White Chocolate Coconut Cake
Today we're sharing a perfectly moist White Chocolate Coconut Cake recipe that we just love! We've made several coconut cakes over the years, but have never put coconut with white chocolate- we were missing out!
This light and delicious combination of flavors is a match made in heaven, and perfect for spring gatherings.
The cake batter contains both coconut and white chocolate- and while the white chocolate flavor in this tender coconut cake is a bit more subtle, it is unmistakable and lends a wonderful softness to the texture.
If you're a fan of coconut or white chocolate for that matter, you're going to fall in love with this recipe.The filling and frosting for this moist cake recipe is a luscious White Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting- We love the delicious balance of coconut and white chocolate.
Table of Contents
How to Make White Chocolate Coconut Cake
This white chocolate coconut cake recipe uses the conventional method of mixing, resulting in a light, soft, moist layer cake.
You can find the full, printable recipe below- but here is a quick rundown of our steps!
- Preheat the oven to 325 and prepare your three 8 inch pans (grease, flour, and line with parchment paper). -- By the way, the layers for this cake are slightly thinner than our other cakes-- they bake to about a one inch thickness. You could divide the 6 cups of batter between two 8 inch pans instead, but we wanted that extra layer of filling!
- Heat the coconut milk in the microwave or on the stove top, do not let it boil. Add the white chocolate that has been cut into very small pieces. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to soften, then stir until melted and smooth. Allow to cool down to room temperature before using.
- Combine the dry ingredients, whisking for 30 seconds to aerate, then set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the unsalted butter, slowly add the sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add the eggs one at a time, allowing the egg yolks to disappear before adding the next. Add the extracts.
- Now, we alternate between adding dry and wet ingredients- Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk/ melted chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined, do not over mix and do not mix above medium speed. Divide the batter between the pans and place into the preheated oven.
- Bake at 325 for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool 10 minutes in the pans on a wire rack and flip out.
Can White Chocolate Chips be Used Instead?
Our recipe calls for white chocolate baking bars rather than white chocolate chips. We tried using white chocolate chips in this cake recipe for comparison and we noticed a definite change in texture- it wasn't as soft or moist-- and was a bit more dense also.
I can't say that this would be the case for all brands of white chocolate chips or for all white chocolate cake recipes-- but for this recipe our preference is definitely the white chocolate baking bars.
White Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
The white chocolate coconut cream cheese frosting has so much flavor! We used white chocolate cream cheese frosting in our White Chocolate Cranberry Cake, but the addition of the coconut extract takes it to another level of deliciousness.
- First, melt the white chocolate baking bar (chopped into fine pieces) with a little milk as directed in the recipe below.
- In the bowl of your mixer add the softened butter and cream cheese and mix until smooth. Next, add the melted (cooled to room temp) white chocolate and mix until combined. Add the coconut extract and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and combined.
- If the frosting seems too soft, chill in the refrigerator for several minutes until it reaches a good consistency for spreading onto the cake.
Assembling the White Chocolate Coconut Cake
Once you've prepared your cake layers and frosting, the rest couldn't be easier! Place the first cake layer on the pedestal or serving plate, spread with white chocolate coconut cream cheese frosting, repeat, and top with the final layer.
Frost the cake with an even layer of frosting but it doesn't have to be perfect because we're going to press shredded over the top of the cake and around the sides! If cake decorating isn't your cup of tea, coconut-covered cakes are the best ;0) Ready in minutes!
I just love the light, fluffy look of shredded coconut on a cake! As an added bonus, it gives us another layer of coconut flavor.
We hope that you enjoy this White Chocolate Coconut Cake! If you try it, please leave a comment or photo below!
More Coconut Cake!
We love all coconut cakes! It's so hard to choose a favorite. Some of our favorite coconut cakes are Italian Cream Cake, Lemon Coconut Cake, Piña Colada Cake and Pineapple Coconut Cake.
White Chocolate Cakes
If you love white chocolate, you will love these cake recipes too!! We especially love the white chocolate cranberry & white chocolate peppermint cakes for Christmas and winter gatherings! Yum!
White Chocolate Coconut Cake
This delicious homemade White Chocolate Coconut Cake is SO moist and flavorful! White chocolate and coconut are the perfect combination!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 ounces (113.5g) white baking chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bar and Bakers Premium Baking Bar to test the recipe)
- 1 ⅓ cup (303g) canned Coconut Milk (not coconut cream)
- 2 ½ cups (285g) cake flour * if you do not have cake flour see Note below for substitution
- 2 ½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, slightly softened (do not soften in the microwave)
- 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature ( if in a hurry you can warm the eggs in a bowl of hot (not boiling) water for 5 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (4g) coconut extract
For the White Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 package (8oz) ((226g) full fat cream cheese - it must be full fat, reduced fat or cream cheese in a tub will be too soft for the recipe.
