A gorgeous, tall, fluffy coconut cake
please don't ask if you can make it without coconut
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Nine years ago, when the Kamala Harris coconut tree memes were circulating, I got a lot of messages from people who were suddenly inspired to bake my coconut cake from Sweet Enough. That got me thinking: Damn, that is a good cake recipe, I should make that soon (I know the sheer mention of a political candidate coming from a person who writes recipes will shock, stun or irritate some of you. I hope you can recover).
So I did, and I was right. What a very good, dare I say…perfect cake. Anyway, regardless if you’ll ever bake a three layer cake or not, I hope you’re all registered to vote in the state you live in. Early voting has begun in many states (you can check here to see when your state starts), which is a great if you like to plan ahead or cross things off your to-do list early (my dad). I prefer the rush of last minute everything and the buzz of in-person day-of voting, which also provides me with the excuse to ignore everything else that day because “I have to vote.” Also, the sticker (I love merch).
Okay back to cake: if you are not a fan of coconut, this is most likely not the cake for you. There is no way to make it without coconut. Coconut is this cake, this cake is coconut. It’s a veritable celebration of coconut in all its forms, the flavors and textures honored and revered.
But I hate if anyone feels left out, so if wearing a sweater this week coupled with the mention of the word “cake” has you feeling inspired, maybe you bake Cold Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting or Sticky Apple Cake instead. On Thursday, I’ll be sharing the recipe for Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake, a layered cake that requires no mixer and is only slightly less festive (and can be made into loaf cakes or muffins). Available to paid subscribers.
As a reminder, there’s a very special run of Solicited Advice: HOLIDAY EDITION episodes coming your way. But as you know, we can’t do the show without you, so please send your holiday-adjacent queries our way—family, cooking, entertaining, party-guesting, how to make a centerpiece around tiny buns for a ham party—anything that feels like it’s standing between you and a joyful holiday, and I’ll do my best to help. I’d love to hear from you (the more candid and detailed, the better), so reach out to us at our easy-to-remember hotline number, (856) 502-4816 (or you can submit questions using this form). Thank you for helping me help you!
AND! In case you missed it, some VERY exciting news: Home Movies is now available to watch on Tastemade (available wherever you stream TV for free!). Episodes air Wednesdays on the Tastemade streaming channel, for your TV viewing pleasure (also available ad-free and on-demand with Tastemade+).
For the full recipe, read on.
Director: Doron Max Hagay @doronmaxhagay / Producer: Graham Mason @grahambomason / Photography Director: Alex Bliss @albertblimp / Audio: Yves Albaret @yvesarmand / Camera Operator: Daniel Rampulla @danielrampulla / Camera Operator: Johnny Frohman @johnnyfrohman / Graphics: Gordon Landenberger @gordonlandenberger / Editor: Cooper Conley-Currier
Extra Coconut Cake
Makes one tall 9-inch or a taller 8-inch cake
Coconut cakes are, by definition, extra. They should be tall and fuzzy like an obnoxious angora sweater. They are for parties, they are for celebrations, they are for keeping under a cake dome for you to cut thin slices off over the course of a full calendar week (I do not have a cake dome, but). Part of the charm of the coconut cake is in the layering—I’m a big fan of slicing each layer of cake horizontally to expose the inside, which then gets covered in frosting. This produces an insanely rich, “moist” cake, with a good amount of frosting in each bite. If it were up to me, I would fill all my cakes this way (you can!). You, of course, do not have to do this—if slicing a cake like that makes you nervous, you can skip that step, just know your cake layers will be much thicker, with a different ratio of cake to frosting (but nevertheless delicious).
Cooking spray
2½ cups/360g all-purpose flour
2½ cups/225g unsweetened finely shredded coconut–I prefer Bob’s Red Mill (it’s about 150g for 2 ½ cups coarsely shredded coconut)
1 tablespoon/12g baking powder
1¾ teaspoons/7g kosher salt
1½ cups/360g buttermilk
⅓ cup/70g melted coconut, grapeseed, or canola oil
1 teaspoon/5g vanilla extract
2½ sticks/10 ounces/285g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups/440g sugar
4 large eggs
Salty Vanilla Frosting (recipe below, or on page 293 of Sweet Enough)
1 cup/110g unsweetened coconut chips, flakes, or more shredded coconut
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray three 8-inch or two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line with rounds of parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, coconut oil, and vanilla.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar together until extremely pale and fluffy, 4–5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, fluffy, and well incorporated, 2–3 minutes.
