Toasted Coconut 3 layer cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Toasted Coconut 3 layer cake with cream cheese frosting is an old fashioned Southern recipe. We show you how to toast the coconut to perfection for this beautiful layered cake.

Coconut cake is a dessert classic. In true Buttered Home fashion, we show you how to make it totally from scratch. Scratch cooking doesn't have to be daunting and this proves it.

Old Fashioned Southern Coconut Cake

This recipe has the normal cast of characters for a vanilla cake but we go all out and toast our coconut and add it to the sides of this 3 layer beauty.

Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Those two just go together. This versatile cream cheese icing can be used in a ton of different ways. We limit the coconut to added to the sides of the cake leaving the icing and cake itself plain vanilla.

How to Make Toasted Coconut Layer Cake

One of my favorite things to do is show you all how to do something. Something you may have once thought of as intimidating. Like, making a WHITE ROUX or make homemade Southern SAUSAGE GRAVY. I love dispelling the myth of difficulty of scratch cooking. So let's do it again!

Coconut Cake Ingredients

• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups cake flour
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 4 oz sweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well mixed and fluffy. Slowly mix in eggs(room temperature) one at a time, making sure to mix each one well. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

Slowly add in flour and milk a little at a time. Add the flour and milk in 2 parts and mix well each time.

Grease 3, 9inch pans. I use Bakers Joy cooking spray. It eliminates the need to grease and flour the pans because it has both in it already. Evenly spread batter in all 3 pans and gently tap each one on the counter to remove air pockets.

Bake for 40 minutes. At the halfway mark, I rotate my pans from top to bottom rack for even cooking. Be careful here though, you don't want those cakes to fall!

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

While the cakes are cooling, make this simply delicious frosting.

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 16 oz. powdered sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla well.

Slowly incorporate powdered sugar in small batches mixing well each time. Now you have a beautiful versatile cream cheese icing.

How to Toast Coconut

Now for the toasted Coconut. This is the trickiest thing about this cake. It's really not tricky it's more of you have to tend to it the whole time. Coconut takes a minute to toast but when it does, it happens quickly and can easily burn. I recommend doing this when having nothing else going on in the kitchen. I did about a cup and a half for the outside of the cake. It was more than enough, I even had some left over for my yogurt this week!

Place the coconut in an even layer in a skillet on low heat. Move around just until you start to smell the coconut. Slowly increase your heat until the small bits start to turn yellow.

Then start moving it around pretty regularly. In a matter of minutes the moisture will leave the coconut and it will start to brown.

This is the part that happens fast, so it is important that when it reaches your desired toastiness, that you remove the pan from the heat when you turn it off.

Allow the Coconut to cool while you are frosting your cake. To apply to cake, I sprinkled some on top and patted it on the sides. The toasted coconut gives a nutty flavor to this sweet cake that balances perfectly.

Trim the layers of the cake to be level. Place a small amount of icing in-between each layer. Ice the top and then the sides. It doesn't have to be pretty as we are covering it with the coconut. Pat and sprinkle the coconut on the top and sides. Serve and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions about this Coconut Vanilla Cake

Sweetened or Unsweetened Coconut?

Sweetened is best. It browns easier and has a touch of that coconut sweetness you want to enhance the cake.

Do you have to toast the coconut?

No. If you use the sweetened shredded coconut, it is sweet enough to put on the cake as is. It keeps its white color and smooth texture. Toasting it releases other sugars and tends to add depth of flavor as well as crunchy texture.

Can I use this recipe to make Coconut Cupcakes?

Yes. Check them at 15-20 minutes and check with knife or cake tester. Cook in 10 minute increments until done or internal temperature reaches 205 degrees.

How to apply coconut to frosted cake.

Be prepared to get messy. The easiest method is shown in the video in the recipe card. I use my hands and do the sides by the handful. I also sprinkle the desired amount on the top.

What can I substitute for Buttermilk?

Sour Cream with a splash of regular milk always works just as well. You can even make your own buttermilk by adding a splash of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of regular milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and you have buttermilk.

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And as always, we would love it if you shared this recipe with your family and friends. Over to the side on this post and all of the others are handy dandy share buttons. We would sure be grateful if you shared the love!

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Helpful tools for Making Coconut Cake