One Bowl MOIST Vegan Coconut Cake Recipe – Gluten Free Option!
This is truly the best vegan coconut cake I’ve ever had! So moist and fluffy, and full of fresh coconut and vanilla with a dairy free coconut cream cheese frosting that just sets this coconut cake apart from the rest!
Why you’ll love this vegan coconut cake
I’m so beyond excited to share this vegan coconut cake with you. I’ve tested it several times, and man, do we have a winner. Even my nearly 80 year old Italian grandmother (read: she’s not accustomed to eating vegan and gluten free!) loved this coconut cake. So much so, she had a second slice!
I just know you’re going to absolutely fall in love with this coconut cake, and for a few reasons:
- This cake is the definition of super moist and fluffy. I’m talking feels-like-you’re-eating-a-cloud fluffy and tender. Trust me, “dry cake” will be nowhere near your thought pattern.
- It’s shockingly easy to make. Forget the notion that making a layered cake, heck a vegan layered cake is hard. Like my classic vegan vanilla cake, this vegan coconut cake is the definition of easy, so whether you’re a pro or beginner, you’re going to love this cake.
- The dairy free coconut cream cheese frosting is out of this world. Based on my easy vegan cream cheese frosting, I could easily eat that frosting alone, but paired with the fluffy coconut cake full of toasted coconut, you’re going to see why this coconut cake is award winning!
- This vegan coconut cake is full of flavor. Don’t for a second think that vegan baking is flavorless. In fact, I think it’s quite the opposite. Not only will you be overwhelmed with the bursting fresh flavor of coconut at the first bite, but it’s also paired with a subtle yet lovely vanilla undertone that really makes you speechless. With a slight tang from the dairy free cream cheese, you’ll go back for another bite. Trust me, it’s worth the calories.
- You don’t have to be vegan to love this cake. Or bake it! If my nearly 80 year old grandmother, who hadn’t tasted a vegan treat until she was 77 years old, can say she loves this cake, then I’m certain anyone will!
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Ingredients
I really wanted to keep this vegan coconut cake super simple and easy for everyone, so you only need a few key ingredients here:
- Flour: you can use cake flour, all purpose flour with a bit of arrowroot powder, gluten free 1:1 baking flour, or even oat flour with a bit of arrowroot powder as well (listed in the ingredients).
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar here, but you can also use coconut sugar. Just keep in mind that your cake will be more tan in color!
- Vegan butter: you can also use coconut oil here, which will give this cake a more coconut flavor. I used Flora Plant Butter for a nut-free coconut cake.
- Coconut milk or coconut cream: use the coconut milk from the can. Your cake will come out extra rich and tender! If you can’t find coconut cream, full fat coconut milk will also work!
- Dairy free yogurt: this replaces the eggs found in traditional coconut cake so this is an egg free coconut cake!
- Coconut and vanilla extract: this vegan coconut cake actually has a lot of coconut flavor already, so if you’d prefer not to add in the coconut, you can omit it. I will say, the vanilla with the coconut is a really nice flavor though, so keep the vanilla in!
- Leavening agents: but of course we need something to rise our cakes!
Overview: Step by Step How to Make a Vegan Coconut Cake
As with all of my recipes, the full recipe to this dairy free coconut cake is found down below in the recipe card, along with the full ingredient measurements. However, let’s have an overview of how to bake this vegan cake!
This vegan coconut cake is actually based off of my vegan vanilla cake- one of my favorite recipes on the blog to date. It’s so light and tender, yet full of flavor. Plus, my entire family just loves it (not to mention my readers of course!). So much like my vanilla cake recipe, there’s actually two methods we can use to make it: the stand mixer method or the by hand method.
For the record, I bake all of my cakes either by hand or in a stand mixer. When I’m short on time, I use the by hand method.
Yes, you can truly make an amazing vegan cake without any fancy equipment- I even created, tested, and photographed over 120 vegan desserts for my cookbook without even touching a stand mixer! So know that either method that you choose, you’ll get an amazing coconut cake, whether you’re a beginner or a pro.
Stand Mixer Method: the first step is to make sure that the flour and leavening agents are whisked together. Then you’ll cream together the vegan butter and sugar. Once the sugar is essentially dissolved into the butter, you’ll add in the dairy free yogurt (or applesauce), along with the vanilla and coconut extracts. Then you’ll gently sift in the flour, along with the coconut cream, mixing until there are no more dry streaks. Fold in the coconut flakes, pour into your cake pans and bake!
