Best Coconut Cake Bake Off

Are you on a quest to discover the ultimate coconut cake recipe? Featuring everything from toasted coconut to coconut extract, and coconut cream, we’ve embarked on a flavorful journey to find the recipe that best captures the essence of coconut!

This post is proudly sponsored by Imperial Sugar. I’ve been using Imperial Sugar for years and am excited to partner with them for this bake off. Thank you for supporting the partners that make our bake offs possible!

Coconut cake, with its airy vanilla layers and aromatic coconut flakes, became a favorite of mine only after I moved to Texas. In this bake off, I sought to craft the perfect coconut cake recipe, characterized by a tender crumb, a frosting that’s sweet but not cloying, and an ideal balance of coconut flavor and texture.

After rigorously testing nine popular recipes, we encountered a diverse array of cakes—from decadently rich versions to those nearly indistinguishable from a vanilla cake. Let’s dive into the details!

Methodology

• 32 total tasters
• 9 cakes baked fresh on the day of tasting
• Each cake rated on a scale from 0-10 for flavor, texture, frosting, and overall impression
• All cakes baked in a parchment-lined 8 or 9-inch cake pan

Ingredients Used

• Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour
• Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour
• King Arthur cake flour
• Trader Joe’s butter
• Trader Joe’s coconut milk
• Spectrum virgin coconut oil
• Baker’s sweetened shredded coconut
• Bob’s Red Mill baking powder and soda
• Daisy sour cream
• Kate’s buttermilk
• Philadelphia cream cheese
• Hellmann’s mayonnaise
• McCormick coconut extract
• Heilala vanilla extract
• Diamond kosher salt
• Imperial granulated and powdered sugar

From the selection of ingredients to the final taste test, every aspect of our bake off was designed to ensure each recipe had the best chance to shine. Join us as we explore the rich, nuanced world of coconut cake and find inspiration for your next baking adventure!

This exploration into the art of baking coconut cake not only highlights our commitment to culinary excellence but also our partnership with Imperial Sugar, whose high-quality products have been instrumental in bringing these recipes to life.

Discover the results of our extensive testing and find the perfect coconut cake recipe that promises to be a showstopper at any gathering. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, this coconut cake bake off has something to excite every palate!