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looking down on a piece of coconut cake, bite taken
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4.85 stars (83 ratings)

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!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 418kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

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
US Customary - Metric

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

  1. 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.
  2. I used melted coconut oil, but you can use canola oil or melted vegan butter as well.
  3. 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