Gluten-Free Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting (recipe in show notes)
Hi Bakers, Who loves coconut?? I do and I love the chewy bits and rich, sweet, milky coconut taste any way I can get it! This easy cake recipe has tons of coconut flavor without the use of extract so it’s naturally delicious. I put coconut milk in every bit of it… the cake, simple syrup, and the frosting. This dense, moist, coconutty cake is covered in the most addictive frosting that is a buttercream/cream cheese hybrid with the best qualities of both. This is a great cake. In fact, had a piece for breakfast with my coffee and then wanted more for lunch so you know it’s good. Coconut lovers this one is for you! Enjoy -Carolyn
Gluten-Free Coconut Cake
Adapted from the Coconut Cake recipe by Sally’s Baking Addiction
makes a two layer 9” square cake
Dry ingredients
2 1/4 cups Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour
1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon sweet rice flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk, shaken
2 tablespoons applesauce, unsweetened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut desired
Coconut Simple Syrup
1/2 cup coconut milk liquid or low-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1-8 ounce package of cream cheese
2 tablespoons coconut milk solids
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar ( you can use more if you want the frosting thicker)
Garnish
coconut chips
Toasted coconut chips ( Bake in a 350F oven on a baking tray for about 5- 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir these and watch carefully, they can burn quite quickly! I browned mine while the cake was cooling and the oven was still hot.)
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease two 9” square pans.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar for a few minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs. Beat for 2 minutes or until combined thoroughly. Add buttermilk, coconut milk, applesauce, and vanilla, and mix well. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir until almost mixed. Add coconut and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix briefly. Divide the dough evenly into the two baking pans and place on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake for about 15 more minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool cakes completely on a rack. Run a knife around the edge of the cakes before removing them from the baking pans. If not using immediately, wrap cakes well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days until ready to frost.
Coconut Simple Syrup Step
In a small saucepan combine coconut milk and sugar. Cook while stirring over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture is the consistency of syrup. Cool until warm. Brush the top of each cake with the syrup and let it soak in. If the cakes are cold, poke holes all over the surface of the cake to speed up the absorption of the syrup.
Frosting
Beat butter with an electric mixer in a medium-sized bowl until no lumps remain. Add cream cheese and coconut cream solids and beat until just combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Frosting can be made ahead and stored in the fridge or used immediately.
When the syrup has soaked in, frost the top of one of the cakes. Put the frosted side and the soaked top of the other cake together. Frost the top and sides of the stacked cake. I like to do this messy and make a lot of swirls and points for texture. Press coconut flakes onto the side of the cake and cover the top with toasted coconut. Enjoy!
*Sweet rice flour is made from glutinous rice and is different from regular rice flour. I buy the Koda Farms brand online.
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