Foolproof Steps to a Perfect Paula Deen Coconut Cake Recipe

Coconut cake stands as a luxurious dessert that transforms ordinary gatherings into memorable culinary experiences.

Sweet, velvety textures mingle with delicate tropical notes in this beloved confection.

Rich cream cheese and fluffy layers create a decadent canvas for coconut signature flavor.

Southern baking traditions elevate this treat beyond simple desserts into cherished family recipes.

Delicate crumbs and smooth frosting promise a sensory journey with each forkful.

Bakers of all skill levels can craft this impressive delicacy that looks complicated but comes together effortlessly.

The magic lies in balancing ingredients to create a harmonious, irresistible masterpiece: you’ll want to slice and savor every moment.

What Makes Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake a Showstopper

• Elevate Tropical Flavor Explosion: Packed with rich coconut essence from milk, cream, and flakes, this cake delivers a vibrant island-inspired taste that dances across your palate with sweet, creamy notes.
• Master Bakery-Level Technique: The recipe demonstrates professional baking skills like creaming butter and sugar for 7 minutes, creating a luxuriously light texture that transforms ordinary ingredients into an extraordinary dessert.
• Create Decadent Celebration Centerpiece: Perfect for special occasions like birthdays, holidays, or summer gatherings, this impressive three-layer cake will wow guests with its stunning presentation and indulgent cream cheese frosting that promises pure deliciousness in every slice.
• Enjoy Stress-Free Baking Experience: With clear step-by-step instructions and straightforward techniques, even intermediate home bakers can confidently create a restaurant-quality dessert that looks and tastes like it was made by a professional pastry chef.

Ingredients for Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake

• Butter: Rich, creamy base for tender cake texture, choose high-quality unsalted butter for best flavor.
• Sugar: Sweetens and helps create soft cake structure, white granulated sugar works perfectly.
• Eggs: Provide structure and moisture to the cake, use large room temperature eggs.
• All-Purpose Flour: Creates cake's foundation, ensure fresh and properly sifted.
• Coconut Milk: Adds rich coconut flavor and moisture to the cake, use full-fat variety.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor complexity, use pure vanilla for best taste.

• Sour Cream: Adds tangy richness and moisture to the filling.
• Sugar: Sweetens the filling mixture.
• Whole Milk: Helps create smooth filling consistency.
• Sweetened Coconut Flakes: Provides texture and coconut flavor to the filling.

• Cream Cheese: Creates smooth, tangy base for frosting, use full-fat block style.
• Butter: Adds richness and helps stabilize frosting, use unsalted.
• Confectioners' Sugar: Sweetens and thickens frosting, sift to prevent lumps.
• Sweetened Cream of Coconut: Intensifies coconut flavor in frosting.
• Vanilla Extract: Rounds out frosting's flavor profile.

Step-by-Step Guide to Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake

Step 1: Prepare Baking Setup

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and dust 3 round cake pans (9-inch/23 cm) with butter and flour.

Step 2: Create Cake Batter

• Butter
• Sugar

Beat until light and fluffy, approximately 7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

Step 3: Blend Cake Ingredients

• Flour
• Coconut milk

Start and end with flour. Stir in vanilla extract until well combined.

Step 4: Bake Cake Layers

Distribute batter evenly across prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

Step 5: Prepare Filling

• Sour cream
• Sugar
• Whole milk
• Sweetened coconut flakes

Step 6: Whip Coconut Frosting

• Cream cheese
• Butter

Gradually add confectioners’ sugar. Mix in sweetened cream of coconut and 1 vanilla extract.

Step 7: Layer and Fill Cake

Pierce cake layers with skewer. Place first layer on serving plate. Spread 1/3 filling, allowing it to seep into holes. Repeat with remaining layers.

Step 8: Frost Cake

Cover top and sides with prepared frosting, smoothing evenly.

Step 9: Add Final Touch

Sprinkle additional sweetened coconut flakes over entire cake surface.

Tips for Perfecting Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake

• Enhance Flavor Depth: Toast coconut flakes until golden brown, releasing rich nutty aromas that elevate the cake's overall taste profile.
• Prevent Crumbly Disaster: Refrigerate cake layers for 30 minutes before frosting, creating a stable surface that prevents messy crumb interference.
• Maximize Moisture Absorption: Create strategic holes throughout cake layers, allowing filling to penetrate deeply and infuse every delicious bite with sweet, creamy goodness.
• Ensure Silky Smooth Texture: Bring butter, eggs, and cream cheese to room temperature, guaranteeing lump-free batter and velvety frosting that spreads like a dream.
• Lighten Cake Density: Gently sift self-rising flour before measuring, introducing air and ensuring a tender, cloud-like cake that melts in your mouth.

How to Store Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake

• Freeze Whole Cake: Wrap the entire coconut cake securely in multiple layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Seal inside a large freezer-safe container for maximum protection. Keeps perfectly preserved up to 3 months without losing moisture or flavor.
• Refrigerate Slices: Individually wrap cake slices in plastic wrap, placing them in sealed containers to maintain freshness. Separate layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Refrigerated slices stay delicious for 4-5 days, ensuring every bite tastes as incredible as the first.
• Room Temperature Storage: Place cake under a cake dome or cover loosely with plastic wrap if consuming within 24 hours. Keep away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Room temperature storage works best for cakes with cream cheese frosting, preserving their creamy texture and preventing rapid spoilage.

