For years I’ve been wanting to do a robin’s egg themed Easter cake. They’re so popular around this time of year and this year I finally took the opportunity to take on the challenge. Luckily, my Toasted Coconut Easter Cake is a pretty simple cake to bake and decorate and has a big impact!

Toasted Coconut Cake

• Toasted coconut: is the star ingredient in this cake and takes center stage! Toasted coconut is processed in a food processor, then soaked in buttermilk and poured into the batter to ensure coconut flavor in every bite!
• Buttermilk: adds a bit of tanginess and tenderizes the cake. Plus when used with an acidic ingredient, such as baking soda, it produces a fluffy cake, like this one! 😉
• Vanilla extract: helps with flavor.
• All-purpose flour: is the most versatile for baking, and is an excellent choice for cakes that need more structure. 🗒 Note: Protein content can change by brand. The higher in protein the flour is, the more likely the cake will be a bit drier and denser.
• Baking soda: is an acidic ingredient and reacts with the buttermilk in this recipe to produce a fluffy cake.
• Salt: enhances flavor.
• Granulated sugar: flavors the cake but also tenderizes, leavens and caramelizes.
• Unsalted butter: flavors and tenderizes the cake.
• Oil: supplies moisture and tenderness.
• Eggs: emulsifies, leavens and moisturizes.
• Heavy cream: whipped cream helps provide structure to the cake.

American Coconut Buttercream

American buttercream is mostly made up of a mix of butter, shortening and powdered sugar. It’s sweet and fluffy and is easy to add color to and pipe with. Plus, it’s easy to add different flavor options by switching out extracts and emulsions. For my version of American Coconut Buttercream, I used a mix of vanilla extract and coconut emulsion.

How To Crumb Coat Your Cakes

1. Add a layer of buttercream to the top of the cake using an offset cake spatula.
2. Add a thin layer of buttercream over the sides of the cake using an offset cake spatula.
3. Coat the entire cake in a thin layer of buttercream,
4. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

How To Toast Coconut

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out coconut on top.
• Bake coconut for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the coconut. It can burn quickly.

How To Decorate Toasted Coconut Easter Cake

1. Start with a chilled crumb coated cake on a cake turntable.
2. Color buttercream in your desired color. I used AmeriColor Wedgewood gel food coloring.
3. Apply a generous amount of buttercream to the top of the cake, spreading buttercream all the way out to the edges. You should have excess buttercream hanging off the edges.
4. Attach parchment paper circle to an acrylic disc with buttercream and place the acrylic disc (parchment paper down) on top of the cake. Make sure the disc is level and even with the 8-inch round cake board on the bottom of the cake.
5. Apply buttercream to the sides of the cake.
6. Gently press your cake scraper against the bottom cake board and the top disc and rotate the turntable with your cake scraper to smooth the sides of the cake.
7. Add more buttercream to any gaps and repeat the rotation with your turntable and cake scraper.
8. Once the cake is smooth, chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
9. Using your small offset cake spatula, gently wedge the spatula under the disc and gently rotate the cake turntable until the disc releases.
10. Remove parchment paper from the cake.
11. Fill any gaps on top of the cake with additional buttercream and smooth out with your cake spatula.
12. Make the chocolate speckle mixture by mixing cocoa powder and water together. Start with 1 tablespoon water and add more if needed.
13. Using a square headed food only paint brush, dip the brush into the mixture and flick the bristles of the brush near the cake. This can get a little messy so just be warned.
14. Top the cake with toasted coconut, and chocolate Easter eggs.

Toasted Coconut Easter Cake Baking Schedule

• Day 1: Toast the coconut and store in an airtight container on the counter.
• Day 2: Bake the cake layers and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in an airtight cake container in the refrigerator.
• Day 3: Prepare buttercream, assemble, decorate and serve the cake.

Let’s Connect

The Cake Chica is on Facebook sharing sneak peeks of recipes to come, Instagram for your food porn desires and Pinterest for your board pinning needs.

