This moist and fluffy coconut sheet cake is packed with just the right amount of coconut flavor. It’s rich, yet light and is topped with a creamy coconut cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of shredded coconut for extra flavor & texture – so so good! The perfect dessert for any occasion, from casual gatherings to festive celebrations.
Why You’ll Love This Coconut Sheet Cake
This coconut sheet cake is adapted from my original coconut layer cake recipe that has over 90 five star reviews! Here is what I love about this recipe:
Moist & fluffy: This coconut sheet cake is SO incredibly fluffy. It uses the creaming method (where air is whipped into the butter) for the cake batter which helps to yield a soft and fluffy crumb. With the addition of oil and coconut milk in the batter, it also makes for a wonderfully moist cake.
Heaps of coconut flavor: This recipe not only uses coconut flavouring (you can use coconut extract or essence), but also coconut milk. This adds extra coconut flavor to the cake and contributes to the fluffy texture. Oh and I forgot to mention the dried shredded coconut in the cake batter too! It adds great additional texture to the cake 🙂
Easy to make: The cake batter for this recipe (as well as the frosting) is simple to make and only requires a hand mixer. On top of that, being a sheet cake, there is no levelling of the cake layers or stacking required. Simply pop on the frosting and top with shredded coconut and you’re good to go!
How to Make Coconut Cake
Coconut Cake
Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional and lightly grease a 9×13 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper as well (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it’s done). If using a convection oven that has a fan function, bake at 160 °C (320°F).
In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer are both fine), cream together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
Add in vanilla extract/essence, coconut extract/essence and coconut milk and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
Add in the flour mixture to your wet ingredients, and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix (only mix until you can’t see any streaks of unmixed flour and the batter is uniform).
Finish off by adding in the shredded coconut and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
Distribute the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Level out the top and drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles. Bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure of the best way to do this) and frost with coconut cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and top with more shredded coconut.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
In a medium bowl, cream butter for two minutes until light and fluffy. Either use a hand or stand mixer on a medium high speed. If using a stand mixer then please read note 5 before beginning.
Add in the powdered sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
Next add in the cold cream cheese, vanilla and coconut essence/extract. Mix just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing.
Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and top with shredded coconut. Enjoy!
How to Store Coconut Sheet Cake
This coconut sheet cake can be left at room temperature for the day, however overnight it will need to be refrigerated due to the cream cheese in the frosting. The fat and sugar in the frosting will prevent the cream cheese from going off immediately, which is why you can keep it out at room temperature for an extended period of time.
Moist Coconut Sheet Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Coconut Cake
- 2¼ cups (280 g) flour - regular, all purpose
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- 5 tbsp (66 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil. In the video I say 3 tbsp (40g), but have recently tried with 5 tbsp (66g) and recommend it (see note 7 for more info).
- 1⅔ cups (332 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1½ tsps vanilla essence/extract
- 1 tsp coconut essence/extract - can substitute with 1/2 tsp almond essence/extract (see note 1)
- 1¼ cups (275 g) canned coconut milk
- 1 cup (80 g) shredded coconut - dried & unsweetened, also called threaded coconut
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- 2¼ cups (285 g) powdered sugar - also called icing/confectioners sugar
- ¾ cup (167 g) cream cheese - cold, firm type (see note 2)
- ¾ tsp vanilla essence/extract
- ½ tsp coconut essence/extract - can substitute with 1/2 tsp almond essence/extract (see note 1)
- 1 cup (80 g) shredded coconut - dried & unsweetened, for decorating. Also called threaded coconut
Instructions
Coconut Cake
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 3 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper as well (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it's done).
- In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - see note 4), cream together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
- Add in vanilla, coconut essence/extract and coconut milk and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
- Add in your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix (only mix until you can't see any streaks of unmixed flour and the batter is uniform).
- Finish off by adding in the shredded coconut and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Distribute the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Level out the top and drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles. Bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure of the best way to do this) and frost with coconut cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and top with more shredded coconut.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, cream butter for two minutes until light and fluffy. Either use a hand or stand mixer on a medium high speed. If using a stand mixer then please read note 5 before beginning.