- 2 (4oz) (113.5g) white chocolate baking bars - I used Ghirardelli
- 3 Tablespoons (12g) milk — for melting the white chocolate
- 1 teaspoon (4g) coconut extract
- 6 cups (690g) powdered sugar (sift then measure)
- **One 14oz package (396g) Sweetened Shredded Coconut (to press into the frosted cake)
Instructions
For the Cake
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
Grease and flour your pans & also add circles of parchment to the bottom of your pans. We used three 8 inch cake pans. You could also use two 8 inch round pans. *The baked layers using 3 pans are a little thinner than our usual--about 1 inch thickness...but we wanted the extra layer of filling that three layers gives us!
Heat the coconut milk in the microwave or on the stove top, do not let it boil. Add the white chocolate that has been cut into very small pieces, the smaller the pieces the easier it will melt. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to soften, then stir until melted and smooth. Allow to cool down before using.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk for 30 seconds to blend and set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, mix the butter until smooth. Slowly add the sugar and mix on medium speed 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture lightens in color and becomes fluffy
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yellow is blended in.
Add the vanilla and coconut extracts.
Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk/chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk mixture).
Mix until just combined, do not over mix and do not mix above medium speed.
Pour batter into prepared pans- if baking in three 8 inch pans, bake at 325 for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. If using two 8 inch pans, bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pans on a cooling rack and flip out.
For the White Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
First, cut/chop the white chocolate into very small pieces. This will ensure easy melting. Put into a microwave safe bowl and add 3 Tablespoons milk. Microwave for 15 seconds— let sit for a minute or two, stir and microwave again for 10 seconds, letting it sit again to soften further. Stir. Be careful not to overheat the white chocolate. The chocolate will continue to melt as it is stirred so stir for several minutes until it is completely melted. Let it cool to before using. Do not refrigerate to cool because it would firm up quickly.
In the bowl of your mixer add the softened butter and cream cheese. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Add the white chocolate mixing until combined. Add the coconut extract. Gradually add powdered sugar mixing on low sped until combined and smooth.
The frosting may be too soft at the point so chill in the refrigerator a short while until it is the consistency you like for spreading.
Assembling the Cake
Place first cake layer on the pedestal. Spread with a layer of white chocolate coconut cream cheese frosting. Repeat for the next layer and top with final layer. Frost the cake and press shredded coconut into the frosting, covering the entire cake. Enjoy!
Notes
No Cake Flour? Here's a Substitution
- If you do not have cake flour, you can use all purpose flour and the following substitution: for each cup of flour in the recipe, remove 2 Tablespoons and replace with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch. For this recipe measure out 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, remove 5 Tablespoons and replace with 5 Tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk to blend.
- Makes 6 cups of batter
- Works well for cupcakes - Bake standard size cupcakes at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
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Could this be made in a Bundt pan? What changes would need to be made? Thank you!
Hi Jeana, I think this could be baked in a bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. I cannot be sure of the time depending on the pan you are using and how your oven bakes. Test with a wooden pick, it will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Keep an eye on your cake. Also, there should be a space of 1 1/2 inches at the top of your pan to prevent spillover.
I treated myself and my family to your recipe for Mother's Day 2022 and your cake was wonderful. I definately will make this again.
I made 3 changes:
I used Lidl brand white chocolate chips pulverized in two batches (one portion for the cake and the other portion for the frosting as called for in the recipe) due to inflation. I used a kitchen scale to divide the quantity of chips. Pulverizing the chips in a food processor gave the melted chocolate a quick, consistent texture. In my area (Long Island, NY) the 4 ounce brand name white chocolate bars are $3.50 but a bag of 12 oz. of white chocolate chips at Lidl supermarkets are $1.99.
I used two 9 inch pans, greased, floured and lined with wax paper circles instead of parchment paper because I reserve my parchment for sticky baked products.
I had unsweetened cream of coconut on hand and used that instead of coconut milk. I don't believe it made much of a difference, if any.
(Not a change but a suggestion:) I cut 4 strips of wax paper and laid them down on my pedestal plate and assembling the cake on them to keep the plate neat while frosting it.
Thank you for all the baking details you included in your recipe!
Hi Deb, I'm happy you enjoyed the recipe and thanks so much for posting your money saving tips.
Hello! Can you add sweetened coconut flakes to the batter without it changing the taste or texture? If I can, how much would you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Jackie! Yes, you should be fine to add flaked coconut to the batter. We like to use sweetened flaked coconut when adding to cake batter as it is more moist than unsweetened. It will change the texture of the cake, but we are not opposed to coconut in cakes- we have many recipes that call for it ;0) - Usually we add around a cup. I hope that you enjoy it.
Can’t wait to try this. Can I just add the coconut to the frosting instead of pressing it onto the frosting?
Hi Janet! I don't see why not- it may not spread quite as easily but it will be delicious. I hope that you enjoy the recipe.
**I would just add the coconut bit by bit until you reach the desired amount.You likely won't need the whole bag.