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This chocolate coconut cake is made up of three layers of moist, decadent chocolate cake. The layers are filled and frosted with fluffy coconut buttercream and covered with sweetened shredded coconut. You won’t be able to stop at one slice!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Coconut Cake
This is one of those flavor combinations that you may not have very often, but as soon as you taste it you wonder why you don’t have it all the time. Chocolate and coconut just go together so perfectly. When I first made this cake, I shared it with family and friends at a football tailgate and despite it not really being football food, it was a huge hit. Many came back for a second slice and that’s really saying something when you’re outside in the heat getting ready to watch football. It’s pretty much irresistible and needs to be on your list of things to bake very soon. Here are a few more specific reasons to fall in love with it.
- Just the right amount of coconut. Some coconut desserts can be overpowering. This one has the perfect amount of coconut flavor. It’s just in the frosting, not in the cake layers themselves. You can absolutely taste it but it doesn’t overwhelm.
- Super moist chocolate cake. This is my favorite chocolate cake in the world. It’s wonderfully moist and tender and loaded with rich, chocolaty flavor. Once you try it, you’ll toss out any other chocolate cake recipe you may have.
- Easy mixing. The cake layers in this chocolate coconut dessert are so easy to make. No fancy mixing methods required. You basically just have to combine everything in a bowl (in order) and mix until smooth. Easy peasy. The batter is very thin, so it’s even a breeze to mix.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this chocolate and coconut cake. You’ll find precise measurements in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour – Make sure to measure the flour correctly. Otherwise, you won’t end up with the proper texture for your cake layers. Cake flour would also work.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – You can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor. Just keep in mind the layers don’t rise quite as much, so it’ll be a little more dense.
- Baking soda – For the perfect rise and tender texture. This cake uses only baking soda, no baking powder.
- Salt – Salt adds flavor to food and that’s true in baked goods. Without it, your cake will be bland.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large size eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Milk – You can use 2% or whole milk in this cake.
- Vanilla – If you want your cake to be extra coconutty, you could throw in a dash of coconut extract as well.
- Hot water – The hot water helps the cocoa powder “bloom” for the best chocolate flavor. I usually microwave the water until boiling, then add it.
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar gives the buttercream volume and affects the consistency. I tend to use a good bit because I like a thicker buttercream that I know will stay in place and pipes well. Feel free to reduce it, if you aren’t concerned about that. You can also just reduce the overall amount of buttercream, if you tend to just add a thin layer of frosting to your cakes.
- Heavy cream – Milk would also work but it thins out the buttercream more quickly so you won’t need as much.
How To Make Chocolate Coconut Cake
Ready to get baking? Here’s a quick overview of how to make chocolate coconut cake. You’ll find more detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 300°F, line the bottom of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and grease the sides.
- Make the cake batter. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix together the vanilla and hot water and mix them into the cake batter.
- Bake. Divide the batter between cake pans and bake for 30-33 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to cooling rachs to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream. Beat the butter until smooth and then mix in half of the powdered sugar followed by the coconut extract, 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, and salt. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar and extra heavy cream if needed.
- Assemble. Remove the domes from the cake layers. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and spread 1 cup of the buttercream over the top. Add the second cake layer and repeat. Top with the third cake layer and frost the outside of the cake.
- Decorate. Press the coconut onto the top and sides of the cake and pipe swirls of the remaining buttercream onto the top of the cake.
Tips for Success
- Measure the flour correctly. Use the spoon and level method or a food scale to measure your flour carefully. Over-measuring flour for this cake can make it dry. Check out this tutorial on How to Measure Flour Correctly to learn more.
- The water should be nice and hot. The hot water helps bring out the full chocolate flavor of the cocoa powder. Cold or lukewarm water won’t have the same effect.
- Cool completely. Allow the cakes to cool completely before stacking and frosting them. Otherwise, the frosting will melt and slide right off.
- Room temperature butter. Start with room-temperature butter. If it’s too cold, you will end up with lumpy frosting. Butter that is too warm will give you a frosting that’s too thin.
- Get the right consistency. Check out my post on how to get the right frosting consistency. It walks you through how to add extra heavy cream to your buttercream (or extra powdered sugar) to make sure the frosting is perfectly spreadable.
- Make it pretty. Want to frost your cake like a pro? Have a look at my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake to learn how to frost the prettiest cake possible.
- Add shredded coconut quickly. Press the shredded coconut into the frosting right after you frost the cake. As the frosting sits, it forms a slight crust and loses its stickiness so the coconut won’t adhere as well (if at all).
Proper Storage
- Counter/refrigerator. Seal the cake in an airtight cake carrier or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. If you use plastic wrap, prop it away from the decorative swirls of frosting using toothpicks. Alternatively, arrange slices of cake in a single layer in an airtight container. You can store coconut chocolate cake at room temperature for up to 24 hours or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. Pop the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. You can also arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw in the fridge before diving in.
- A note on serving leftovers. This sweet treat is best enjoyed at room temperature. So let it sit out on the counter for a bit before serving.
More Decadent Layer Cake Recipes
Looking for more elegant, mouthwateringly delicious layer cakes? I have a plethora of recipes for you to try. Here are some of my favorites.