By Hand Method: this method is slightly different, but again, works amazingly still. Whisk together the wet ingredients, then fold in the coconut flakes. Pour in the coconut milk and flour, then whisk just until combined. Pour into the cake pans and bake! That’s it!
Dairy free coconut cream cheese frosting
This dairy free coconut cream cheese frosting is arguably the best vegan frosting I’ve ever had.
It’s so good, I feel like I could just eat it with a spoon. In fact, I might have taken a few bites! This is what really sets this vegan coconut cake apart.
The cream cheese frosting is made with vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, and coconut flakes. If the frosting needs a bit more liquid, I like to add in a little more coconut cream, which also gives a bit more of a coconut flavor.
Much like my other vegan frostings, you’ll simply cream together the vegan butter and cream cheese. Add in the powdered sugar, and cream again until fluffy! If you’d like, you an also toast the coconut, which we’ll go over in the next section.
How to toast coconut
You can, of course, use raw and unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes, but I personally think that the toasted coconut adds so much depth to this vegan coconut cake and sets the bar high.
If you’d like to add toasted coconut to both the cake batter and the tops of the cake, simply toast the coconut prior to baking.
Spread the coconut flakes onto a large baking sheet and place the sheet into the oven at 350F to toast for 5-6 minutes. You want to check on the coconut to ensure it hasn’t burnt or toasted too much. When it starts to smell aromatic is when it’s done.
How to make a layer cake
If you’re new to The Banana Diaries, hi, hello, I absolutely love making layer cakes and I love teaching others to make layer cakes as well- vegan ones!
To make a three layered coconut cake, I like to use a few different tools. Always in my layer cake arsenal, I have:
- Cake turntable
- Offset spatula
- Bench scraper
- Cake stand
You can grab a few pipings tips and bags too if you’d like to do designs on your cakes, but I like to keep it simple for the most part.
If you’re a new vegan cake baker, not to worry. You do not need these tools to make a beautiful cake. In fact, the only one I really find necessary if you’re just looking for an elegant yet rustic cake is an offset spatula and a spoon (for creating swoops in frosting!).
The bench scraper and cake turntable are wonderful tools if you’d like that crisp and clean edge on the cake. The turntable helps you to continuously frost the cake without breaking the streak. Wonderful if you’re giving this cake as a birthday gift or even making your own wedding cake!
To make a layer cake, I start with the first layer on the bottom. Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of frosting (I lean more towards the generous side) and sprinkle a little coconut on top.
Place the second layer on top and repeat.
Then frost the edges of the cake and gently press the coconut onto the sides.
Recipe Q+A
Can I make this into a vegan coconut sheet cake? Or a vegan coconut loaf?
Absolutely! If you’re making a sheet cake, simply pour the batter into your prepared sheet cake pan and bake. The timing might be a little longer, so just check the cake after 27 minutes with a toothpick to gage how ready it is. For a vegan coconut loaf, you’ll need two loaf pans, or you can cut this recipe in half!
How do I make this a gluten free vegan coconut cake?
The only ingredient you’ll need to swap out here is the flour. I absolutely love this coconut cake with oat flour and a bit of arrowroot powder. It works wonderfully. You can also use cornstarch in place of the arrowroot. Alternatively, I’ve tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, and it works wonderfully!
Can I make this into coconut cupcakes?
I actually have a coconut cupcake recipe for you to try based off of this recipe!
How do I store leftovers?
If, in the rare situation, you have any leftovers of this dairy free coconut cake (trust me, it’s that good!), you can easily store them for later. I like to store the cake as whole as it is (so assuming it’s already sliced, don’t slice it anymore) and cover it tightly to prevent any air.
Then place it into the fridge to keep for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. It will also stay good at room temperature for up to 2-3 days!
I hope you love this vegan coconut cake as much as I do! It’s truly just the most tender and deliciously light vegan cake I’ve had to date. If you try this recipe let me know down below in the comment section, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This helps more people find this recipe, especially if you really liked it!
As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy coconut cake baking!
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
One Bowl MOIST Vegan Coconut Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 27
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is truly the best vegan coconut cake I’ve ever had! So moist and fluffy, and full of fresh coconut and vanilla with a dairy free coconut cream cheese frosting that just sets this coconut cake apart from the rest!
