Coconut Sponge Cake
This coconut sponge cake is a moist coconut flavored buttered cake filled with homemade lemon curd and frosted with a coconut rum frosting. It gets its coconut flavor from the use of coconut milk, flakes and extract. The taste is buttery, nutty, tangy and sweet at the same time. This is one of my favorite cakes and is a definite crowd pleaser.
INGREDIENTS:
Cake Sponges:
(1) 226 Grams Unsalted Butter (1 Cup)
(2) 300 Grams Granulated White Sugar (1-1/2 Cups) (See Note 1)
(3) 5 Large Eggs (Separated)
(4) 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
(5) 1 Teaspoon Pure Coconut Extract
(6) 1 Cup Coconut Milk
(7) 260 Grams All Purpose Flour (2 Cups)
(8) 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
(9) 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
(10) 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
(11) 1/2 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
Lemon Curd:
The recipe for lemon curd can be found here.
Coconut Rum Frosting:
The recipe for coconut rum frosting can be found here. Traditionally, coconut cakes are frosted with a glossy seven minute frosting a recipe for which can be found here.
Toppings:
1-1/2 Cups Toasted Sweetened Coconut Flakes
NOTES:
(1) Take out 1/4 cup of sugar from the total sugar quantity and set it aside. It will be used to beat the egg whites.
PROCEDURE:
(1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
(2) Grease and coat the sides of two 8 or 9 inch cake pans with flour. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
(3) Separate the eggs and bring them to room temperature.
(4) In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
(5) In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at low speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1-1/4 cups of sugar to the butter and cream them together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
(6) Add the egg yolks one after another and beat them in. Use a rubber spatula at intervals to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.
(7) Next, add the vanilla and coconut extracts and beat them in.
(8) Alternating between the flour mixture and coconut milk, add them to the batter in 5 additions (flour, coconut milk, flour, coconut milk, flour). Do not over mix the batter.
(9) In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until foamy and frothy, about 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar and mix at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
(10) Fold the egg whites into the cake batter in 3 additions using a rubber spatula. Be gentle so you do not deflate the egg whites.
(11) Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
(12) Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before taking them out. It is advisable to chill cakes before frosting.
Assembly:
(1) Make the lemon curd and coconut rum frosting or seven minute frosting. While the lemon curd can be made up to a couple of days in advance, if using seven minute frosting, it should be made only after the cakes have been filled because it gets tougher to work with as it sits.
(2) Toast the coconut flakes in a pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until light brown.
(3) Torte and divide each sponge into 2 layers.
(4) Place the first layer on your cake board and spread about 1/4 cup of lemon curd on it and sprinkle some toasted coconut flakes over the lemon curd. Repeat same for the next 3 layers.
(5) Place the top layer on the cake and frost the outside of the cake.
(6) Plaster the toasted coconut flakes around the sides of the cake.
Leftover cake should be stored in the fridge.
The coconut sponge cake can be used to make other types of cakes like my piña colada cake. Recipe here.
BONUS RECIPES:
(1) Grilled Pineapple with Toasted Coconut and Honey-Tequila Sauce. Recipe here
(2) Lemon Cake. Recipe here
(3) Pinapple-Coconut Loaf. Recipe here
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Terry, Thank you very much.
I have been thinking on doing this coconut cake.
My fear is may be it will not taste fine in the mouth when it is cool.
But with your help now, I will give it a try.
Thank you, once again.
It tastes great when cold.
Love your works….Terry
Thanks Lydia.
Nice I love dat nd am gonna give it a try.much love
You will enjoy it Owolabi.
Wat is d other option for cream of tartar.or can it be omitted.
It can be omitted.
i will surely try this recipe. tanks
You will love it.
You have a great website here! I would like to ask if you could please describe how one goes about “plastering” the coconut flakes round the sides of the cake?
Thanks. Take the coconut flakes in your hands and pat the sides of the cake with it. They will stick to the frosting.
Thanks so much for sharing wonderful recipes
You are welcome Thelma.
After preheating the oven, what temperature should the cake be baked.
At the same temperature as the oven was preheated: 350.
Thank you Terry for this post. You are such an inspiration tø people like M̶̲̥̅ε̲̣̣̣̥.
You are welcome Shola.
Thanku so much Terry fof this..will sure try it but what is coconut extract? Is it same as d flavour or how can I make coconut extract..pls
Hi Juliet, it is the same as flavor.
Ok thank you.
My eyes are wide open, within few months of being here, hav been so much upgraded in bakin, fondantin etc. Hopin 2 learn more. May God continue 2 bless u wit longlife @ TErrY my BOSS
Thanks Comfort. I am happy to hear about your progress.
Hi Terry, thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with us. Please I would like to bake this coconut cake in a 12″ pan. Pls can I double the recip/measurements? Pls I would appreciate your quick response. Thanks in advance.
You are welcome. If you are using all the batter in a single 12″ pan, you need not double it. If you are baking it in more than one 12″ pan, you will need to put the complete recipe in each pan.
Thanks for your quick response Terry. I appreciate. Will keep you posted on how it turns out.
