix together.
- Then add in the coconut milk, melted coconut oil, vinegar, and vanilla and stir into a thick batter. Make sure it’s well mixed but be careful not to overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and spread it out to the edges of the pans with a spatula or the back of a spoon, the batter will be too thick to spread out on its own.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vegan butter, coconut rum and coconut milk to a mixing bowl and mixing with an electric mixer starting off slow and then gradually increasing speed until thick and smooth. If your frosting is too thick, add a tiny bit more coconut milk, a drop at a time until you reach the right consistency, if it’s too thin add more powdered sugar.
- Frost your cake and decorate it with plenty of dessicated coconut.
Notes
*Use full fat canned coconut milk.
*If you prefer not to use coconut rum, then you can sub the rum for coconut milk.
- Category: Dessert, Cakes, Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (of 12)
- Calories: 664
- Sugar: 70.7g
- Sodium: 432mg
- Fat: 29.4g
- Saturated Fat: 22.3g
- Carbohydrates: 95.3g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 4.3g
The cake flavour is really nice and delicate. I do think that baking soda gives it a very distinct chemical flavour. I would use baking powder the next time. Icing is yummy! I made some changes and instead of white sugar used unrefined coconut sugar.
★★★★
Shall I use shredded Coconut instead of dessicated Coconut??
Hi Maya, you may be able to! It’s a little more wet than dessicated coconut, but might still work out fine. I can’t say for sure as I haven’t tried shredded coconut, let us know how it works out if you do try it. 🙂
Oh my goodnessgrest coconut flavor. I made this recipe into cupcakes for my birthday on Saturday. It was amazing! I made two versions gluten and gluten free with Bob’s Red Mill 1to1. Everyone loved them! Thank you for an amazing recipe.
★★★★★
So glad they worked out great! Thanks for the awesome review! xo
Hi there! I baked the cake last night and ended up with an incredibly dense cake. When I took it out of the oven, it was still raw in the middle and had sunk. It also wasn’t as sweet as I thought it’d be?
I didn’t make any substations or chances. Any idea where I went wrong? Thanks!
*Meant substitutions or changes 🙂
Hi Miranda, argh sorry to hear that! What comes to mind is perhaps accidentally using too much flour, it is the best thing to weigh it for perfect accuracy, and then as far as not being properly cooked, I recommend an oven thermometer! Mine has done wonders for me!
Your vanilla cake is the standard birthday cake in our family, Alison – it never fails! I tried this coconut one today and it is gorgeous. I had to make a few changes as we’d run out of some things but I thought you’d be interested in knowing how they worked. I subbed half the amount of plain flour for wholemeal flour, used shredded coconut instead of desiccated, used mild olive oil instead of coconut oil, and also added the zest of one orange. I baked it for about 25-30 mins on 180C in a 22×32 cm slab tin. It has come out fluffy and delicious! Thanks so much for your delicious cake recipes 🙂
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear that Suzie! Thanks for the amazing review! xo
This turned out AMAZING!!! Thank you so much. It was my best vegan cake ever and no one could believe it was vegan!!
★★★★★
Sooo happy to hear Lauretta! Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂
Hi Alison.
I wish I was able to give a 5 star but I can’t. I’m not sure what can be done to make this cake more moist and fluffy. I followed the instructions to the tee. It was too dense/dry for our taste. The flavor was very good and the frosting was fantastic but I’m not sure if I’m comparing it with your carrot cake, which was a complete success. Maybe less dissicated coconut? or add baking powder?… The flavor was good and everyone ate it, but they didn’t wow them like your carrot cake.. Sorry.. Any suggestions?
★★★★
Hi Beeh, thanks for your feedback. I didn’t find it dry, but I wonder if the dessicated coconut creates the feeling that it’s dry. Did you weigh the flour? Just wondering in case using too much accidentally could have caused the issue.
Hi Alison… I just posted a comment about your coconut cake… What I was trying to say is that I think this cake will be so easy to make as your carrot 🥕 cake. I made it for my sister’s birthday and it was a complete success. My husband said that it was the best carrot cake he’s ever had in his life. I followed the instructions to the tee. I hope you answer my question about the frosting.. 😊 I wish I could post the pictures of the carrot cake!!!
