Fabulous two layered vegan coconut cake topped with a coconut rum frosting. It’s moist, packed with coconut flavor and super easy to make!
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 (finely shredded 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.
How To Make Vegan Coconut Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add sugar, baking soda, salt and dessicated coconut. Mix together.
- Add 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 two 8-inch 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 at 350°F 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.
The Frosting
The frosting is the most delicious velvety coconut frosting that gets its coconut flavor from coconut rum and just a dash of coconut milk.
And we decorate it with loads more dessicated coconut sprinkled everywhere. Because why wouldn’t you?
Recipe Tips
The batter is thick and seems dry. As you can see in the batter photo above, the batter is 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. But adding dessicated coconut to a batter is very similar to if you would add nuts or raisins or something to a recipe in the way that it thickens up the batter. But the end result isn’t dry at all. It’s just really coconutty and delicious.
Dessicated coconut is also called finely shredded coconut or finely shredded coconut flakes. It is dried coconut that is very finely shredded.
The cakes come out quite firm on the tops. I was even joking that they’re a little ‘crispy’ and comparing them to cookies. But don’t be put off, it works. Once it’s frosted it’s just a delicious cake. No hint of dryness or crispiness to be found.
It’s not a super light and fluffy cake. It’s not light and fluffy like you get with our vegan vanilla cake, or our vegan lemon cake because it’s weighed down a little by the added coconut. But what you lose in light and fluffy you gain in delicious coconut texture and flavor.
But 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!
Recipe Q&A
This cake can be made in either two 8-inch cake pans or two 9-inch cake pans. If you make it in 9-inch cake pans the layers will just be a little thinner, but it still works perfectly well.
Yes you can make cupcakes. This recipe will make around 18-24 cupcakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
You should be able to make this cake gluten-free by swapping the all purpose flour for a gluten free all purpose flour blend. It must be a blend though and not a single type flour like rice flour or coconut flour as that will NOT work. If you find the cake is a bit dry using a gluten-free blend (gluten-free flours can absorb more moisture) then increase the oil slightly.
Storing and Freezing
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.
It is also freezer friendly either frosted or unfrosted for up to 3 months.
More Delicious Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Orange Cake
- Vegan Oreo Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Vegan Apple Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Coconut Cake
Ingredients
For the Coconut Cake:
- 2 ⅔ cups All Purpose Flour (330g)
- 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 2 cups Dessicated Coconut (160g) Finely Shredded Coconut
- 1 ½ cups Coconut Milk (360ml)
- ½ cup Coconut Oil (120ml) Melted
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Coconut Rum Frosting:
- 4 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (540g)
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- ¼ cup Malibu Coconut Rum (60ml)
- 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
- Dessicated coconut is also called finely shredded coconut or finely shredded coconut flakes. It’s dried coconut that is shredded very finely.
- We used full fat, canned, unsweetened coconut milk, but I think any unsweetened coconut milk will work fine in this recipe.
- If you prefer not to use coconut rum, then you can sub the rum for coconut milk.
BEEH says
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!!!
BEEH says
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?
Alison Andrews says
Bacardi coconut rum is fine to use! 🙂
Lin says
Hi Alison- can I sub unsweetened shredded coconut for the dessicated coconut?
I will rate the recipe after I make it. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
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. 🙂
Kurlina says
Can I use vegetable oil instead of the coconut oil?
Alison Andrews says
Yes you can! 🙂
Sonya says
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?
Alison Andrews says
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! 🙂
Alicia says
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.
Alison Andrews says
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! 🙂
Jonas Connors-Grey says
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!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! So pleased to hear that. Thanks for the wonderful review! 🙂
Laura says
Hello! could I sub AP flour with coconut flour?
Alison Andrews says
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! 🙂
Janine Smith says
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?
Alison Andrews says
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.
Janine Smith says
Thanks for that tip, it worked a treat!
We enjoyed the cake even more this time, along with a side of coconut & strawberry ice cream 🙂
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that Janine! thanks for updating us! 🙂
Shawn Richardson says
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.
Alison Andrews says
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! 🙂
Alexandrine says
Is there a substitute for dessicated/shredded coconut? I enjoy the taste, but I hate the texture.
Alison Andrews says
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! 🙂
Samanta says
Hello,
I wanted to ask if i can substitute dessicated coconut with coconut flour?
Alison Andrews says
Hi, no that wouldn’t work.
Alisar says
I was craving a coconut cake, but one with jam and coconut on top – I made this sponge as a single layer in a square 10″ tin, it cooked perfectly in 30 minutes, and once cool I topped it with raspberry jam and sprinkled with loads of desiccated coconut – it was amazing! Definitely my new favourite cake!
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear it worked great as a single layer 10-inch cake! It sounds delicious. Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review. 🙂
Steph says
Do you know if this cake freezes ok?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Steph, you should be able to freeze it without any issue. 🙂 There are some great tips to freezing a cake in this piece from The Kitchn.
Rachel says
So excited to make this for my mom’s birthday! When using the coconut milk, do I use the cream from the top of the can or the liquid or both?
Alison Andrews says
You just mix it up (shake the can) and use it as it is, no need to separate the cream from the water first.
Lata says
can I use toasted grated coconut 160gm
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lata, sorry I’m really not sure what impact that would have. It might be fine but I just don’t know.
Cassondra says
Hello! I’ll be making this cake for my daughter’s 4th birthday next weekend. I’d like to do a single layer though. Would the batter fit into a 9×13″ pan ok or would I need to adjust measurements?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Cassondra, yes I think this would adapt to a 9×13 sheet cake though I haven’t tried it. It would just bake for a shorter time. If you see our recipe for a vanilla sheet cake, it is a similar recipe (in proportions) and even though that one was done in a half sheet pan, I know it also works for 9×13. I am thinking it would need to bake somewhere in the region of 20-25 minutes (I would check it after 20 minutes and see how it’s doing).