Hello terry, you are so my favorite person right now, tried your Nigerian cake for a birthday party and it was gone in minutes. However, I just tried your coconut sponge cake recipe, it is true to its name, sponge, really light and fluffy, but it has a bit of after taste, I’m guessing from the baking soda, baking powder and cream of tartar. What can I change in the recipe to eliminate that taste? Keep up the awesome job, and you will be hearing lots from me…
Hi Onyinye. I’m glad to hear about your success with the Nigerian Cake. I do not get the after taste you speak of in the coconut sponge cake. Could this be a product of the brand of ingredients you use? Unfortunately, none of the ingredients can be eliminated.
I noticed a reduction with the after taste when I let it cool down properly. Do you think I can try 1teaspoon of baking powder instead of 2? What effect do you think that will that have on the cake? Patiently awaiting your lemon tart recipe…
Reducing the quantity of baking powder or soda will lead to a denser cake. It wont be a bad cake, it just wont be as fluffy.
Noted, will probably just change the brands of the raising agents and give it another try. Thank you!
Terry, don’t you think the after taste may come from coconut?
She should check the coconut she used, whether it is all fresh and so on.
Thanks
It is possible. The choice of ingredients can affect the taste of a cake.
dear terry, what is coconut milk? is it the process of grating and squeezing out the juice of the coconut or is there a coconut milk sold in stores. thanks. want to try this tomorrow. tried you french vanilla sponge cake, it was awesome. it vanished in a few seconds.
You can make yours, but I buy canned coconut milk in stores.
Hello Terry. Thanks for this recipe. I have tried it thrice now,but each time I get to whisking the eggwhites, cream of tartar and sugar, no soft or stiff peaks form. I followed instructions so not sure why. Wondering if it would have made the cake better. Otherwise, this was my first fluffy and moist cake!!!!
😀
Gracias!
Hi Teesmom. Thanks for your feedback. Egg whites can be very fussy. What do you use to beat them? A stand mixer works better than a hand mixer or a whisk. The mixing bowl must be grease free or the egg whites will not beat well. It is best for the egg whites to be at room temperature and not cold before mixing. I hope this helps. Terry
Thank you, Terry. I used a hand mixer as the batter was mixing in the stand mixer bowl and I do not have an extra bowl yet. I will try using the stand mixer the next time
This cake looks delicious!
It sure is. One of my most loved recipes.
Hello Terry, tanx for the recipe. My questions :
(1) how do I make my coconut milk?
(2) can the coconut cake be covered with fondant?
(3) is pure vanilla extract and coconut extract the same thing as their flavours?
tanx for your time.
Hi Funmi.
(1) I do not know.
(2) Yes, after frosting the cake.
(3) No. Extract is natural; flavors are artificial. Extracts taste better.
you’re da bomb terry. tanx a milli
You are welcome Funmi.
please The boss ,the coconut flakes used is it freshly grated by you or bought?
Its not freshly grated.
Thanks for the recipe..God bless you. Pls how can I get coconut flakes. Can I make mine using fresh coconut?
You are welcome. In grocery stores. I do not think fresh coconut will work.
Nice job Terry. God bless
Thanks Stella.
Hi Terry, keep the good work on, please can this recipe be made into cupcakes, or can I just use your Vanilla cupcakes recipe n substitute d milk there for coconut milk
Yes and Yes. If doing the latter, you should also add coconut extract.
I love your receipe. I made 3 batches of a 9″cake for a birthday and it was awesome. Thank you!!
You are welcome Sade. I’m glad you loved it.
Hi, please how long should it be in the oven if making it into cupcakes?
I really have no idea as I have never used this recipe for cupcakes. Having said that, most vanilla cupcakes bake for 15 – 18 minutes. It should be same here.
Hi Terry. Do you think this cake will go well with the Chocolate Butter Cake? If yes, what frosting do you advice?
Thanks for all you have bin doing. God bless the works of your hand.
Hi. If you want to. It all depends on individual taste. I will suggest the Caramel Creamcheese Frosting.
Thanks. I appreciate.
Hello terry..please there seems to be a problem with the coconut rum frosting recipe link..,, just made the coconut sponge cake but can’t access the frosting page.thanks
I just opened the link. Its working fine.
Hey Terry, you rock! Thank you for sharing your knowledge ever so freely. This cake looks so yummy, I can’t wait to try it out.
Thanks.
Hi Terry,
Please how many of this recipe would I need for a 11*15 sheet pan and how long should it bake for?
Thank you!
I’d say double the recipe. You will have to figure out the baking time yourself as I have never baked it in that size before.
Thanks for sharing boss Terry, will surely try this out.
You are welcome.
Hi Terry,
God bless your heart for freely sharing your recipes, tips and all. I’ll like to know if this recipe and the French vanilla sponge one have enough structure to allow for sculpting/carving.
Anticipating your response. Thanks a bunch.
Hi Judy. I would say no.
Thanks for your feedback
Terry thank you for these tips and God bless you. Pls in measuring the cups, is it levelled or heap.
Leveled. Always.
Tnk u Terry, will surely try dis
Thanks.