Vegan Coconut Cake

This moist Vegan Coconut Cake with vegan cream cheese frosting is a simple and delicious dairy-free dessert. It comes together in one mixing bowl with simple ingredients like coconut milk, shredded coconut, and vegan yogurt. 

Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, special occasion, or just want a cake, this is the best vegan coconut cake to serve your guests. It’s rich and flavorful and the tangy vegan cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement. Everyone will be so obsessed with this dessert!

If you like vegan cake recipes, you will love my recipe for gluten free almond cake, dairy free pumpkin cheesecake, and this easy 5-minute vegan mug cake!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One Bowl Cake: One of the worst parts of baking is all of the dirty dishes at the end. The batter for this eggless coconut cake comes together in the same bowl so there’s less clean up!
• Full of Coconut Flavor: This delicious vegan cake contains coconut milk and shredded coconut so it is packed full of flavor that tastes like a tropical vacation.
• Perfect for Dinners and Special Occasions: Whether you’re celebrating a friend’s birthday or making dessert for a dinner party, this coconut vegan cake is the perfect sweet treat end the festivities.

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: This cake works perfectly with all purpose flour or a cake flour.
• Sugar: Use granulated white sugar to add a little sweetness to your cake and powdered sugar for the perfect creamy vegan frosting.
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut: Give the cake a little more texture and stronger coconut flavor with shredded coconut. 
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These leavening agents help the cakes rise and give them a light, fluffy texture.
• Canned Coconut Milk: The coconut milk really gives this cake it’s flavor. Be sure to use canned coconut milk and not coconut cream or the cake will be too dense.
• Vegan Yogurt: A dairy-free yogurt adds moisture to the cake batter and makes it taste richer. This is a common substitute for eggs in vegan baking.
• Vanilla: Use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to add a deeper flavor to the cake.
• Vegan Cream Cheese: You can find vegan cream cheese in many grocery stores. It’s a great alternative that still has the tangy signature flavor of cream cheese.
• Shredded Coconut: Add a little extra texture to the outside of the cake with shredded coconut in the frosting.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Make It Gluten-Free: Make this vegan coconut cake gluten-free by using a 1:1 flour instead of all purpose flour. A 1:1 flour is a blend of gluten free flours, like rice flour, cassava flour, or potato starch with xantham gum. It’s a close mimic of gluten flours often used for baking. 
• Add Fruit to the Batter: Give this coconut cake even more flavor and texture by adding berries or other fruit to the batter. Blueberries, strawberries, or pineapple would taste amazing in this cake. Just be sure to coat them in flour before adding them to the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake pan.
• Deepen the Coconut Flavor: If you want an even stronger coconut flavor use coconut extract instead of vanilla. You can find coconut extract in many grocery stores or order it online.

How to Make Vegan Coconut Cake

This soft and fluffy coconut milk cake is the perfect dessert for a summer dinner party! It has a light texture, but is packed with flavor. The vegan cream cheese frosting is the perfect icing to make this everyone’s new favorite cake.

Step 1: Make the Cake Batter. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, unsweetened shredded coconut, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the coconut milk, vegan yogurt, oil, and vanilla one by one to the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined, but don’t over mix.

Step 2: Transfer to Pan and Bake. Grease a 9x9 baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Pour the mixed batter into the pan. Bake the dairy free coconut cake at 350°F for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Check on your cake around the 50 minute mark in case your oven runs hot so you don’t overcook the cake.

Step 3: Make the Frosting. Combine the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, shredded coconut, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk the ingredients by hand or use an electric mixer or stand mixer. Store the frosting in the refrigerator until it’s time to frost the cake.

Step 4: Cool the Cake. Allow the cake to cool completely and remove it from the pan to your serving platter.

Step 5: Add the Frosting. Once the cake is completely cooled, frost it with the vegan cream cheese frosting. 

Step 6: Add Coconut and Serve. Sprinkle the top with shredded coconut. Cut into slices and serve. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Grease and Use Parchment Paper: Ensure the cake slides easily out of the baking pan by greasing the pan and lining the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper. If you use a round pan cut the parchment paper into a circle.
• Don’t Over Mix: If you overmix the batter your cake will turn out more dense and heavy. Mix up until the ingredients are jut well combined and then stop so your cake is fluffy.
• Cool Before Frosting: Completely cool the cake before frosting it or else the frosting will melt and drip. Vegan cream cheese melts when warm, so be sure the cake is cooled or even chilled before frosting it.

Recipe Video

Storage Directions 

• Storing: Keep leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 6-7 days. 
• Freezing: You can also freeze this cake. Either wrap the unfrosted cake in plastic cling wrap and store it in the freezer or cut the cake into slices and wrap each slice and store them in a freezer bag. This cake will last for 3 months in the freezer. Thaw for at least 24 hours before enjoying a slice of frozen vegan coconut cake.
• Make Ahead of Time: Save yourself a little time and bake your cake the day before your event. Store it in the refrigerator and then frost it an hour or so before serving.

Recipe FAQs