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Coconut Pound Cake

Last Updated On: June 27, 2024 | Published: June 08, 2021 by Melissa Diamond | 22 Comments
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This Coconut Pound Cake is wonderfully moist, flavorful, and easy to make.

Over the years, we've added several pound cake recipes to our cake recipes section and this coconut pound cake is a new favorite.

Coconut Pound Cake

For this recipe, coconut is baked right into the batter to ensure the perfect amount of coconut flavor in every slice.

Keep this recipe in mind as a year-round go to recipe- it is quick, easy, and SO good.

How to Make Coconut Pound Cake

**This is just a quick rundown of our steps- you can find the full, printable Coconut Pound Cake Recipe at the bottom of this post!

Preheat: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan or 10 inch tube pan. For this recipe, we are using the conventional method of mixing.
 
Flour Mixture: In a separate bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder and whisk to blend and set aside.
 
Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of your mixer, mix the butter until smooth, then add the sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5  minutes  or until the mixture is lightened in color and fluffy. (If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment).
 
Eggs: Next, add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yellow of the yolk is blended.
 
Extracts: Then, add the vanilla extract and coconut extract to the milk.
 
Alternating Dry and Wet: Add the flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  After each addition, mix at low speed until blended.
 
Coconut: Stir the thawed coconut into the cake batter. We prefer to use frozen coconut in this pound cake recipe but we have also tried it with unfrozen flaked coconut in a bag with good results (Baker's Angel Flake Coconut, sweetened).  
 

Fill the Pan: Spoon batter evenly into greased and floured bundt or 10 inch tube pan and bake.  If baking in a bundt pan, bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour plus 5 to 10 minutes. 

If baking in a 10 inch tube pan, bake at 325 degrees  for 1 hour plus 20 to 30 minutes.  Check for doneness with a toothpick or long thin skewer.  The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.  Cool on a rack for 10 minutes then turn out.  

*Be careful not to overfill your pan. If you are baking in a smaller bundt pan, you should have at least 1 ½ inches between the top of the pan and the top of the cake batter.

 
Coconut Pound Cake Recipe
 
 

Easy Coconut Glaze

Glazes on pound cakes and bundt cakes are optional but quick and easy glazes like this one add an added boost of flavor while also making the cake look extra special!
 
Creating today's easy coconut glaze is just a matter of combining two cups of confectioners sugar, sifted with 2-3 tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of coconut extract.
 
Add the milk just a little bit at a time- you may find that you reach your desired consistency before adding the full amount. Or, if you'd like the glaze to be a bit more thin, you can add a bit more milk. Thinner glazes will be more transparent.

*Note that if you taste a spoonful of glaze, you are going to find it to be too sweet! It isn't meant to be eaten that way ;0) However, when drizzled over the cake, it is just right. 

 

Adding the Glaze to the Pound Cake

 
There's no wrong way to glaze a cake, but for the most control, I like to load the glaze into a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away and apply the glaze that way.
 
It's best to allow the pound cake to cool a bit before adding the glaze. 
 
As a final touch we added a little flaked, sweetened coconut to the top of the cake.
 
We had some on hand (in addition to the frozen coconut used in the cake batter).  This decorative step is completely optional as the cake already has lots of coconut flavor.
 
Moist Coconut Pound Cake- So delicious!

Recipe FAQs

This coconut pound cake can be left out at room temperature for 2-3 days under a cake dome or in an airtight container. Beyond that, I would move to the refrigerator for freshness.

This cake becomes more firm when chilled (because of the butter), and so it is important to allow it warm and soften before serving.

Just as with most of our cake recipes, from strawberry pound cake to Lemon Pound Cake, Italian Cream bundt cake and more, this cake freezes beautifully.

After cooling the caramel espresso pound cake until it is slightly warm, place it on a foil wrapped cake cardboard (for support) and wrap tightly with plastic wrap followed by foil. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months!

Bundt cakes and pound cakes are larger than cake layers are therefore take longer to thaw.

For this reason, we like to move the wrapped bundt cake to the refrigerator the day before it is needed. Then, remove the next morning and continue thawing.

We prefer to use sweetened flaked coconut in our cake recipes because it is softer and more moist than unsweetened (which is dry and more chewy).

Similarly, frozen grated coconut (thawed) is also more moist.

Other Favorite Pound Cakes

We've made several other pound cakes over the years. Aside from today's coconut pound cake, here are a few more for your list!

Some of our most popular are our Lemon Pound Cake, Rainbow Pound Cake, Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake, and Sour Cream Pound Cake.