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups (410 g) cake flour, all-purpose flour or gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour, sifted (do NOT skip- add in 1 tsp arrowroot powder if using all-purpose flour or gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour, see Note)
- 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar (see Note)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup (360 mL) coconut milk or coconut cream, from a can*
- 3/4 cup (150 g) unsweetened dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter, softened (stand mixer method) or melted (by hand method)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup (100 g) coconut shreds, unsweetened
Vegan Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup (226 g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (226 g) vegan cream cheese
- 4 cups (520 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract, optional
- 3 cups toasted coconut flakes
Instructions
No equipment version:
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and grease three 6″ or 8″ cake pans with olive or coconut oil.
- Whisk the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the vegan butter, sugar, dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and sea salt. Add in the baking powder and baking soda, and whisk just until incorporated. Then add in the shredded coconut and whisk again until incorporated.
- Finish the batter: Add in the flour and pour in the coconut milk. Whisk just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet.
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly into the cake pans. Place cake pans into the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes (for 6″) or 27-30 minutes (for 8″), or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a drying rack to cool completely before frosting.
Stand mixer or hand mixer version:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease three 6″ or 8″ cake pans with olive or coconut oil.
- Whisk together just the flour, sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Next, you’ll cream together the softened vegan butter and sugar until the sugar dissolves into the butter about 3 minutes. I used the flat beater paddle. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Then add in the unsweetened applesauce or dairy free yogurt, vanilla and coconut extract, and continue to beat again on medium-low speed, then increasing it to medium speed until combine, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add in half of the flour mixture, followed by half of the coconut cream, and continue beating until the entire flour mixture and the coconut cream are in the batter. Beat until the dry ingredients are just incorporated, being careful not to over mix. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Fold in the coconut flakes.
- Divide the batter evenly into the cake pans.
- Place cake pans into the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes (for 6″) or 27-30 minutes (for 8″), or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a drying rack to cool completely before frosting.
Vegan Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- When ready to frost the cakes, add vegan butter and cream cheese to a large bowl or stand mixer and cream for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, continuing the beat the mixture until it’s a thick buttercream.
- Add in vanilla, coconut extract, and 2-4 tablespoons of coconut cream or milk and continue to beat until desired texture.
- Frost the cake and press the shredded coconut flakes into the sides. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Coconut milk: make sure to shake the coconut cream can before beginning. Sometimes the fat can separate from the water. Shaking the can will help everything combine.
Gluten Free: I use King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour for a gluten free coconut cake
Looks divine! I’m going to make this for the weekend. Thank you.
Aw YAY! Enjoy!! Thank you so much!
amazing cake! could I put the batter into cupcake tins?
Oh absolutely!! I would only bake them for 15-18 minutes, check how they’re doing with the oven light around the 12 minute mark!
Hello! How much baking soda should we add in the recipe? 🙂
Hi Roberto! So sorry about that! 1/2 tsp 🙂 Enjoy!
I forgot the applesauce at the grocery store! I know it won’t be vegan anymore, but do you know how many large eggs I would need to replace the applesauce in this recipe?
I’m so excited for this dairy free coconut cake!
Looks yummy.
What’s a good substitute for the apple sauce? Would equal quantity of mashed sweet potato work or mashed banana?
Thanks 😊
Hi Rachna! Aw so happy to hear it! I haven’t tried this recipe with sweet potato nor banana- my guess is that the sweet potato might potentially not be moist enough, and the banana would give it a bit of a banana flavor. If you like banana, then banana might be your best bet but I can’t guarantee results! You can try ground flaxseed if you have it! You can use 3 tbsp ground flaxseed with just over 1/2 cup water (9 tbsp to be exact!). Let me know how you like it!
Thank you 🙂
Ground flax seed meal with water sound perfect.
Thanks for the option.
Absolutely!! Enjoy! 🙂
I love coconut and this looks so good! May I ask if I can use tapioca starch in place of arrowroot powder? Also, will this work if I use only 2 8-inch cake pans?
Thank you heaps!
Aw so happy to hear it!! Yes, you can use tapioca! And yes, you can use just two 8″ pans as well! they’re just be bigger layers and need a bit more baking time 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi
Could you please put in gramms the ingredient ?
Im following you from France and its not easy to have the good conversion on the internet :$ please !
