This incredible vegan coconut cake is the perfect cake for coconut lovers! Three layers of soft, light, fluffy coconut cake are filled and coated with a rich, creamy coconut pastry cream and covered with toasted coconut flakes.
The cake is baked in a sheet pan rather than in individual tins, which is a great way to make a layer cake with limited equipment.
This vegan coconut cream cake is so light, soft and fluffy with a delicate coconut flavour. Using pastry cream rather than buttercream gives it an incredible flavour and texture and ensures that the cake isn't overly sweet.
You also only need a 23 x 33 cm/9 x 13 in tin to make this cake as it is baked as one sheet then divided into three to make the layers. This is such a good way to make a layer cake without having to use multiple tins.
Ingredient Details:
For The Cake:
Desiccated coconut: This should be the unsweetened kind, sweetened will make the cake too sweet.
Coconut drinking milk: This is the kind of thin coconut milk from a carton designed for drinking. Do not use tinned coconut milk, it will make the cake too dense.
Oil: Use a neutral oil that is liquid at room temperature such as light olive, sunflower or vegetable. It may be tempting to use coconut oil but don't! As the cake must be stored in the refrigerator, if you use a solid fat like coconut oil or butter it will solidify and make the cake unpleasantly dense and heavy.
Coconut extract: This is optional but can be added to bolster the coconut flavour if you like. There are a couple of different types of extract, I use this one by Sugarflair which is very concentrated so you only need to use a few drops. If you are using a different brand you may need to add more.
Sugar: Caster or granulated sugar is best. Do not use sweeteners, brown sugar or liquid sugars instead.
Baking powder and soda: Make sure that you use both, they are not interchangeable.
Plain flour and cornflour: Regular plain (all-purpose) flour with a bit of cornflour (cornstarch) added gives the crumb a nice texture. You can swap the cornflour for an equal weight of plain flour if you don't have any, but I do recommend using it if you can.
Vinegar: This reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to help the cake rise and give it a light texture. I use either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. You can also use lemon juice instead.
For The Filling And Coating:
Full fat coconut milk: Unlike for the cake element, for the pastry cream you need to use a tin of full fat coconut milk.
Coconut drinking milk/soya milk: For the pastry cream you will also need a thinner type of milk as well as the coconut milk. You can use the coconut drinking milk that you used in the cake, or use soya or oat milk.
Cornstarch: Cornflour/cornstarch is necessary to thicken the pastry cream. Do not swap this for any other kind of starch as the texture will not be the same.
Vegan butter: You need to use a block butter/margarine, NOT the spreadable kind in a tub. I like Flora plant butter or Naturli vegan block.
Toasted coconut flakes: I buy these pre-toasted for ease, but if you can only get un-toasted ones then you can either just use them as they are, or toast them yourself in the oven or a frying pan.
How To Make Coconut Cream Cake:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: To make the cake, whisk together the coconut milk, oil, sugar, vinegar and vanilla and coconut extracts in a large bowl. Whisk in the desiccated coconut, cornflour, baking powder and soda, salt and plain flour.
- Step 2: Pour the batter into a lined 23 x 33 cm tin and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Step 3: To make the pastry cream, Place the cornstarch in a pan and gradually whisk in the cold milk, making sure that there are no lumps. Whisk in the coconut milk, sugar and vanilla.
- Step 4: Place the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly until it comes up to the boil and thickens. Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted and combined.
- Step 5: Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with baking paper or clingfilm directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold.
- Step 6: When you are ready to assemble the cake, trim off the edges and the top to level it, then slice into three even rectangles.
- Step 7: Give the cooled pastry cream a good whisk with an electric mixer until it becomes smooth and creamy again.
- Step 8: Place one of the cake layers on a serving board and spread over about a quarter of the pastry cream. Repeat so that you have three layers of cake, two of pastry cream.
- Step 9: Spread the remaining pastry cream in a thin layer over the entire surface of the cake.
- Step 10: Use your hands to press the toasted coconut flakes onto the cake all over the surface then serve!
Top Tips:
USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
For the teaspoon and Tablespoon measurements, please use proper measuring spoons, not just regular spoons. A teaspoon is 5ml and a Tablespoon is 15ml.
Stir the pastry cream constantly while it is cooking and don't cook it over too high a heat as that can make it lumpy or burn on the bottom.
Don't taste the pastry cream then put the spoon back into the cream - the enzymes from your saliva can break down the cornflour and make it runny again!
I don't recommend swapping the cornflour (cornstarch) for any other thickener. While technically arrowroot will work, it can give the pastry cream a slimy texture.
When you are ready to use the pastry cream, give it a good whisk to smooth it out. It will firm up and set when it cools and it might look a bit rubbery or jelly-like, but it will become smooth and pipeable again after a good whisk. I find it easiest to do this with an electric mixer with the beater attachments, alternatively you can blend it in a food processor.
If after the whisking the cooled pastry cream you find that it has a few lumps, use a spatula to scrape it through a fine mesh sieve to remove them.
