1 Bowl Vegan Coconut Cake
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This is the easiest vegan coconut cake ever, made in 1 bowl with simple ingredients. Fluffy, light, oh-so-soft and topped with a creamy coconut frosting. If you are a coconut lover, this cake is for you!
I am beyond thrilled with how this cake turned out! It took a few attempts to get it just right, and I’m so excited to share it with you.
I worked hard to make the recipe as EASY as possible, with the end result still tasting like something you’d get from a bakery. I love 1 bowl recipes when it comes to baking, and I was able to achieve it here!
Vegan coconut cake is ultra fluffy and soft. It’s light and moist, instead of being heavy and dense. I used a simple vegan cream cheese coconut flavored frosting, with thin layers of frosting on the cake. This cake is truly delightful, and I can’t wait for you to try it!
How to make it
It really could not be easier!
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl – flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined – oil, non-dairy milk, vinegar, vanilla and coconut extracts.
- Pour into greased pans and bake.
- Let cool, then frost.
Tips for the best cake
- Grease your pans well and line with a circle of parchment paper. This will prevent your cake from sticking and breaking.
- Do not over mix the cake batter! Your cake will lose it’s fluffiness if you do.
- Cool the cakes completely before frosting, or the cake will slip and break. Also, since this calls for vegan cream cheese frosting, you will need to keep the cake refrigerated so it doesn’t get melty.
- Don’t have access to vegan cream cheese? No problem! Follow the recipe for Vegan Vanilla Frosting instead, adding a teaspoon of coconut extract.
Want more vegan cakes?
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
1 Bowl Vegan Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Coconut Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup neutral flavored oil or melted vegan butter
- 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used coconut milk, not from a can)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, slightly softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup shredded fine coconut, optional for topping cake
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8 inch cake pans. I also like to place a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of each pan for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk well to combine.
- To the bowl with the dry ingredients, pour in the oil, non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and coconut extract. Mix with a large spoon until just combined, but be careful not to over mix the batter or your cake won't be soft and fluffy.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove them and place on a cooling rack. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting; you can move them to the refrigerator to speed this up.
Make the frosting
- To a large bowl (you can simply wipe out the bowl you used for the cake), add vegan cream cheese, slightly softened vegan butter (not too soft, or your frosting will be melty), 3 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla and coconut extract.
- With a hand mixer, or stand mixer, mix starting on low, then increase to high until all ingredients are combined and smooth. If the frosting seems too runny, add another cup of powdered sugar. If it still is a bit runny, you can stick it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so until it firms up a bit.
- Frost the cake as desired, then sprinkle with shredded coconut and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- You could substitute cake flour for all purpose if desired, but if you do omit the cornstarch as well. Gluten free all purpose flour may work, but I haven't tested it.
- I used melted coconut oil, but you can use canola oil or melted vegan butter as well.
- I loved the cake with a cream cheese frosting, but you could also use my Vegan Vanilla Frosting and add 1 teaspoon of coconut extract to it.
Nutrition
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195 Comments on “1 Bowl Vegan Coconut Cake”
I made them into cupcakes, delicious.
Glad you loved them! Thank you for sharing your review!
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Just came across this recipe. Haven’t made yet but plan to tonight for sons bday tomorrow. Just wondering if 1 tablespoon of baking powder is correct. Just seems like a lot. Thanks
Hey, yes that is correct. It helps the cake rise well in lieu of eggs, which usually help cakes rise a bit. Hope you enjoy it!
I was wondering if I can bake the cake 2 days in advance and refrigerate it and frost it later? Will the cake still remain fluffy?
Yes, 2 days should be okay. I would wrap the cakes very well. It will still be fluffy, as long as you let it come to room temperature before serving. Cakes straight out of the refrigerator can be quite dense.
Made this last night for a friend who’s birthday is today and I am no baker! This, however, was FANTASTIC!!! I toasted coconut for the top, but I made it exactly as written. Bravo!!!
Hi Tiffany! How wonderful that you made a cake for your friend’s birthday! I’m glad the cake turned out fantastic! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Cake was very tasty not overly coconutty. Rave reviews at the bbq i brought it to. The only thing its not quite light and fluffy it more like dense and fluffy but you just cant stop eating it!!!!
Thank you for sharing your review! I’m glad the cake was a hit!
This looks amazing! I will try it tomorrow 🙂
Can I make this as cupcakes? Just adjust the cook time?
Also, I’m curious about the cornstarch, I’ve seen it in another recipe of yours, and I just wanted to ask what it’s role is in the cake? I don’t think I’ve ever added cornstarch to a cake before, so just trying to learn! Lol
Also, can I sub arrowroot powder for the cornstarch in a pinch?
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Thanks Pam, I hope you enjoy it! Yes, you can make it as cupcakes instead, just reduce the bake time to probably 20-25 minutes or until done. The cornstarch + all purpose flour stands in for cake flour, making the cake a bit lighter and fluffier. You could probably sub arrowroot, though I haven’t tried it myself. Thank you!
Interesting!
Ok, I probably have some cornstarch somewhere … I will try the recipe as written first, before making any subs.
Thanks for the reply, and for sharing your recipe! 🙂
Just fabulous
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I halved the recipe and used a 6 inch pan to make a 1 layer cake. I baked it at 350 for about 45 to 55 minutes. The only thing I would do differently is add a tad more almond milk instead of using exactly half. It’s a bit more dense than I like but it is so delicious! 4.5/5
Thank you for this amazing recipe I am thinking about making it for my micro wedding! I’ll have to make it a little in advance though. So how many days can it be kept in the fridge? Or could I freeze it and frost it (after letting it thaw for a night in the fridge)?
Hi! I would want it as fresh as possible, so if you need to make it more than a day in advance, I would make the cakes, wrap well, freeze, then defrost and frost the cake the day of or night before. Hope that helps and you have a lovely wedding! 🙂 Congratulations.
This cake was absolutely delicious! I had to leave the shredded coconut out because some family members don’t like it and it was still delightful.
This cake is amazing! Fluffy and light and the icing is so delicious! I love that this cake can be made for any occasion and I love that the recipe is so easy! Thanks for the recipe!
I tried this recipe and although it was moist and soft, it did not rise very much and I did not give me a nice crumb like the one in your picture. I tried my best not to overmix the batter. Any advise on how I can get a better crumb?
Hi there! Did you make any substitutions at all? You can always use cake flour instead of the regular flour and cornstarch, now I pretty much prefer using cake flour in all my cake recipes with the exception of the chocolate cake, which really does not need it.
Yea I used cake flour and omitted the cornstarch and I used almond/coconut milk that comes in the box.
Then my best advice is to be very careful not to over mix or over bake the cake, which can lead to a dense cake. And make sure to measure everything accurately.
Can I add shredded coconut to this recipe? Should I add more liquid and reduce the sugar?
I haven’t tried it, but I think I would just add a little in without changing anything. Maybe 1/2-3/4 cup.
I can’t seem to find coconut extract anywhere is there a way I can make my own or use shredded coconut in the recipe instead?
I don’t know how to make your own, but what you could do is maybe use unrefined coconut oil for the oil, and use coconut milk to add that flavor in the cake.
Hi, how do you convert these cakes like the amazing chocolate cake to make 6 inch one layer cake please ?
I just use three 6 inch cake pans and bake until done, it may take a few minutes less to bake them. Pretty much all make 8 or 9 inch cakes can be converted to a triple layer 6 inch cake. Thanks.
I’m hoping this can be made in a bunt pan like the chocolate cake? 🙂
Yes, it can. It will probably take 50-60 minutes in the oven, check with a toothpick. 🙂