Hi there! I apologize for the delay in the response! If you click the US or M button right next to the ingredients, it will toggle between gram and cup measurements 🙂
This cake is sooooo yummy! I’m a coconut freak so I could basically eat this every day, but my non-vegan family loved it just as much! Thank you for this amazing recipe (and all of your amazing recipes haha) 🙂
Aw my goodness!! I’m so happy to hear it!! Enjoy!!!
Did you use canned coconut milk? or Coconut whipping cream from a can? I have both
Hi Sharon! Yes I did- Edward’s & Sons has a heavy whipping coconut cream and Trader Joe’s has a full fat heavy coconut cream- those are the two I’ve tested with this recipe!
I have made your Easy Vegan Lemon Cake with Raspberry Buttercream before and it was delicious! I used the 1-1 gluten free flour and that recipe says to add 1 tbsp arrowroot. I am getting ready to make the coconut cake and it says to add only 1 tsp arrowroot and I just wanted to be sure of the correct amount. Also do you have a preferred brand for vegan cream cheese? Thanks!
Hi Sheila! Oh I’m so happy to hear you loved the lemon cake!! For this one, you’ll just need a tsp- with the heavy coconut milk and flakes, you’ll get a really tender and light texture! For vegan cream cheese, I love Vio Life or Miyokos!
I followed the recipe to the T with gluten free 1:1 and it turned out super dense and gummy. The only thing I did differently was use two 8” round pans instead of 3 as I didn’t have 3, but I added time and the toothpick came out clean. Any thoughts on where I went wrong?
Hi Ruby- I’m so sorry to hear this! It sounds like there was too much flour in the batter- did you happen to scoop the flour instead of spoon and level? Scooping will give you way more flour than you need, which will lead to a gummy cake. Additionally, were all wet ingredients at room temperature? I’ve had this happen where even if the vegan butter is just slightly warm, it can sometimes result in a gummy cake, but when I let it be room temperature, the cake will be fine!
I think I may have scooped some of the flour. I was struggling to get it out of the bag… lol. I’ll give it another try and be more careful next time. The flavor was great aside from the texture! I left the melted butter to sit for probably 20 minutes but maybe it was still warm. I’ll watch that more carefully too. Thank you!
Aw absolutely! I’ve had that happen before with the butter- as long as it doesn’t feel warm to the touch, it’ll be fine! but yes definitely keep an eye on the flour!! Totally get that though- when the flour nears the end it’s irritating to spoon and level 🤣 Let me know how it goes next time if you try! And thank you for giving it a go in the first place! 🙂
Hi Britt, this looks absolutely incredible and definitely mouth watering 😍 I want to surprise a friend for his birthday with this cake because he loves coconut. So would it be ok to prepare the cream/frosting the day before and store it in the fridge? Also I thought about adding some vegan (white) chocolate chunks to the batter… do you think that could work?
Aw that’s so wonderful!! I hope you all love it, and happy early birthday to your friend! For the frosting- yes you can do that! You might need to use the hand mixer and cream it again for 2-3 minutes (also allow the frosting to soften a bit at room temperature!). For the white chocolate chunks, that would be amazing!!
My frosting turned out super runny. It’s thick when beating, but looks nothing like yours and just runs off the cake. Followed everything to a T, so not sure what happened. Also, I can never get white frosting it’s always light cream color.
Hi Clarrissa! I’m so sorry to hear this! It sounds like the vegan butter and cream cheese are way too room temperature when you’re beating it, OR that your cake is still really warm. Coconut cake is a denser cake than most, so it might take you longer to cool, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Another good trick to prevent the the frosting from melting is by chilling the bowl you’re about to beat the frosting in the freezer, along with the whisk attachments. I hope this helps! Frosting can take some practice, my first few cakes I ever baked, the frosting would run right off!
Heya!
I’m making this cake for a wedding so I’m feeling nervous but excited! Thank you for your recipe.
One query: you mention buttermilk in step 5, however, this is not listed in the ingredients list. Please could you clarify?
Thank you,
Jay
Hi Jay! Aw that’s so wonderful to hear! I’m so sorry for that confusion- that was a little typo in the stand mixer section. It should have read coconut cream, like the above sentence. It should be fixed now! Thank you for that! Enjoy!
