From-Scratch Coconut Pound Cake
Coconut Pound Cake
Visual learner? Watch me make this coconut pound cake from start to finish!
Have you been in a holiday baking mood lately? I think I’m all baked out from all the marathon baking that took place during the beginning of quarantine. However, there is no way I’m going to let the holidays roll by without making at least a few festive treats!
I made red velvet snowball cookies and chocolate peppermint brownie cookies on The Today Show last week, so we might as well continue decking out the holiday dessert table!
Today I’ve got this pretty, fluffy, tender beauty that reminds me of snowy days, heavenly Coconut Pound Cake! This pound cake looks so wintry and is perfect for the holidays, don’t you think?!
This cake is a favorite around here, and I can officially add this to the list of coconut desserts my husband will actually eat . It has a buttery flavor with just the right amount of coconut to not be overwhelming. A little coconut can go a long way, and this one strikes such an outstanding balance.
The coconut glaze and shredded coconut topping bring it all together! Feel free to toast the coconut if you wish!
How to Make The BEST Coconut Pound Cake
- Cream the butter and sugar on low speed JUST until creamy. Over-creaming and using a high speed can lead to those gluey streaks in your pound cake.
- As with most pound cakes, the flavor intensifies the next day!
- Don’t skip the glaze and toppings! The key to a delicious coconut pound cake is to use layers of coconut flavor. This pound cake uses pure coconut extract, coconut milk, and shredded coconut to lend the best delicate coconut flavor.
How To Store
Store the finished pound cake in plastic wrap or slice, then individually wrap the pieces in plastic wrap. Store wrapped cake in an airtight container.
Happy Holidays!!!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Coconut Pound Cake
Ingredients
POUND CAKE
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, (1½ sticks)
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pure coconut extract
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes
GLAZE
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- salt, pinch
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded coconut flakes
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 9 x5 loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, cream together sugar and butter on low speed until well combined.
- Mix in eggs one at a time.
- Mix in vanilla extract and coconut extract. (see note)
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with the coconut milk and whole milk.
- Mix until batter is fluffy.
- Fold in shredded coconut flakes.
- Pour batter into prepare pan and give the pan a shake to even out the batter.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes. Check on it at the 60 minute mark and cover with aluminum foil if it's getting too dark. Continue baking until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumb clinging to it. (see note on baking time updated adjustment)
- Place on a cooling rack to cool (remember cake will continue cooking as it cools)
- Once pan has cooled remove cake from pan and allow to finish cooling completely on cooling rack.
- While cake is cooling make the glaze by combing all glaze ingredients in a bowl until silky.
- Pour half the glaze over cooled cake and then top with coconut flakes.
- Once glaze has hardened, drizzle on the remaining glaze and allow to harden.
- Slice and serve.
- Store cake wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container.
Perfection! I love a good pound cake and this one is gorgeous. Sharing and pinning
I need this for breakfast, second breakfast, coffee break, dessert, and a midnight snack, it’s the best!
Just finished this recipe tonight in a bundt cake pan and it took 2 hours to bake (double the time it took in the loaf pan).
I have made this recipe twice and each time the cake batter overflowed the loaf pan while baking. During the second attempt, I took precautions and placed my 9 x 5 loaf pan on a parchment lined baking sheet just in case the overflow happened a second time—and thankfully so! Please help! I meticulously followed the recipe measurements and can’t figure out what went wrong! I’ve made lots of pound cakes in my loaf pans and this has never happened before. Do you have any advice?
Oh no Danielle! Did you have about as much batter that I had in the video?
Awesomely great cake but I also had a tad too much batter. Luckily I doubled the batter for a bundt cake and used my large budnt pan so it didn’t spill. I believe that it was my fault. I let my butter become extremely soft and creamed it with the sugar longer than you did, giving it a whipped cream texture instead of paste. Didn’t matter though, great cake.
Hi Monique,
Could I use this recipe to make cupcakes instead?
Hi Monique,
Thanks for your continued yummy recipes. I have to use gluten free flour and haven’t had luck with getting the cakes to come out fluffy. I’ve tried Bob’s Red Mill One to One Baking Flour and Cup 4 Cup Baking Flour, but the cakes are not really fluffy. Bob’s flour works well for cookies and banana bread. Any suggestions?