- German Chocolate Cake
- Bourbon Vanilla Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
- Italian Cream Cake
- Red Velvet Layer Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
Recipe
Chocolate Coconut Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This chocolate coconut cake is made up of three layers of moist, decadent chocolate cake. The layers are filled and frosted with fluffy coconut buttercream and covered with sweetened shredded coconut. You won’t be able to stop at one slice!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (240ml) hot water
Coconut Buttercream
- 2 1/2 cups (560g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp coconut extract
- 6–8 tbsp (90ml-120ml) heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups (113g) sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Make the Cakes
- Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C). Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides.
- Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl and whisk together.
- Add the eggs, milk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Add vanilla to the hot water, then pour into the batter. Mix until well combined. The batter will be very thin.
- Divide batter evenly between cakes pans and bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream
- To make the buttercream, beat the butter until smooth.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add coconut extract, 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and salt and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined smooth. Add additional heavy cream, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
To Assemble the Cake
- To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
- Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 cup of buttercream evenly on top of the cake.
- Add the second layer of cake, another cup of buttercream.
- Top the cake with the remaining layer and frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
- Press the coconut onto the top and sides of the cake. Make sure to do this right after adding the frosting. As the frosting sits, it forms a slight crust and isn’t sticky anymore.
- Pipe swirls of the remaining buttercream onto the top of the cake. I used Ateco tip 808.
- Store cake in an air-tight container. It should be fine at room temperature for up to 24 hours, then should be refrigerated. Serve at room temperature or only slightly cool, not cold. The cake is best if eaten within 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 963
- Sugar: 103.9 g
- Sodium: 408.1 mg
- Fat: 54 g
- Carbohydrates: 122 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 115.6 mg
Moist and decadent. LOVE the coconut extract idea. The combo was perfect! I didn’t use the flaked coconut on the outside but still had the perfect balance of flavors. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can I remove 1/2 of the cocoa and replace with the same amount of flour. I’m allergic to dark chocolate. I have to use milk chocolate.
Making that adjustment would alter the way the cake bakes.
Could the cake be made in advance and frozen?
I don’t usually freeze full cakes, but I imagine this one would be ok.
Due to a wheat allergy, I’m replacing coconut flour for the all purpose flour; that’s the most substantial change but how would that affect the recipe?
I don’t really use coconut flour, but in my limited experience with flour alternatives, they tend to be pretty different and require other adjustments.
I was questioning using the shortening and vegetable oil and should have trusted my instincts. My boyfriend randomly picked this recipe was excited to try it based on the reviews. I didnt want to rain on his parade so I went with it. The final product was not worth the effort or calories, in my opinion. The cake was moist and the frosting was a great texture but the flavor was not there. I believe if some of the ingredients were swapped for other things, like butter instead of shortening, it would be good. I’d suggest a better quality chocolate and finding good coconut extract.
Recipe looks great ! I will be making it for a co-workers birthday but using 2 9″ pans instead of 3 8″- how long should I bake for ?
It’ll actually be similar. I’m not sure of the exact time, but maybe just a few minutes more.
It looks delicious. Do I need to change recipe for a 9×13 pan? Or baking time? Thank you
No, bake it at the same temperature for about 40-50 minutes. You could probably cut the frosting in half.
Delicious cake. I can’t eat refined carbs so I altered the recipe. I love how bob red mills oat flour works in baking a bit more then whole wheat flour. I use unrefined coconut palm sugar for sugar. I use virgin coconut oil in place of vegetable oil (adds extra coconut flavor to it, plus It’s unrefined) i also use cacao powder instead of cocoa as it adds an even richer flavor I find. For the frosting I don’t use shortening and I used coconut palm sugar. Didn’t have coconut extract but i didn’t need it. I used vanilla and it worked fine. Baking I find however with oat flour has a slightly different texture. It’s more goey, which I personally love. It tasted like coconut lava cake as I’d call it. Should have let it sit a bit longer to cool down completely so it’s a bit of a messy cake as it almost fell apart on me. I was too impatient to try it. That’s ok. I wasn’t going for looks. It is the best cake ever.
I’ve been making this recipe (chocolate coconut cake) for the past couple years as a tradition for my husband’s birthday every year. It’s both of our favorites! Previously I was making the recipe you had posted that included melting marshmallows for the icing. Can you send me the older version of this recipe so I can make it again this year?
This recipe has not been updated. The frosting never included melted marshmallows. I have a s’mores cake that uses melted marshmallows in the frosting.
This is my favorite chocolate cake ever! (And everyone that has tried it!) I actually have made it about 3 times, just changing the frosting sometimes! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!
Hello! Can I use cake flour for this recipe, or is AP flour recommended?
Cake flour would be fine, but it’s not necessary in this cake. It’s already plenty tender.
Can you leave the cake out overnight or should it go in the fridge?
It should be fine at room temperature for about 24 hours, then you can refrigerate it.
When you say “sweetened coconut”, what do you mean? In what form?
Shredded coconut. I’ve updated the ingredients list to be clear.
Can this be made as a sheet cake?
Yes, that would be fine.