This is a good recipe, I am more interested in lowering my carbs/gluten so I used equal parts: coconut flour, Einkorn flour and gluten free flour. {Bob’s Red Mill} Worked out very well! I wished I had coconut extract though, but I used room temp. coconut oil instead of vegan butter and that turned out very good as well and gave it a bit more coconut flavor. Super moist texture, I used 3 round cake pans greased with coconut oil. I will keep this recipe and maybe change up the flavors in the future. Maybe lemon poppy seed! !
So happy to hear it!! What great swaps. Thanks so much for these details, and the review! 🙂
I loved the cake! I’ve Celiac disease and I looooove desserts so I’m always looking for new recipes and not always turns that okay so now that I found the banana diaries I can’t wait to bake all the recipes and eat them all hahaha.
Thank you for the recipes and the work behind because it’s not always easy to bake vegan or gluten free without losing the good taste.
This is so wonderful!! Truly thank you for this- I’m so so glad you loved it, and so happy to hear you’re eating treats you love again!! That’s why I do it! Enjoy 🙂
So excited to make this!
I am planning to make it with half of ewerything in 6 inch pans. How long should i bake it?
Hi Lili! I can’t wait to hear what you think!! How many 6″ cake pans will you use? Two?
I love the sound of this receipt, I am making my first vegan cake for a friend. I was thinking of using passion fruit cooli as part of the decoration and hoping it will be ok over the coconut frosting, I was going to leave out the coconut shreds to keep it smooth and then use the cooli as a drip …. Would this work? Thanks
The taste of this cake is delicious! Mine is a cautionary tale for future bakers. I substituted coconut flour in instead of regular baking flour, 1:1. Because of this the cake was dense, crumbly and didn’t cook at all. I made a load and I doubled the baking time but still, because of the dry and oily nature of coconut flour, the cake didn’t “bake” as such, and slacked in the middle. Google how to substitute coconut flour for other flours if you must. I personally will never do that again. It’s texture lends to dry stuffs like biscuits and bars. Excellent recipe, and I look forward to attempting it again
Aw I’m so sorry to hear about the coconut flour! Yes, coconut flour is SUPER finicky to bake with and definitely shouldn’t be swapped in unless you’ve mixed it with other flours (I’ve found it works well with oat flour, but again, you have to be careful with the ratios!). I’m so glad you liked the taste still though, and definitely give it another go!!
Hi is this 3 and 1/4cup of flour or 3 x 1/4 cups of flour…3 cups and 1/4 seems way too much 3/4 cup seems too little?
Hi Adam! Sorry for the confusion! It is 3 and 1/4 cups flour- 480 g!
Hello! The recipe sounds great but is there a way to avoid vegan cream cheese? Are there any alternatives to this ingredient?
Hi Simona! Yes of course! You can use our vegan buttercream recipe 🙂 Linked here! Enjoy! https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-buttercream-frosting/
If using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, is the Arrowroot still recommended as an addition to the flour? Thx!
Yes, definitely do! It will help make the flour not feel gritty! Enjoy 🙂
Hey there.
My daughter just turned 19. She’ll celebrate it on weekend with two other friends that also have their bdays this week. One is vegetarian ,one is vegan. My daughter loves coconut. So compromise:a vegan coconut cake. My first vegan dish ever.(My favorite veggie is meat).
I did the recipe exactly as written by you(which is also a first;I like to change and adapt recipes). And let me tell you:OH MY GOD. I almost ate the entire bowl with frosting(which is smth,coz usually I am picky when it comes to sweets) .And the cake,soo fluffy.
So I entirely recommend this cake to all,vegans or not.
Love love love to hear this!! Thank you so much for this beautiful review!! And happy birthday to your daughter!! What a wonderful treat 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi, just wondering if I can use an egg in place of the apple sauce? And if so, would one whisked egg work?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah! I haven’t personally tested this, but I know other readers that maybe don’t need a recipe to be eggless have tested my cake recipes swapping in an egg (typically 1/3 cup applesauce = 1 egg) with success. I can’t speak to the success personally, but if you’re open to experimenting you definitely can try!
I’ll be making the coconut cake for my sister who is a celiac. Since she needs gluten free but not vegan, can I substitute regular butter and cream cheese in the recipe?
Hi Pam! I haven’t personally tried the non-vegan swaps, but I know many readers have made this cake with regular dairy butter and have said it works!
Hi. This recipe sounds great. If I use coconut oil instead of the vegan butter for the cake, should I melt the coconut oil? Also have you used a Bundt ban to make this cake?
