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Close up of the end of the sliced vegan coconut cream cake.
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Coconut Cream Cake

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.
Course Dessert
Cuisine vegan
Keyword cake
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 people
Author Domestic Gothess

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!