You May Also Like

Easter Confetti Cake

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake

Lemon Bundt Cake

Continue to Content

Toasted Coconut Easter Cake

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Moist and fluffy Toasted Coconut Easter Cake filled and frosted with Coconut American Buttercream, garnished with more toasted coconut and chocolate Easter eggs.

Print

Ingredients

SPECIAL TOOLS

• 3 8-inch round cake pans
• Stand mixer
• Hand mixer
• 8-inch round cake board
• Blue gel food coloring
• Cake turntable
• Cake scraper
• 8-inch round acrylic disc or 8-inch round cake board
• Offset cake spatula
• AmeriColor Wedgewood
• Square head food only paint brush

COCONUT CAKE

• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ½ cups (10.5 ounces) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup heavy cream, cold

COCONUT AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut emulsion
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water or milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds (about 8 cups) powdered sugar

COCOA SPECKLES

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon hot water

GARNISH

• 1 1/2 cups coconut, toasted
• Candy Easter eggs

Instructions

COCONUT CAKE

1. Adjust an oven rack the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
2. In a food processor, add 1 ½ cups toasted coconut and process until finely ground, about 1 minute. In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, combine processed coconut, buttermilk and vanilla and let sit until softened, about 10 minutes and set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 7 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the oil and mix until combined. Add eggs one at a time mixing on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the coconut-buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour mixture has been combined and mix with a rubber spatula by hand to be sure not to over mix the batter.
5. In a large bowl, add the heavy cream and beat with a hand mixer, until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the cream to the cake batter.
6. Divide the batter among the prepared cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake testers inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, rotating pans halfway through baking.
7. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in their pans for 10 minutes on cooling racks. Invert cakes onto cooling racks and let cool completely.
   

COCONUT AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment attached, cream together the butter, shortening and extract and coconut emulsion.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of water or milk, salt, half of the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and on low speed, gradually add the remaining powdered sugar. Add more water or milk if needed. Add blue gel food coloring. Use buttercream right away or cover the a damp cloth to prevent the buttercream from crusting.
   

ASSEMBLE

1. Center one cake layer on an 8-inch cake board and place on a cake turntable. Place about 2/3 cups buttercream on top and spread in an even layer all the way to the edge of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top and apply another 2/3 cups buttercream on top and spread in an even layer out to the edge of the cake. Place the last cake layer on top (bottom side up) and top with about 2 cups buttercream and apply a thin layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake, creating a crumb coat. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Add a couple of drops of AmeriColor Wedgewood gel food coloring in the bowl of remaining buttercream and mix until you achieve the blue color you want.
3. Apply a generous amount of buttercream to the top of the chilled crumb coated cake and smooth out with an offset cake spatula. You should have excess buttercream hanging off the edge. Gently place the acrylic disc lined with parchment paper (paper side down) on the top of the cake and press down evenly. Make sure your acrylic disc is lined up with the bottom cake board. Apply more buttercream to the sides of the cake. Using your cake scraper, gently press against the disc and the cake board and rotate the cake turntable and cake scraper. Place excess buttercream back into your buttercream bowl. Fill in any gaps in the buttercream and rotate again until your cake sides are smooth. Place in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
4. Gently place your cake spatula between the top of the cake and the acrylic disc and rotate the turntable until the acrylic disc releases. Remove the parchment paper and smooth out the top of the cake. Chill the cake while you prepare the cocoa speckles.

COCOA SPECKLES

1. Mix the cocoa powder with hot water to a thick brown liquid. Dip a flat food-only paint brush into the mixture and hold the brush near the cake. Flick the bristles into the direction of the cake until it is covered with brown speckles.

GARNISH

1. Arrange toasted coconut on the top center of the cake. Add a few Easter candies on top and serve.

Notes

Cake Storage: Cake layers can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight cake container stored in the refrigerator.

Assemble cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day or stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 842Total Fat: 55gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 590mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 3gSugar: 47gProtein: 10g

*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thecakechica1 on Instagram and hashtag #thecakechica1