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 I’m planning on making this cake but I’m going to dessicated coconut and coconut essence to the batter. I’m hoping this will be ok.
That should be fine. Enjoy!
If you use cake flour, will the portion still be 2 1/2 cups cake flour?
Yes, I would sub it 1:1. Thanks!
This looks so yummy. Would soya milk work and would sunflower oil be ok to use in this recipe please? Thanks
Yes and yes! Enjoy.
Hi, do you measure the 3/4 cup coconut oil/butter after it is melted or before? Thanks in advance!
After it is melted. Hope that helps!
So if I’m using melted butter, this would be more than 1.5 sticks of butter, melted? Butter always confuses me!
Oh yes, no worries! Yes, that would be 1 1/2 sticks of vegan butter. You will see that even once melted, it’s still 3/4 cup. Same. Hope that helps!
This cake was so yummy! My son has egg and dairy allergies so I’m always searching for new recipes for things he can also enjoy. We all loved this for Easter dessert!
Thank you for sharing your review, Libby! I”m glad you guys loved the cake!
Hi Nora! If I were to make this recipe into cupcakes, how long would you recommend baking them? I love all of your recipes!! Thanks so much!
Hi Ava. They will need to bake about 20-22 minutes. I hope that helps. Thank you for using my recipes!
How long would you recommend baking if using 6 inch pans? I’m wanting to make a small cake for my sons 2nd birthday ??
My son has a dairy and egg intolerance. His first birthday cake that I made was a little dense for our liking. I can’t wait to try this one! Thanks, Nora!
I hope you enjoy the coconut cake! I haven’t tried making it in two 6-inch pans, but I might actually cut the recipe in half and try that for a smaller cake, otherwise the layers will be way too tall and might not cook very well in the middle. Or you can use the recipe as written to make three 6-inch cakes, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what your going for. Also, watch the cakes in the oven as they might not take as long to bake. Hope that helps and your son has a very happy 2nd birthday! 🙂
This was a moist and delicious cake! I added lemon juice and zest, but did everything else according to recipe. My family likes coconut and lemon together. Will be making again! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad the cake turned out delicious for you, Jamie! Thank you for sharing you comments!
This looks lovely! Prepping stuff to do it for my bf’s bday in a couple of days. Is it ok substituting granular sugar with Xylitol? and what size are the baking pans for the amount of ingredients showcased in this receipe? 🙂
Thank you so much!
I’m not sure how that would work, since you will likely need to use much less xylitol than sugar, which may throw off the texture of the cake. The size pans are 8 inch, though 9 inches work as well, it is written in the recipe in step 1. 🙂 Thanks!
Is it possible to use coconut ? flour instead of regular flour?
Sorry, coconut flour will not work here, it’s quite different to bake with.
This recipe looks amazing, can’t wait to try it! Would it be okay if I substitute arrowroot for the cornstarch? If yes, is it a 1:1 ratio for the substitution? Thank you ?
That should be just fine, I would use the same amount. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Nora,
I have unsweetened coconut shreds but was wondering if I should use sweetened ones instead. Also, what do you think would be better? Vegan butter or coconut oil? If butter, should it be salted? If coconut oil, should I use unrefined to get more coconut oil?
Thanks!
Either is really fine, but I do preferred sweetened coconut flakes. I have used both vegan butter and coconut oil in the cake and I enjoyed each one. I always use salted vegan butter, but it could be unsalted. If you use unrefined coconut oil you will get more coconut flavor, but refined is fine as well. Hope that helps!
Best Cake Ever!! It was so good, I ate it without icing. I only had 2 cups of flour so I substituted the other 1/2 cup with coconut flour. I used oil and vanilla almond milk and added a little coconut flakes to the batter. So, so good!!! Thank you!! I have not tried the frosting yet, but I will.
Thank you for sharing your review! I’m glad you loved the coconut cake!
I plan to try this recipe out soon and I’m wondering why the apple cider vinegar? If it’s meant as an acid for reacting with a base for leavening it would make sense but you have baking powder in the ingredients not baking soda and if that’s the case any vinegar would do. No criticisms here, only curiously wondering what the apple cider is meant to do?
Hi there! I think it enhances the flavor of the cake a little bit, but I’m sure it would be fine to leave it out as well.
Love how simple the recipe is. I had brought some white chocolate frosting but didn’t know what kind of cake I should make for it. Would this cake work with white chocolate frosting?
Thank you hope you can help
Yes, that would go well on this cake. Thank you!
Don’t have coconut extract can I add some coconut flakes to the batter instead
You might be able to but it won’t have the same intense coconut flavor. I’ve never tried adding flakes to the cake batter, so I’m not sure how it will turn out, sorry!
Hello!!! Love your cake recipes…always come out amazing…I am wondering what brand vegan cream cheese do you use?
I like Tofutti brand for cream cheese frostings, but others work as well. I’ve used Miyoko’s with success and Kite Hill. Hope that helps, and thank you!
Or Ricotta cheese is a favorite of mine in cakes.
Great texture, love the coconut flavour (I didn’t use the extract, but used coconut milk and coconut oil). A delicious cake, but extremely sweet! I love my desserts but this was almost sickly sweet, I didn’t make the icing so it’s possible that might have affected how it turned out as a whole, maybe the icing is less sweet and it balances out. Regardless, it’s a lovely cake and I’ll try again with perhaps less sugar. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I’m glad you thought the texture and flavor was great, but I’m sorry it was too sweet for your taste. In my mind, cakes should be sweet and it’s a pretty normal amount of sugar for a cake. But if you know you don’t like very sweet desserts, of course feel free to lower the amount. You could likely cut it in half, it just won’t be as sweet but it sounds like that’s what you’re going for. Thanks!
I have made this cake and it is so yummy! I love that it goes with any holiday and is light and fluffy! I was wondering if you could make cupcakes with this recipe. Thank you!
Thank you, glad you like it! Yes, you can make cupcakes. They will need only 20-22 minutes to cook in the oven.
Hi
My cake went down in the middle. Any ideas why or how I could prevent this from happening. The taste is lovely though.
It sounds like you just didn’t let it bake for long enough if it sunk in the middle. So check with a toothpick in the middle of both cakes to make sure they are cooked through and no wet batter comes out. Also, make sure all your measurements are correct and you are using baking powder that works. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora
I’m just wondering if this cake can be made ahead of time and frozen or if it will last well enough in the for a few days (plan to make Thursday and eat Saturday). Also hoping to make the icing and keep refrigerated.
Thank you!
I’d probably freeze it just to make sure it’s fresh. You can make the icing ahead of time and keep it in the fridge though.
Mine did not come out fluffy at all. In the notes I saw, too late, that one can substitute cake flour for all purpose flour and omit the cornstarch. Problem is: in your recipe itself it says all purpose plus cornstarch. So there is some sort of mistake…
Not a mistake, I use all purpose flour + cornstarch, which acts very similar to cake flour. So that’s why you could use either, however I try to make my recipes accessible and often cake flour is difficult for people to find. Often over mixing the batter results in a dense cake, or substituting any of the ingredients. Also make sure not to over bake the cakes. Hope that helps!
Everyone knows this cake is amazing but I also want to specifically call out the cream cheese icing because it’s SOOO GOOD!!! I had to restrain myself from eating the icing before the cake even came out of the oven. I haven’t tasted cream cheese icing in years…this is just how it should be.
What brand of cream cheese did you use?
Just made this and it is pure deliciousness! Gobbling down my second slice right now. The cake is the lightest and fluffiest cake ever! If you like coconut, you’ll LOVE this cake.