This raspberry coconut cake features a moist and fluffy coconut cake that’s layered with coconut cream cheese frosting and raspberry jam, and is covered in shredded coconut.
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raspberry coconut cake
Hello hello! Today I have a super light and springy/summery cake for you all. It starts out with a super moist and fluffy coconut cake that’s loaded with coconut flavor thanks to coconut milk and coconut extract. Then, it gets filled with a homemade raspberry jam (but no judgments if you buy your own to make it easier), frosted with a coconut cream cheese frosting, and covered in a ton of sweetened shredded coconut. It’s light, refreshing, and comes together super easily.
The only thing special you’ll need is a 7″ springform pan – you can find the one I used here. But other than that, this cake is super easy to make. So let’s get into it! 🙂
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cake go from light and moist to dense and chewy. When you mix in the wet ingredients, be sure to only mix just until that last streak of flour disappears.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cake while it bakes:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 35 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for raspberry coconut cake:
coconut cake:
- All purpose flour:Â gives the cake structure.
- Baking powder:Â for helping the cake rise.
- Salt:Â for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter:Â for tenderizing the cake and for flavor. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cake. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar:Â for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Egg whites:Â for binding the batter together, adding moisture, and for making the cake super light and fluffy.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Coconut extract: for extra coconut flavor.
- Sour cream: for moisture and for tenderizing the cake.
- Coconut milk: you’ll want to use canned coconut milk here for the best results.
raspberry jam:
- Raspberries: fresh or frozen will work – you could also use blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries if raspberries aren’t for you.
- Granulated sugar:Â to sweeten up the jam.
- Lemon: for flavor – you’ll want the zest and the juice from 1 small lemon.
- Corn starch:Â for thickening up the jam.
coconut cream cheese frosting:
- Cream cheese: the base of the frosting, gives it a slight tanginess.
- Unsalted butter: helps give structure to the frosting, you can use salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: for sweetness and structure.
- Coconut extract: for flavor.
- Salt: to enhance the sweetness and flavor of the frosting.
how to make raspberry coconut cake
Below are some images of what the cake looks like at various points of the process. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post!
- Beat together the dry ingredients and butter.
- Beat in the wet ingredients, then divide the batter between two cake pans and bake.
- Make the raspberry jam and coconut cream cheese frosting.
- Layer and frost the cake, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
raspberry coconut cake
recipe q&a
Help! My cake is dry / over-baked
If your cake turned out a tad dry, you can brush some coconut milk on to the layers to help make it a bit more moist again.
can I turn this into cupcakes?
If you’d like to turn these into cupcakes, you definitely could! Bake them off in a muffin tin, you will get around 10, depending how much you fill the liners. Once they’ve cooled, scoop some of the center out and fill it with raspberry jam. Then, frost them generously with the coconut cream cheese frosting.
Can I bake this cake in a different sized pan?
You could bake this in two 8″ cake pans, just note that the cake layers will be thinner and will take a few less minutes to bake.
can I make this cake ahead of time?
Definitely! You can bake the cake a day in advance and keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can make the raspberry jam a day in advance and keep it stored in the fridge along with the coconut cream cheese frosting (though you will need to re-whip the frosting when you are ready to frost the cake.) I’d recommend waiting to assemble the cake until you want to serve it, to avoid needing to keep it all in the fridge, where the cake will dry out faster.
how to store raspberry coconut cake
Once you fill the cake, you’ll want to keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep well for about 3 days.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Raspberry Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Coconut Cake
- 150 g all purpose flour (1 ¼ c.)
- 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 c.)
- 45 g sweetened coconut flakes (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 85 g unsalted butter cubed, room temperature (6 tbsp.)
- 50 g vegetable oil (¼ c.)
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. coconut extract
- 60 g sour cream room temperature (¼ c.)
- 100 g canned unsweetened coconut milk room temperature (3 â…“ oz.)
Raspberry Jam
- 150 g raspberries fresh or frozen (1 ¼ c.)
- 45 g lemon juice divided (3 tbsp.)
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 120 g cream cheese room temperature (½ c.)
- 120 g unsalted butter room temperature (½ c.)
- â…› tsp. salt
- 280 g powdered sugar (2 â…“ c.)
- 1 tsp. coconut extract
- 105 g sweetened coconut flakes (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
Instructions
Coconut Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously butter two 7" cake pans and coat them with sugar.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, sweetened coconut flakes, and cubed butter. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no lumps remain.
- Add in the oil, egg whites, vanilla, coconut extract, sour cream, and coconut milk.* Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for 20-25 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for at least 20 minutes, then flip them out on to a wire rack to finish cooling to room temperature. At this point, you could let the cakes cool to room temperature, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap, and finish the cake the next day.
Raspberry Jam
- Add the raspberries, 15g (1 tbsp.) of lemon juice, and the sugar to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir the mixture often, mashing down the raspberries as they soften.
- Bring the jam to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and the remaining lemon juice. While constantly mixing the jam, slowly stream in the corn starch slurry. Continue mixing until the jam thickens, then remove it from the heat.
- Transfer the jam to a heat-safe to container to chill in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Coconut Cream Cheese Buttercream
- (Save this step until you're ready to frost the cake.)
- Add the cream cheese, butter, and salt to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the ingredients together for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until all of it has been used.
- Add in the coconut extract and mix until combined.
- Line a 7" cake pan with plastic wrap and place one of the cake layers into the cake pan. Transfer some of the cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a round tip, and pipe a ring around the outer edge of the cake.
- Pour the raspberry jam into the center of the ring, smoothing it out into an even layer. Top it with the other cake layer, then set the whole thing in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, until it's firm.
- Remove the cake from the freezer and frost the outside of it with the remaining cream cheese frosting. Coat the outside of the cake with sweetened coconut flakes, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
