Easiest Most Delicious Coconut Cake
The Easter Dessert My Family Refuses to Let Me Skip
This easiest most delicious coconut cake is the one my family asks for every single Easter — and if I ever showed up without it, I would hear about it for the rest of the year. I got this recipe from my best friend Michelle in Kentucky, and I have never stopped making it. Not once. It is that good. If you love coconut, you are going to be absolutely obsessed with this cake. And if you are on the fence about coconut — make it anyway. This one might just change your mind.
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Watch me make this easiest most delicious coconut cake from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
Featured Tools & Ingredients
- 9x13 INCH: Includes (1) 9x13x2.75 inch glass baking dish with BPA-free plastic lid. This deep baking...
- GO DEEPER: At up to 50% deeper than the Pyrex basics dishes you know and love, there’s more room...
• THE pan for this cake — deep enough that the cream of coconut soaks in without overflowing, and the lid keeps it fresh in the fridge for the day-before make-ahead.
- SET INCLUDES: 4.5 quart, 3.5 quart, and 2.5 quart sizes
- NONSLIP BASE: keeps bowls stable while in use
• The big red bowl you've seen in every cake video I've ever made. Wide enough to whisk the cake mix smooth without sloshing over the sides.
- Cream of Coconut, a luscious cream made from the tender meat of coconuts, has an intense coconut...
- Typically used for making mixed drinks and desserts, it can also be used in savory applications such...
• This is the secret. Not coconut milk, not coconut cream — Coco López is what soaks into the hot cake and makes it impossibly moist. Don't substitute.
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Easiest Most Delicious Coconut Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 4 egg whites
- 16 oz cream of coconut
- 8 oz whipped topping Cool Whip or other brand
- 1 cup Sweetened coconut flakes (sprinkled across the top)
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- Mix the cake batter according to package directions using the egg whites, water, and oil. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350°F for 28–30 minutes.
- AS SOON AS the cake comes out of the oven — while it is still hot — poke it all over with a fork. Stir the cream of coconut, then slowly pour the entire can over the top of the hot cake. Let it soak in completely.
- Allow the cake to cool completely. Spread the entire container of Cool Whip over the top, then sprinkle generously with sweetened coconut flakes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Stir the cream of coconut before pouring — it can settle in the can. Use a fork (not a spoon handle) to poke the holes so they are not too large.
The cream of coconut MUST go on while the cake is hot — this is the whole secret to getting it to soak all the way through.
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Tap the stars above to rate it! This helps other families find it.Why This Easiest Most Delicious Coconut Cake Works
I want to say something important before you make this cake: do not skip the cream of coconut step, and do not let the cake cool first. That is the whole secret. The moment that cake comes out of the oven — hot, fresh, just baked — you poke it all over with a fork and pour the entire can of Coco López cream of coconut right over the top. The heat is what allows it to soak all the way down into the cake. If you wait, it will not absorb the same way, and your cake will not be what it is supposed to be. That one step is everything.
One thing I always do is give the can of cream of coconut a good stir before pouring. It can settle in the can and get a little chunky, so stirring it out first makes it pour evenly across the whole cake. I mix the cake batter up in my big red Farberware bowl — the same one you’ve seen in every cake video I’ve ever made — then pour it straight into my deep Pyrex 9x13 so I can do the cream of coconut soak right in the pan. Small tip, big difference.
Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the entire 8 oz container of Cool Whip right over the top, then cover it generously with sweetened coconut flakes. That is it. Three steps. That is the whole cake. I know it sounds almost too simple for something this good, but that is exactly the point. Michelle gave me this recipe and I have been making it ever since — every Easter, every potluck, every time someone asks me to bring dessert. It never disappoints.
A Few Things That Make Easiest Most Delicious Coconut Cake Even Easier
- Stir the cream of coconut before you pour it. It separates in the can and the thicker stuff settles at the bottom. Give it a good stir with a fork or whisk so it pours evenly across the whole cake.
- Pour the cream of coconut while the cake is still hot — no exceptions. This is the single most important step in the entire recipe. The heat is what allows the cream of coconut to soak all the way down into the cake. If the cake cools first, it sits on top and you get a coconut cake that is fine but not what it is supposed to be.
- Make it the day before your event. Coconut cake gets noticeably better overnight as the flavors settle. I make this on Saturday for Easter Sunday every single year, and it is always better than if I had made it the same day.
- Egg whites only — not whole eggs. The box of white cake mix calls for egg whites because they keep the crumb light and white. Whole eggs work in a pinch but the cake will be a little yellower and a little denser. Save your yolks for breakfast.
- Do not substitute coconut milk or coconut cream. Cream of coconut is the sweetened, thick stuff in the cocktail mixer aisle — Coco López is the brand. Coconut milk is the thin stuff in a can in the international aisle, and coconut cream is the unsweetened version. They are not interchangeable here.
Easiest Most Delicious Coconut Cake FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I bake this coconut cake?
Bake at 350°F for 28 to 30 minutes in a greased 9×13 pan. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Pull it as soon as it’s done — the cream of coconut step needs the cake hot from the oven, so do not let it sit on the counter to cool first.
What’s the difference between cream of coconut and coconut cream?
This is the question I get most often, and it matters because they are not interchangeable. Cream of coconut is sweetened, thick, and made for desserts and tropical drinks — Coco López is the classic brand and lives in the baking or cocktail mixer aisle. Coconut cream is unsweetened and used in savory cooking. This recipe needs cream of coconut. Using coconut cream will give you a sad, unsweet, watery cake.
Can I make this coconut cake ahead of time?
Yes — and honestly, you should. Coconut cake is one of those desserts that gets better overnight. Make it the day before your event, top it with the Cool Whip and coconut flakes, and refrigerate covered. It serves cold and fresh straight from the fridge, which is exactly what you want at an Easter table or a potluck on a warm spring day.
Can I freeze this coconut cake?
I would not freeze it once the Cool Whip is on. Cool Whip doesn’t thaw well — the texture gets weepy and grainy. If you want to get ahead, bake the cake and pour the cream of coconut on it, then wrap and freeze the soaked cake. Thaw overnight in the fridge and top with Cool Whip and coconut flakes the day you serve it.
Can I substitute the cream of coconut with something else?
Short answer — no. The cream of coconut is the whole point of this cake. It is what soaks into the hot cake and gives you that impossibly moist, coconut-forward base that the Cool Whip and flakes sit on top of. Sweetened condensed milk would technically soak in but you’d lose every bit of coconut flavor in the cake itself. If you want a coconut cake, get the Coco López . It is in the cocktail mixer aisle at almost every grocery store.
Can I toast the coconut flakes on top?
You absolutely can, and it’s beautiful when you do. Spread sweetened coconut flakes on a sheet pan and toast at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once, until the edges are golden brown. Let them cool completely before sprinkling on top of the Cool Whip, or the heat will start melting the topping. I keep mine untoasted most of the time because that is how Michelle made it, but toasted is a beautiful variation for a special dinner.
How many people does this coconut cake serve?
Fifteen comfortably. A 9×13 pan cuts into 15 generous squares (3 across by 5 down), which is the right size for a holiday dinner, a church potluck, or a weekend gathering. You can stretch it to 20 smaller pieces if you’re serving a bigger crowd with multiple desserts, and there will still be enough for seconds.
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Ingredients
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Easiest Most Delicious Coconut Cake — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.