Hi Dina! You can use coconut oil definitely! If you use room temperature coconut oil that feels like room temperature vegan butter, you can use that! Sometimes, though, coconut oil sets very hard depending on how cold your house is. You can melt it, but the best results will be if you use it when it’s just lightly softened! And yes, I actually just baked it in a bundt cake, and it was wonderful! It will need about 58-60 minutes in the oven!
Trying this recipe today! Could I make this the cake with full fat coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
Yes, you can!
This was my first time trying to make a vegan cake recipe to accommodate vegan guests.
I had a great time shopping for ingredients, until I found out the natural food shop was closed – the only place in my community where I thought I could find vegan butter and vegan cream cheese!
I had no choice but to replace the butter with vegan margarine and switch the frosting recipe for the buttercream recipe from this page. Oh an I also could not find applesauce… so I replaced it with apple and pear mashed baby food lol! (Which is actually delicious.)
The recipe turned out amazing! I especially liked the taste of the cake itself, the dough was amazing!
The buttercream (margarinecream?) I ended up not liking so much. I found it too airy and greasy, somehow – it reminded me of canned buttercream from the 90ies. Probably the margarine’s fault (damn that closed natural products store!).
Also, when combining the layers… they refused to stay on top of each other! They kept slipping off of each other, there was no way to make them stay! I ended up skewering the cake until it set! Once again, I blame the margarine which I think was too softened, I left on the counter several hours to make sure it is room temperature. Next time, I will cut off the top of the cake layers to make sure they are flat instead of curved, as they rose a bit more in the middle, which contributed to the slipping.
In any case, delicious recipe! I will be making it again for sure! I loved how the cake itself was not too sweet and had a complex yet subtle coconut flavour, it was not overwhelming at all. Delicious!
For the sake of experiment, I may try to also make it with cow butter to see what would happen.
I needed a good GF and dairy free dessert to have in my back pocket – I have lots of friends with tricky dietary needs – and I’m delighted to have found it!!! This recipe ROCKS! I am not a vegan and I had never bought or used vegan cream cheese but it makes an amazing frosting! I made cupcakes and they came out great – the one substitution I made was coconut sugar and it didn’t adversely affect texture or taste at all. Next iteration I’ll try will be this base recipe but with banana and crushed pineapple instead of applesauce (a riff on the classic hummingbird) – but I wouldn’t change a thing about that frosting! 😋 Thanks for sharing this – it’s a real winner!
This is just wonderful!!! Love the flavor iterations too 🙂 Sounds just perfect! Thank you so so much for giving it a go, and so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Hi, this looks very enticing but I don’t have access to vegan cream cheese. Is there a way to substitute something for it? I would prefer a from scratch recipe for it .
Thanks for any help
Hi there! Unfortunately I don’t have a from scratch vegan cream cheese- HOWEVER, I think this recipe sounds like it would work the most for a from-scratch recipe to use in frosting! https://jessicainthekitchen.com/the-best-vegan-cream-cheese/ I haven’t personally tried this, so obviously your results may vary, but just wanted to offer an idea!
Hi!
Just wondering if the flour could be replaced with oat and arrowroot or a brown rice/tapioca/potato mix? thank you!
Hi Giulianna! I have not tried this version with oat flour and arrowroot yet- it probably will work, as I’ve made tons of my other cakes with oat flour and arrowroot, but I don’t know the exact results so I can’t guarantee anything! Definitely do not try a homemade mix that doesn’t contain xanthan- oat and arrowroot is your best bet!
I forgot the applesauce at the grocery store! I know it won’t be vegan anymore, but do you know how many large eggs I would need to replace the applesauce in this recipe?
I’m so excited for this dairy free coconut cake!
Hi Hali!! I’m so excited for you to try this cake!! I haven’t tried this with eggs, however, as I am vegan, so I can’t speak to the results. In general, 1/3 cup applesauce = 1 large egg- you can experiment if you’d like, but I can’t guarantee the results!
I made this cake for a holiday vegan potluck. It was a hit & several wanted the recipe. I was surprised how the cake part turned out so well.
This is wonderful!! Oh I’m so happy to hear it 🙂 Thank you so much for this review and for giving it a go!! One of my favorite cake recipes of all time 🙂 Enjoy!
