One Bowl MOIST Vegan Coconut Cake Recipe

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!

Recipe by Britt Berlin on January 10, 2022

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT27M

Total time: PT42M

Rating

4.9 stars ( reviews)

Keywords

vegan coconut cake, dairy free coconut cake, eggless coconut cake, coconut cake recipe

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
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

Cuisine

American

Steps

No equipment version:
- Prep
- Whisk the wet ingredients
- Finish the batter
- Bake
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.
- 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!

Reviews

Michelle Rae Maule on 2026-05-24 (5 stars):
This is literally the BEST coconut cake I have ever had! My daughter is allergic to dairy and we are gluten free and this checks all the boxes. Tastes like my great grandma's homemade coconut cake. No changes needed!
Laura on 2026-06-08 (5 stars):
This was my first vegan cake attempt and it was amazing! Cake was moist and I decided to do a coconut syrup on the layers before frosting. I froze a slice for my daughter who makes cakes and she was wowed by it! On a side note it froze well.