5. With the mixer on low, add about half the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk mixture, followed by the remaining flour mixture (the idea being you don’t want to add too much liquid to the egg mixture or it’ll have a hard time incorporating, and you don’t want to overmix the flour, which will give you a tough cake).
6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake until the cakes spring back lightly when touched at the top, look pale and blond on top and a nice golden brown on the sides, 30–35 minutes for the 9-inch and closer to 25–30 minutes for the 8-inch.
7. Let the cakes cool completely (either transfer them to a wire rack or let them cool in their pans), at least 1 hour at room temperature (do not rush the process by sticking them in the fridge).
8. If working with 9-inch cakes, use a long serrated knife to slice each one in half horizontally. It doesn’t have to be perfect, nobody will notice if it’s a little lopsided, I promise. If working with 8-inch cakes, you won’t have to slice anything, just proceed to the next step.
9. Lay one layer (either the halved 9-inch or the whole 8-inch) on a plate lined with parchment (or not). Spoon ⅓–½ cup (for the four-layer 9-inch or three-layer 8-inch, respectively) frosting onto the layer and use an offset spatula, spoon, or butter knife to spread it into an even layer. Top with another layer of cake. (Tip: If your cake is “domed” more than you’d like, invert it, so the flat side is facing up, not down, creating a flat top) and repeat with more frosting. Repeat until you’ve used all the cake layers.
10. Once you get to the top, spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake (this is known as a “crumb coat”—think of it as a primer), making sure to get into the sides and crevices created during the slicing/layering. Pop the cake into the fridge to set for 30–60 minutes (but leave the rest of the frosting at room temperature).
11. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, gently toast the coconut flakes over medium heat, tossing constantly, just until they are lightly toasted and golden brown at the edges, 2–3 minutes. (If you like your coconut more brown/toasted, then do it! I prefer just a kiss of toasting, but that’s personal preference.) Cool completely.
12. To finish the cake, spread the remaining frosting all over the sides and top of the cake. I want you to do the best you can, but also know you’re about to cover it all up with coconut, so don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t look incredible. Pat the coconut onto the sides of the cake until evenly covered, using the rest to sprinkle on top.
Salty Vanilla Frosting
Makes about 4 cups/865g/enough for 1 large sheet cake, 2 smaller sheet cakes, or one 9-inch layer cake
This is a sort of hybrid basic-buttercream/cream cheese frosting, combining the best of both worlds. It’s salty, it’s rich, it goes with everything, and if I’m forced to choose between this and chocolate, it’s this every time. No questions asked. Great for any cake in this book, even the ice cream cakes—the texture is perfection even when frozen. What more could you ask for?
2 sticks/8 ounces/225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 (8-ounce/225g) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2½ cups/300g powdered sugar
½ teaspoon/2g kosher salt, plus more to taste
Vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (or in a bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat the butter on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and very spreadable, 5–7 minutes.
2. Add the cream cheese, a little knob at a time, and continue to beat until well blended, another 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add the salt and scrape in the vanilla seeds (or add the extract) and continue to beat, scraping down the sides occasionally, until extremely smooth, fluffy, and spreadable, 3–4 minutes. Give it a taste and season with more salt, if needed.
This striped Sezane shirt looks fantastic for both baking and eating a coconut cake. I used to pair it with these Levi’s jeans (in “dance around” color, but I have them in a few shades) before they stopped fitting and this necklace.
For a 4-layer cake, I highly recommend using two 8-inch cake pans (for each layer to be halved horizontally to create 4 layers). You can make sure the batter is evenly distributed with this baking scale.
Other items that are in no way required but will make your baking life MUCH easier: this bench scraper (I reach for these 10 times a day), a basic liquid measuring cup, and a stand mixer (a worthy investment you’ll likely only purchase once, but feel free to use a hand mixer if that’s not in the cards).
I can’t find the exact mixing bowls in the video, but these vintage bowls from Etsy are very close.
I made this into a 6 inch cake for my birthday this year and it was so, so good. Everyone loved it and while I would love to just keep eating it, I downsized so I could live to make it again next year. It’s the best coconut cake I’ve ever made.
Enjoyed the recipe so much. Top of my list for my next cake.