A friend gave me some of this cake. Now I’m making for my daughter’s birthday. they have dairy and nut allergies and celiac. Im sure they will love this cake. however I can’t find HOW MUCH applesauce to use if I don’t use dairy free yogurt? thanks
Oh sure!! You can sub the exact same amount of applesauce for the dairy free yogurt- they’re 1:1 subs! Enjoy, and let me know how it turns out! 🙂
What if I don’t have coconut cream? Can I sub for something else? I have “condensed milk” coconut milk
Hi Nikki! Condensed coconut milk wouldn’t work here, as it’s not that liquid-y. I would wait until you can get some coconut milk! it’s crucial to the flavor!
Ok thank you! And it seems like the frosting came out bitter due to the vegan cream cheese. How could I fix that?
Oh that’s so weird that it tasted bitter!! I’m wondering if it was an off batch of cream cheese? A 1/4 cup more of powdered sugar should help with that though!
hello, sorry to disturb you, I’m in love with your recipes, I would like to try this coconut cake, but I would like measurements in grams, but I can’t find the button to put in grams, thank you so much.
Absolutely!! I’m so sorry for that confusion! I just updated the post with the correct metric measurements, since the button code has been broken- the measurements in the parentheses will work for the gram measurements! Enjoy!
Love this cake! Great for Easter or anytime!💗
So happy to hear it!! Enjoy 🙂
I never write reviews but this cake was just TOO good not to say anything. I am a cooking instructor at my college and I made this recipe for my last class ever before graduating and it definitely didn’t disappoint. This cake was gone by the end of class. The anti coconut participants ate seconds of this cake and loved it. Such an amazing recipe. I made the gluten free version of this and it was the best desert that I have ever had. I wonder if the recipe would be just as good with the normal dairy cream cheese and etc included Vs dairy free. I will for sure be making this again!
This is so lovely 🥺I’m so beyond honored!! Thank you so much for coming back to review!! So glad you all loved it 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe! I was wondering if I could sub xanthan gum for the arrowroot, and if so, what the ideal measurements for that swap would be?
Hi Courtney! I would actually sub in cornstarch if you can! Xanthan gum might make a really gummy texture- unless, are you using a GF flour blend without xanthan gum?
Hi there! I’m new to baking and making this for a friend’s birthday tomorrow. I was wondering about the weight of the flour, 410 g. Is it 410g of flour before or after sifting? I read that the flour will be lighter after sifting so I wasn’t sure which one this. Thank you so much for your time!
Hi CC, so sorry I’m just responding! Had a travel day 🙂 So the flour is always the same weight, sifted or not! It will only change measurements if you measure in cups because it’s lighter per cup, but not per weight. But I recommend using grams, it’s much more accurate!
The sugar and baking powder seems to be too much. Can you confirm those ingredients’ in US measurements. Because your flour measurement were wrong I am skeptical. Typically, I would think it is 1 cup and 1/4.
Everything is correct! I use 1 tsp baking powder per 1 cup flour (standard ratio) and it works perfectly for me!
Question-does the proportion change if I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream? And is it a whole cup and a half of liquid? And would this work if I cut everything in half to make a smaller cake? And finally last question, can I make it in a cake pan as a single layer and if so how long to bake? I’m excited to try this but I’m new to vegan baking. Also can I use real butter? We are only vegan because we can’t have eggs. Thanks!!!
Hi Elle! The portion doesn’t change for coconut milk vs coconut cream! And yes, you can absolutely reduce the recipe to half of its size and it’ll work just fine! The baking time might be a little quicker, so keep an eye on it. If you’re making it a sheet cake in a 9×13 pan, though, I would keep the recipe as is! You can use real butter but I can’t guarantee results as I’ve never tried it- but I know many readers use regular dairy in my recipes if they’re just avoiding eggs!
Hi I’m living in the UK and shredded coconut isn’t that common here. Would desiccated coconut work as a substitute? Thanks
Hi Hannah! I believe you can- you might want to use a tbsp or two less of the desiccated, just as it’s very fine, but it should work!
Hello! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Can this be done as a sheet cake as well?
Oh absolutely! The bake time will vary (I would check on it around the 30 min mark to see how it’s doing) but can totally work as a sheet cake 🙂 Enjoy!