Creative Variations on Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake

• Tropical Paradise Coconut Cake: Replace regular milk with coconut water and add crushed pineapple between cake layers for a Hawaiian-inspired flavor profile.
• Nutty Coconut Celebration: Incorporate toasted macadamia nuts into the cake batter and sprinkle chopped nuts around the cake's exterior for extra crunch and depth.
• Chocolate Coconut Dream: Fold melted dark chocolate into half the cake batter, creating a marbled effect and adding rich chocolate undertones to the classic coconut cake.
• Rum-Infused Coconut Indulgence: Brush each cake layer with coconut rum before adding filling, giving the dessert a sophisticated adult-friendly twist with warm Caribbean notes.

Final Thoughts on Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake

Coconut cake magic emerges from Paula Deen’s classic southern recipe, promising pure indulgence with each luscious slice.

Layers of moist cake, creamy filling, and rich frosting create an irresistible dessert experience that whispers luxury.

Culinary enthusiasts will find this recipe a delightful journey through sweet, tropical flavors.

Southern hospitality shines through every carefully crafted bite of this heavenly creation.

Readers who crave comfort and elegance can recreate this memorable masterpiece in their own kitchens.

Care to dive into a slice of coconut paradise?

Double-tap this recipe, share with fellow baking enthusiasts, and spread sweet southern charm across your social networks!

Paula Deen Coconut Cake Recipe

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4.9 from 39 reviews

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Indulgent Paula Deen Coconut Cake delivers Southern charm with layers of moist white cake enrobed in silky cream cheese frosting. Generous coconut flakes blanket each slice, promising a sweet escape that transports you to a blissful culinary paradise.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Main Ingredients:

• 3 cups self rising flour
• 4 large eggs
• 2 (8 ounces) packages cream cheese
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, divided
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream

Liquid Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ½ cup sweetened cream of coconut
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (for frosting)

Finishing and Decorative Ingredients:

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¾ cup sugar (for filling)
• ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
• Additional sweetened coconut flakes (for sprinkling)

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Instructions

1. Prepare the baking environment by heating the oven to 180°C / 350°F and preparing three 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans with butter and flour coating.
2. Create a light and airy cake base by thoroughly creaming unsalted butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy, approximately 7 minutes.
3. Gradually incorporate whole eggs into the butter-sugar mixture, ensuring each egg is fully integrated before adding the next.
4. Carefully blend dry flour ingredients and coconut milk into the batter, alternating between the two and starting and ending with flour to maintain a smooth consistency.
5. Stir in vanilla extract to enhance the cake’s aromatic profile.
6. Distribute the cake batter evenly among the prepared pans, ensuring uniform layer thickness.
7. Bake the cake layers for 25 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a skewer into the center – it should emerge clean and dry.
8. Allow cake layers to rest in their pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks to reach room temperature.
9. Prepare the filling by whisking sour cream, granulated sugar, whole milk, and sweetened coconut flakes until thoroughly combined.
10. Craft the cream cheese frosting by beating cream cheese and unsalted butter until smooth and creamy.
11. Gradually fold confectioners’ sugar into the cream cheese mixture, creating a light and fluffy texture.
12. Incorporate sweetened cream of coconut and additional vanilla extract into the frosting.
13. Using a skewer, create multiple small holes throughout each cooled cake layer to enhance moisture absorption.
14. Position the first cake layer on a serving plate and generously spread one-third of the filling, allowing it to seep into the perforated surface.
15. Repeat the filling process with the subsequent cake layers, ensuring even distribution.
16. Carefully apply frosting to the entire cake, covering the top and sides with a smooth, even layer.
17. Elegantly garnish the cake’s exterior by sprinkling additional sweetened coconut flakes for a decorative and textural finish.

Notes

• Warm Up Key Ingredients: Bring butter, eggs, and cream cheese to room temperature to ensure a silky-smooth batter and frosting without any pesky lumps.
• Fluff Up the Flour: Gently sift self-rising flour to keep the cake airy and light, preventing a heavy, dense texture that can weigh down your dessert.
• Create Moisture Channels: Pierce cake layers generously with holes, allowing the filling to deeply penetrate and infuse every delicious bite with incredible flavor.
• Prep Cake for Perfect Frosting: Completely cool cake layers, then refrigerate for half an hour to create a stable surface that prevents crumbs from interrupting your frosting’s flawless finish.
• Enhance Coconut Topping: Quickly toast sweetened coconut flakes to unlock a deeper, nuttier flavor and add a delightful crunch that elevates the entire dessert experience.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6
• Calories: 1,241 kcal
• Sugar: 127.8 g
• Sodium: 233 mg
• Fat: 74.17 g
• Saturated Fat: 46.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 140.68 g
• Fiber: 1.68 g
• Protein: 12.35 g
• Cholesterol: 306 mg