★★★★★
I have not made this cake yet.. But I’m giving it a 5 stars because how easy would be to make it. I bought all the ingredients and I will be making this cake tomorrow for my mom’s birthday on Monday. One question, why one person mentioned that she has problems with the frosting…. Why. Is there any specific indications? So I won’t fail. I bought Bacardi coconut rum, is there any difference?
★★★★★
Bacardi coconut rum is fine to use! 🙂
Hi Alison- can I sub unsweetened shredded coconut for the dessicated coconut?
I will rate the recipe after I make it. Thanks!
Hi Lin, shredded coconut is a bit more wet than dessicated coconut, so I think it might work, but if the cake is a little wet then that would be the cause! It’s worth a try (I would try it myself but we don’t seem to get shredded coconut here) and might work great! Let us know if you do try it like that. 🙂
Can I use vegetable oil instead of the coconut oil?
Yes you can! 🙂
Hi, love your vegan cakes, esp the carrot and chocolates one. I want to ask can I sub coconut rum with coconut syrup for the frosting?
Hi Sonya! So glad you like the cakes! I would rather just use extra coconut milk to sub for the rum in the frosting, I’m just not sure what syrup will do in this instance, might make it clumpy. All the best! 🙂
Made this for my Mom’s birthday. Coconut cake was her favorite as a kid and she now has allergies to dairy and egg. The cake turned out great! Fantastic coconut flavor! The frosting did not turn out for me (too humid that day) so we ended up with a dollop of coco-whip and some fresh berries as the garnish.
Have you ever baked these as cupcakes? Wondering what cook time you might recommend for that.
★★★★★
Hi Alicia! So glad you liked the cake, thanks for the awesome review! This recipe would make around 18 cupcakes, and I would bake them for 25 minutes. All the best! 🙂
Our daughter has a dairy, nut and egg allergy and it is nearly impossible to find desserts that I loved from childhood that she can eat. My great grandmother’s coconut cake was a fixture at holiday meals. This cake is as good as I remember hers being.
Really a fantastic cake!
★★★★★
Yay! So pleased to hear that. Thanks for the wonderful review! 🙂
Hello! could I sub AP flour with coconut flour?
★★★★★
Hi Laura, I don’t think that would work. If you want to make it gluten-free then I would recommend a gluten-free all purpose flour blend that is intended to replace all purpose flour. You might need to increase the oil a bit so that the cake isn’t dry as gluten-free flours behave a little differently in that respect. All the best! 🙂
This is what I was about to ask a question about – my grandson is gluten & corn intolerant.
I tried using coconut flour as a lot of gluten free flour has corn of some description. Checked out the ratio on google, so only used 68 grams. The cake doesn’t cook through so well, still wet in the middle & crispy outside, so ends up crumbly. The flavour is great though & is a family favourite! Would you have suggestions on how to improve this?
Hi Janine, Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour doesn’t have corn in it, and neither does their Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. I would rather use either of those than coconut flour in this recipe.
Good Afternoon Ms Andrews thank you so much for this recipe. I have a severe dairy and soy allergy so this is perfect. Last week I made this cake with gluten free flour and it came out real bad. I am going to make it this weekend again and use all purpose flour. The question I have is I live in Atlanta. I google dessicated coconut. But none of the stores sell it. Where can I buy dessicated coconut? Or how can I make dessicated coconut if all I see at the store is shredded. Can you please help me.
★★★★★
Hi Shawn, we have a link in the recipe card to where you can buy it on Amazon. All the best and hope it works out great next time you make it! 🙂
Is there a substitute for dessicated/shredded coconut? I enjoy the taste, but I hate the texture.
Hi Alexandrine, I don’t think so, not without changing the recipe quite substantially. If you just wanted a coconut flavored cake, you could try a recipe like our vegan white cake and just use some coconut extract for flavoring. All the best! 🙂
Hello,
I wanted to ask if i can substitute dessicated coconut with coconut flour?
Hi, no that wouldn’t work.