Hello, thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. I am going to try this. We are dairy free and egg free. It looks so yummy! I have a question please- what makes the cake color darker- is it the type of flour I use or the arrowroot? Also, will it change the cake if I do not add too much of the pieces of coconut inside the batter? If I did it as a sheet 9×13 will it be too thick? Thank you again and I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love coconut.
One more question please… Just out of curiosity… how many eggs is the apple sauce replacing in this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi, can you substitute arrowroot flour with cornstarch?
Yes you can! 🙂
I tried this recipe with spelt flour which didn’t turn out too bad but I wondered if there were other flour substitutes that might work with this recipe that are alkaline?
Hi Amber! So glad it ended up working with spelt flour! Unfortunately, I’m not too knowledgeable about baking specifically for an alkaline diet. I’m so sorry!
I want to make this for Christmas when my gluten free/vegan nieces will be visiting. But my husband needs to watch his saturated fat. Can I use olive oil or avocado oil instead of coconut oil? And add coconut flavoring?
Hi Ann! Absolutely, you can definitely do that! I would be careful on adding the coconut flavoring- I actually haven’t worked with it specifically, so I don’t know how strong it is, but I know that if it’s at all similar in strength to almond extract, less is more!
Can I use dairy Greek yogurt and butter? And for the frosting, can I just swap everything out for dairy as well?
Hi Malak! So I can’t speak to how this will turn out, as I haven’t personally tested it (I’m truly vegan!). In theory, it should work, but I can’t guarantee results! Normally they are 1:1 swaps, and other readers have had success!
Hi I am a confused about the apple sauce? I see it in the picture and the stand mixer version, but not listed in ingredients or by hand version? If doing by hand, is the apple sauce to be omitted? I don’t want to mess this up!!
You can use either the applesauce or the yogurt! I recommend the yogurt as of recently, but I know some people prefer applesauce (because it’s no coconut and no nuts!). You can use either, it’s the same amount!
Hi Britt!
I’m so excited to try this cake! Just a question – I’m seeing applesauce mentioned in the recipe but not seeing applesauce in the listed items for the recipe. Just wondering which amount of applesauce to use? Thank you!
Hi Jill! Oh so sorry for the confusion! So the applesauce is a substitute for the dairy free yogurt- you can use either!
Would I be able to use almond flour for this recipe?
Not for this recipe unfortunately- I’m sorry!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love coconut. Thank you for the recipe! What would you recommend if I wanted to add a chocolate element to it, like in-between the sponges? Plain melted chocolate, or a vegan chocolate ganache?
Omgsh yes! I think my vegan chocolate ganache would be LOVELY with it!
I mde this as my birthday cake (yes I insisted on making my birthday cake, I love baking it was like a present to myself) and this was the perfect light, moist cake, it was so fluffy and sweet but not too sweet, I could eat like 4 slices at once! So yummy. I used coconut extract and coconut oil at room temp and it turned out perfectly! Was a bit nervous about the coconut oil not being soft enough but it turned out well!
This cake was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe… Delicious
So happy to hear this!! Enjoy, and thank you for the review!!
Hi! Could this be used to make cupcakes?
Yes absolutely! I would do 350F for 15-18 minutes!
Can I use almond flour or whole wheat flour?
Hi Sabrina! Unfortunately, this recipe won’t work with either of those- I’m so sorry!
I made it for my birthday a few days ago and this cake is just divine! I made a coconut vanilla white chocolate ganache instead of frosting to decorate it, and I covered the cake in toasted coconut flakes. I also added some freshly grounded cardamom to the batter and the ganache. It is wonderful and it tastes even better after a few days in the fridge. Wish I could’ve taken a photo of the whole cake because it was beautiful!
Omgsh this is beautiful!! Happy belated birthday, I’m so glad you loved the cake!! May this be your best year yet 🙂
Would it work if I used mashed bananas in place of the dairy free yogurt?
Hi Michele! Absolutely!! It will have a banana flavor, but honestly I think that would pair so well with the coconut cake 🙂 Enjoy!!
I’m so excited to make this! I have one question – can I substitute the powdered sugar? would coconut sugar work, or maybe maple syrup? I’m on a restrictive anti-inflammatory diet and cane sugar is out.
Hi Jamie! Oh I can’t wait for you to try!! So yes, coconut sugar or maple sugar, as long as it’s super powdered, will work here!
Hi, can I substitute the butter with neutral flavour oil?
For the cake, yes; however, not the frosting!