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
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!
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
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Hi Nora
I had a similar cake at a restaurant recently and absolutely LOVED it.
I will be using your recipe soon and wonder about two points:
I live in Thailand which abounds with fresh coconuts. Could some of the flour on the recipe be substituted with actual freshly grated coconut? I see it’s used to top the cake but wonder if I could use some for the batter. Very grateful for advice
You could try it! I’m not quite sure as I haven’t used fresh grated coconut, but I can’t imagine it wouldn’t be amazing. 🙂 Thank you and enjoy!
My moms birthday is coming up and i can’t wait to make the for her!
I’m going to substitute sugar in the cake with monk fruit . Can I also use this for the frosting?
I hope she loves the cake! For the frosting, you really need a powdered sugar, but if you can find a Monk powdered sugar, it should work okay. Thanks!
Hello Nora!
Can I use coconut milk from a can? I know that it might have a higher oil content than milk from a container. Thank you.
I wouldn’t; the cake will be heavy and dense from the richness of canned coconut milk.
Can I add the sprinkles to this to make a coconut funfetti or would I have to alter the recipe to match your vanilla funfetti recipe?
You could add sprinkles to this recipe if you’d like. Enjoy!
Hi Nora!
I’m so excited to make this cake for my sister’s birthday!! Question for you—she likes her cakes very light and fluffy—because of this do you suggest using cake flour instead of all purpose flour for this recipe? And if so do I use the same measurements (2 1/2 cups)?
Thanks so much!!
Yes, I prefer cake flour for most cake recipes nowadays; it really will make it light and fluffy! Correct, use 2 1/2 cups cake flour and leave out the cornstarch. Hope she enjoys the cake!
Aloha, How do you think substituting raw cane sugar for white sugar will change the recipe? TIA
If your raw cane sugar is very coarse, the cake might end up a little gritty. Fine granulated sugar is a better choice, but you can try it if needed.
What if you put the cane sugar in a food processor will that make it less coarse?
Hi Sheila. Yes, putting cane sugar in a food processor will make it less coarse.
Such a good recipe!!! It was absolutely demolished by non-vegans! So soft and delicately flavored. I filled the layers with raspberry jam and toasted coconut shreds for some crunch and also mixed the apple cider vinegar and plant milk together beforehand.
Hi Ashani. I loved reading about your recipe experience! Thank you for sharing your ideas along with your stellar review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi Nora,
I was surprised that your recipe has no coconut in the batter. It’s hard to imagine that one teaspoon of extract will flavor the batter enough. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, as I was concerned about this point. Thoughts? Thank you!
There is coconut extract and coconut milk in the cake which imparts a lot of coconut flavor, and the coconut extract in the frosting plus shredded coconut on the cake make it very coconutty indeed! But you can add some to the cake layers as well if you want. It’s not needed though.
Hi Nora, I would like to make this a 9×13 sheet cake. How long would you suggest I bake it?
Hi Zoe. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle. Enjoy!
Any suggestions on flour choices to make this gluten free? Also what do you think of replacing the white sugar with coconut sugar? Trying to plan for success 🙂 Thanks Nora!
Hi Tammy. Any good gluten free mix should work well, like Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour. Coconut sugar can be used, however, it will make the cake brown. Enjoy!
WOW, with a few minor tweaks (from suggested notes or other comments) this turned out to be the best coconut cake we’ve ever had. Coconut cake is my husband’s favourite dessert so he’s had many, and it was his 50th birthday this weekend…since I’ve never made it myself I turned to Nora, I knew she wouldn’t disappoint, she never does 😉
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but this was really oily and never baked through. I even took it out of the cake pan and tried to bake it again to see if that would help. Maybe it’s because I used the oil instead of vegan butter?
I’m sorry to hear that. What kind of oil did you use? I do find that using coconut oil in cakes can make them dense and oily. Did you use regular flour and everything else the recipe called for? And NOT canned coconut milk?
This is such a delicious recipe! Insanely easy and the results taste like it would have been far more complex. Nora, your recipes NEVER DISAPPOINT!
Hi Nora! I would very much like to try this recipe! Is it possible to use a bundt pan?
Thank you!
Hi Mari. This cake should work ok in a bundt pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Enjoy, and happy baking!
So delicious! Moist and fluffy, the cream cheese frosting hits really well.
I garnished with some Rafaelos which took it to the next level!
We did think it was a bit on the sweet side so I’d probably use less sugar in the batter next time around. Overall this made for a wonderful and very easy to bake birthday cake!
Hi Lennart. I wish I could see a picture of your beautiful cake! I’m glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your glowing review! Wishing you lots of happy baking!
I’m so thankful for this recipe! My dad’s birthday always falls on lent and they always fast from dairy products. He hasn’t had a birthday cake in decades and loves coconut so I had to make this. I used all-purpose flour and I didn’t have coconut extract so I used about 1/4 of shredded unsweetened coconut and it was perfect. I also baked it in a bundt pan which caused it to take a bit longer to bake but it still turned out perfectly. For the topping I used unsweetened tart raspberry jam and topped with more shredded coconut (couldn’t find vegan buttercream). Everyone loved it- they said it was better than any non-vegan store bought cake they’ve ever tasted. Thank you so much for this recipe it was lovely being able to make my dad a cake on his birthday 🙂
You are so welcome, Mo! I love reading about your story! I’m thrilled that the cake was a hit, and that your dad was able to enjoy a cake on his birthday! Happy birthday to your dad! Thanks for your glowing 5 star review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi, I don’t have coconut extract. What can I use instead? Or can I leave it out?
You can leave it out if you don’t have it, the cake just won’t be as coconutty flavored.
hi Nora, what do u suggest the baking time would be for 3 layer 6inch cake ?
Hi Kristen. I suggest baking for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!
Hi Nora
I don’t have coconut extract. Could 8 add dessicated coconut to the sponge mix?
I’m sure you could, yes.
What brand of vegan cream cheese do you find works best?
Tofutti, hands down. But other brands work for frosting as well, like Violife or Kite Hill.
Great cake recipes!
this recipe looks great! how do you recommend storing it?
I usually store it on the counter for a few days. You can refrigerate it, covering the cut parts, for a bit longer, or freeze it if necessary. Enjoy!
I am assuming I can safely make this recipe in a cupcake version? Also, could I add sume shredded coconut to the batter? Thank you!
Yes, you can make them into cupcakes. Fill liners about 1/2 full and bake for around 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. You could add some shredded coconut if you want.
Hi Nora, looks amazing- does this cake recipe freeze well (without the icing)? 🙂
Hi Kajal. Yes, the cake freezes well, and by freezing it you will keep it as fresh as possible. Wrap the cakes well, freeze, then defrost and frost the cake the day of or night before. Hope this helps! Happy baking!
Made it. Served it after dinner. Half of the cake remained. The rest was not anywhere to be seen by dinner time the next day. It is that good. Geez, Louise. I did sub in cake flour (and left out the corn starch) and it produced a wonderfully light and airy cake. I’d highly recommend using cake flour for this if you don’t want a dense cake. I also used avocado oil as my fat and soy for my milk.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the coconut cake! Yes, cake flour is best here. Thank you!