Coconut Cakes and Fillings

If you love coconut desserts, we have many more coconut cake recipes and fillings to share with you!

Some of our most popular are our Coconut Cake, Piña Colada Cake, Lemon Coconut Cake, Coconut Cupcakes, and Coconut Filling.

Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!

Moist coconut pound cake on a cake pedestal.

Coconut Pound Cake

BY Melissa and Bebe
This moist Coconut Pound Cake is easy to make and tastes amazing!
Course: Dessert
Servings: 15
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Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (339g)
  • 3 cups sugar (600g)
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature (If in a hurry, place in a bowl of warm water for five minutes.
  • 3 cups all purpose flour (375g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (4g)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (2g)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon coconut extract (6g)
  • 1 cup milk (242g)
  • One 6 ounce package (170g) frozen grated coconut, thawed. (You can also use packaged sweetened shredded coconut (2 cups) we have tested with Bakers angel flake coconut with good results)

For the Coconut Glaze

  • 2 cups confectioners sugar measure then sift
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk start with 2, increase a needed for desired consistency.
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Instructions

  • Lower the oven rack to the next to lowest position.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 cup bundt pan or tube pan. 
  • In a separate bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder and whisk to blend.  Set aside.
  • Mix the butter until smooth, gradually add the sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes  or until the mixture is lightened in color and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs one at a time beating after each until the yellow of the yolk disappears. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times.
  • Add the vanilla and coconut extracts to the 1 cup of milk.
  • Add the flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  After each addition, mix at low speed  until blended.
  • Stir in the thawed coconut.
  • Spoon batter into greased and floured bundt or 10 inch tube pan.  The oven temperature is 325 degrees F. 
  •  Our cake baked for 1 hour, 30 minutes. Baking times may vary depending on your pan, oven, etc. It's best to peek in at least by the 1 hour, 10 minute mark to be on the safe side. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if it becomes too brown.
  • The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.  Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove from  pan. 

Coconut Glaze

  • Combine all ingredients
  • Load into a piping bag with the tip snipped away and drizzle onto your cake (or you can drizzle by the spoonful).
  • Optional: Sprinkle coconut over the top for added decoration (I used sweetened, flaked coconut for the top).

Notes

This recipe makes 8 cups of batter.
You can also use sweetened flaked coconut if you do not have frozen coconut. We have used Bakers angel flake coconut with good results.
4.43 from 88 votes (88 ratings without comment)

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22 Comments

  1. Best moist coconut pound cake. Everyone loved it. I did add extra coconut flavoring. Made the icing, but made it thinner and toasted some coconut for top.

    Reply

  2. Hi Elizabeth, we are so happy everyone enjoyed the cake. Thank you for posting your nice comments.

    Reply

  3. A friend made this recipe and it was wonderful. I would like to make it to use a lemon coconut pound cake. I saw your suggestions for adding lime juice for part of the liquid. Have you experimented any with adding lemon to this cake? I would love any suggestions you have.

    Reply

    1. Hi Christy! I think that we were mainly referring to the glaze in that comment about the lime juice. I love the idea of adding lemon to this- such a delicious combination. You'll get the most lemon flavor from adding lemon extract and even some lemon zest to the cake batter. Maybe 2-3 teaspoons lemon extract plus the zest of 1 or 2 lemons (optional). In our lemon whipping cream pound cake, we add 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice to the cup of cream (or milk) but this does more for the texture of the cake (softens the gluten) than it does for adding lemon flavor. The flavor of the lemon juice has a way of disappearing as the cake bakes- which is why we rely more on extracts. If you try it, let us know how it goes!

      Reply

  4. I have made this cake and thought it was great! I am planning to make it again this week, but I will need to freeze it for a reception in about two weeks. (I have quite a few items to make so I picked the cake to make ahead and freeze.) My question is about the glaze...can it also be made a few days ahead? If so, does it need to be refrigerated or left out on the counter in an airtight container? Will it thicken as it sits?....can I just stir in a little water once I get to the reception area to make it where I can drizzle it on the cake? Thanks....just trying to prepare ahead!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Tammy! So glad that you like the recipe!

      We haven't made the glaze days in advance before but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't. I would say room temperature is fine for 2-3 days and it shouldn't thicken or set up if it is in an airtight container. Yes, as you mentioned, you can have a little water/milk (or powdered sugar) on standby if you need to adjust the consistency.

      Just as a side note, we've actually frozen a glazed cake before with no issues. The glaze was sticky at first but once it had completely thawed and sat out for a bit, it set up again.

      Reply