FAQ's:
This vegan coconut cream cake must be kept in the refrigerator due to the pastry cream filling. It is best served on the day it is assembled, but it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
No, this coconut cream cake cannot be frozen. The pastry cream is set with cornstarch and freezing cornstarch set mixtures can cause them to break down and become runny.
The cake is best eaten on the day it is assembled, but both the cake and pastry cream elements can be made up to two days in advance. Store the baked cake in an airtight container at cool room temperature, and the pastry cream in the fridge covered directly on the surface with clingfilm to prevent it from drying out.
No, this cake would still be great kept as a sheet cake. Simply spread the pastry cream over the top and sprinkle with the toasted coconuut.
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Coconut Cream Cake
Equipment
- 23 x 33 cm/9 x 13 in cake tin
Ingredients
Cake:
- 430 g (1 + ¾ cups) coconut drinking milk (not tinned coconut milk)
- 133 g (½ cup + 5 teaspoons) neutral oil (I use olive, do not use coconut)
- 260 g (1 ¼ cups) caster or granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cider or white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 15 drops concentrated coconut extract optional
- 85 g (1 cup) desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- 35 g (5 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 365 g (3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
Pastry Cream:
- 70 g (10 Tablespoons*) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 200 g (¾ cup + 4 teaspoons) coconut drinking milk/soya milk/oat milk
- 400 ml tin full fat coconut milk
- 120 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 70 g (5 tablespoons) vegan block butter
- 100 g (1 + ⅔ cup) toasted coconut flakes to cover (or use toasted desiccated coconut)
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/350℉. Line a 23 x 33 cm/9 x 13 in cake tin with baking paper.
- To make the cake, whisk together the coconut milk, oil, sugar, vinegar and vanilla and coconut extracts in a large bowl.430 g (1 + ¾ cups) coconut drinking milk (not tinned coconut milk), 133 g (½ cup + 5 teaspoons) neutral oil (I use olive, do not use coconut), 260 g (1 ¼ cups) caster or granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon cider or white wine vinegar or lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 15 drops concentrated coconut extract
- Whisk in the desiccated coconut, cornflour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, followed by the plain flour.85 g (1 cup) desiccated coconut, 35 g (5 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch), 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), ½ teaspoon salt, 365 g (3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Pour the batter into the lined tin, spread it level and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes then turn it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Pastry Cream:
- Place the cornstarch in a pan and gradually whisk in the soy/oat/coconut drinking milk, making sure that there are no lumps. Whisk in the tinned coconut milk, sugar and vanilla.70 g (10 Tablespoons*) cornflour (cornstarch), 200 g (¾ cup + 4 teaspoons) coconut drinking milk/soya milk/oat milk, 400 ml tin full fat coconut milk, 120 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Place the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly with a balloon whisk until it comes up to the boil and thickens. Once it starts to thicken, whisk it vigorously for about a minute, making sure that you get right into the edges of the pan. When you stop for a few seconds, a few big bubbles should rise to the surface and pop.
- Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted and fully combined. It may look greasy and split at first but keep whisking and it will come together.70 g (5 tablespoons) vegan block butter
- Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with baking paper or clingfilm directly on the surface of the pastry cream, this will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least four hours until cold. I recommend giving it a good stir every now and again as it cools which can help prevent it from forming lumps.
Assembly:
- When you are ready to assemble the cake, trim off the edges and the top to level it, then slice it widthways into three even rectangles. Use a tape measure to ensure they are all the same size.
- The chilled pastry cream will have set and may seem a bit rubbery. Give it a good whisk with an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or blitz it in a food processor and it will become smooth and creamy again. If you find that it has any lumps, use a spatula to scrape it through a fine mesh sieve to remove them.
- Place one of the cake layers on a serving board and spread over about a quarter of the pastry cream. Place another cake layer on top, press down gently, and spread over another quarter of the pastry cream. Place the final cake layer on top upside-down to give a smooth surface.
- Use a palette knife to spread the remaining pastry cream in a thin layer over the entire surface of the cake.
- Use your hands to go round the cake pressing handfuls of the toasted coconut flakes into the pastry cream until it is fully covered.100 g (1 + ⅔ cup) toasted coconut flakes to cover
- Store in a covered container in the fridge. Best served on the day it is assembled.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- *Again, please use scales to measure the cornstarch, but if you absolutely must use Tablespoons then you need to measure it out correctly - do not scoop it up with the Tablespoon and pack it in or you will end up with too much. Instead you should lightly spoon the cornstarch into the measuring spoon, then level it off with the back of a knife. Or you could just buy a set of scales and save yourself a lot of faff!
Rodney
This went down very well. However, the cream coating could have been firmer. Should I have whisked it longer? All advice appreciated.
Hannah
Hi Rodney, additional whisking would be more likely to make it runnier rather than thicker as you risk breaking down the cornflour if you whisk it for too long. The problem is likely in the measuring or cooking side of things, or in the brand of butter used. Did you use the gram measurements or volume? Was it cooked out until very thick? Did you use a block butter?
Simon
For 3 years I have been searching for a great vegan coconut cake, and here it is! Thank you Hannah.