- Add in the powdered sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
- Next add in the cold cream cheese, vanilla and coconut essence/extract. Mix just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing (see note 6).
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and top with shredded coconut. Once sliced, place any leftovers in an airtight container to ensure the cake stays moist.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
43 Comments
Hi MK, I am new to your site, and I’m loving it! It ticks all my boxes.. photos, videos, measurements in grams and great simple recipes that you explain very clearly. I just made your coconut sheet cake, which is delicious, and everything you said it would be! I tried to buy coconut extract but could only find essence. Do you know where you can buy extracts? I live in Christchurch and I only seem to be able to find essence.
Thank you!
Hi Adele! Welcome to the blog 😀 so happy to hear you’re having a great experience thus far 🙂
Here in NZ it is quite hard finding both coconut extract and essence, so I usually grab the Hansells coconut essence from the supermarket whenever I can find it and is what I use in this recipe 🙂
You may be able to buy coconut extract online, but I find the essence works great too 😀
Hope that helps and thanks again for the wonderful feedback Adele 🙂
I’m not the biggest fan of dessicated coconut so I only added half of it to the cake batter (40g) and didn’t put any on the frosting. The cake still turned out amazing! I made it for my family and it was a big hit. Would love to see more sheet recipes if possible!
Awesome! So glad you and your family loved the coconut sheet cake Grace and that it still turned out awesome with the reduced desiccated coconut 🙂
Hope to share more sheet cake recipes soon 😀
Hi, thank you for this recipe – I love it!! I was wondering how you think it would go if I swapped coconut oil for the unflavoured oil?
Hi Rebecca! So glad you love the recipe 😀
I haven’t tried using coconut oil myself so I am not too sure if it would affect the texture of the cake (as coconut oil can be firm at room temp if the weather is colder). My feeling is, if the weather is warm it would work similarly? So sorry I couldn’t be of more help but would love to hear how you go if you decide to try it out 😀
I gave it a go with 1/2 the normal oil and 1/2 coconut oil. I made the cake for my family and didn’t try a slice, but they raved about it and have been pestering me to make it again 😆 so I can assume it came out ok!
Thank you again, I love baking your recipes.
That’s awesome to hear Rebecca! So glad they all loved it, sounds like you nailed it! 😀
This cake recipe is AMAZING! The cake was very very moist, flavor was all there abd probably one of the best cakes I’ve made! You did a wonderful job developing this recipe! Kudos!
I used LorAnn coconut bakery emulsion and it added the perfect coconut flavor!
Aww yay! So happy to hear you loved the recipe Desi 😀
Really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
Made this cake today. Damn beautiful 😍
I used 1tbsp of coconut oil so 4 veg …I also being a beginner baker …and have a busy head totally forgot the eggs…put it in the oven…then realised..OmG 🤣🤣then emptied it back into the bowl…added the eggs one by one…and well what do you know…it still came out great.
Wish I could post a pic…yummy cake
But all your sheet cakes have been awesome. Thank you MK 😊 🙏
Aww yay! So glad you loved the recipe Loren and that it still turned out great despite the egg mishap! You are totally underestimating your talent because you definitely worked some magic there Loren 😀
So glad you’ve been enjoying the sheet cake recipes – really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
Thank you for the recipe. Just wondering the calories of 857 is for 100g of the baked cake or for the whole baked cake?
Heya! 🙂 So sorry I just realised the calorie number was incorrect because the serving size said 12 but for a sheet cake it should be 20 🙂
I have amended this now and the new number of 406kcal is per serve/slice of cake 🙂
Delicious 😋 my colleagues loved them too I’ve shared your recipe. Can this be stored in fridge for a week and a bit ?
Thanks so much Shy! So glad you and your colleagues loved the recipe 😀
I think up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge will be about right 🙂 it may start to spoil after that. Hope that helps and thanks again for the wonderful feedback 🙂
Hi Angelin! 🙂
Yes that’s correct. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
HI, in New Zealand is the fresh cream that you buy from the supermarket the same as the heavy cream that you use to make whipping cream?
Hi Angelin! Yes that’s correct. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Looks good will try this coconut sheet cake of yours. Thank you for the recipe and detailed instruction.
Thanks Tess 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!