Ina Garten Coconut Cake

Ina Garten Coconut Cake is a classic American celebration dessert. A dense, buttery sponge flavored with almond and vanilla extracts is layered with a thick cream cheese frosting and covered in a snowy coating of sweetened shredded coconut.

If you do nothing else, make sure your butter, eggs, and milk are all at room temperature before you start. That’s the difference between a smooth, velvety batter and a lumpy one that doesn’t rise evenly in the oven. I’ve tried to rush this by using cold eggs, and the batter curdled so badly it never quite recovered its light texture.

The almond extract is doing more work than you’d think here. Without it, the cake just tastes like a plain vanilla sponge with some texture, but the almond actually mimics and boosts the natural nutty scent of the fruit. I didn’t expect the extra step of greasing and flouring the pans to matter that much, but this cake is heavy and will stick to the metal if you aren’t thorough.

Ina Garten Coconut Cake Ingredients

For the Cake Layers:

• 3/4 pound (340g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5ml) vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5ml) almond extract
• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 4 ounces (115g) sweetened shredded coconut

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound (450g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound (225g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon (4ml) vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon (1ml) almond extract
• 1 pound (450g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 6 ounces (170g) sweetened shredded coconut, for decorating

How To Make Ina Garten Coconut Cake

• 1. Preheat and prepare pans: Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper, grease the paper, and then dust the inside of the pans with flour, tapping out any extra.
• 2. Mix butter and sugar: Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream them together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes. You want the mixture to look very pale yellow and feel light and fluffy rather than gritty.
• 3. Add eggs and extracts: Crack the eggs into a small bowl and add them to the mixer one at a time while the motor is running on medium speed. Pour in the vanilla and almond extracts and don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly separated or curdled at this point.
• 4. Combine dry and wet ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the flour so the batter stays stable.
• 5. Bake and cool: Gently mix in the 4 ounces of shredded coconut with a spatula. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cakes sit in their pans on a wire rack for exactly 30 minutes before you try to flip them out. If you move them while they’re still hot, the heavy, moist crumb will likely crack or break apart in the center.

• 6. Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in the mixer on low speed until there are no lumps left. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, then slowly mix in the sifted confectioners’ sugar until the frosting is smooth and holds its shape.
• 7. Assemble and decorate: Place one cake layer on a plate and spread a thick layer of frosting over the top. Set the second layer on top, frost the whole cake, and then press the remaining coconut into the top and sides while the frosting is still tacky.

Recipe Tips

• Sift the confectioners’ sugar: If you skip this, your frosting will have tiny white lumps of sugar that are impossible to beat out later. A quick pass through a fine-mesh strainer makes the frosting look like professional silk.
• Don’t overmix the batter: Once the flour goes in, keep the mixer on the lowest setting and stop as soon as the white streaks disappear. If you keep beating it, you’ll develop too much gluten and the cake will turn out tough and bready.
• Use sweetened coconut only: Unsweetened coconut is much drier and won’t have the soft, chewy texture that this recipe needs. The sugar in the coconut also helps it stick to the frosting much better.
• Level your cake layers: If the cakes have a high dome in the center after baking, use a long serrated knife to trim them flat before frosting. This prevents the top layer from sliding off or cracking under its own weight.
• Watch the baking time: Because this is a dense cake, the window between “perfectly baked” and “dry” is small. Start checking the center with a toothpick at the 45-minute mark to ensure you don’t overbake the edges.
• Cool the frosting slightly: If your kitchen is warm and the frosting feels too soft to hold up the top layer, pop the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes. This firms up the butter and cream cheese so the cake stays stable during assembly.

What To Serve With Ina Garten Coconut Cake

A cup of strong black coffee or a dark roast espresso helps balance out the high sugar content of the frosting and coconut. The bitterness of the beans is a great partner for the sweet almond flavor.

Fresh tropical fruits like sliced mango or pineapple work well as a side dish to keep the theme going. You could also serve it with a small glass of dessert wine if you’re having it at a dinner party.

How To Store Ina Garten Coconut Cake

• Fridge: This cake must stay in the fridge because of the high cream cheese content in the frosting. Keep it in a cake carrier or a large airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Reheat: For the best flavor, let a slice sit on the counter for 20 minutes before eating. The butter in the cake and frosting needs to soften back up so it doesn’t feel hard or waxy when you bite into it.
• Freeze: You can freeze the whole frosted cake or individual slices for up to 2 months. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then foil to prevent any freezer smells from soaking into the delicate coconut.

Ina Garten Coconut Cake Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 of 12):

• Calories: 840 kcal
• Protein: 8g
• Fat: 48g
• Carbohydrates: 96g
• Sugar: 74g
• Sodium: 420mg

FAQs

Try More Ina Garten Cake Recipes:

• Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
• German Chocolate Cake
• Vanilla Cream Cheese Pound Cake
• Ina Garten Apple Spice Cake