Coconut Sheet Cake

Is there such a thing as a perfect cake? If you are a coconut lover, this coconut sheet cake may just fit the bill. It’s perfectly moist, perfectly flavored, perfectly layered cake and frosting ratio—in other words, a perfect cake. I am most familiar with the Texas-style chocolate sheet cake, a guaranteed winner at gatherings, but make this coconut sheet cake and surprise your nearest and dearest as they will not be able to stop after one piece.

We ate this the first night freshly baked and frosted and the following morning with coffee, it was still so moist and softly sweet with a richness from all the coconut components. I will be making this often and add it to my Top 10 Favorite Baked Goods list.

For the eggs, I cracked the eggs all together in a small bowl and used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to add in separately and fully combine before adding in the remaining eggs. I found this easier than separating each egg white one at a time as it saved a bit of time and mess.

I set the timer for the bake time to 30 minutes to start. At this point the skewer came out clean but the cake did not quite bounce back. I baked for an additional 3 minutes, and this was perfect for my slightly bigger size pan.

I cooled the cake for 15 minutes on the rack and an additional 30 minutes before frosting. I wondered about using the coconut extract in place of the vanilla in the frosting but I liked the vanilla combo with all of the coconut flavor in the cake itself.

This coconut cake came out exactly as I imagined it would. Light, fluffy, dreamy. Like floating on a cloud of coconut. A soft, moist cake that’s lusciously light and not overly sweet with a simply scrumptious icing. This recipe is neither too complicated nor too heavy, sweet, and filling. It would be an excellent choice to serve at picnics, dinner parties or potlucks because it’s a sheet cake that can be easily cut into uniformly sized pieces to feed a crowd with the added bonus of fitting comfortably in your napkined hand so you don’t lose any of that precious coconut topping.

Although it’s quite wonderful if eaten on the same day, I would highly recommend making this at least a day or two ahead not only for the sake of convenience but because the flavors and textures fully develop and improve over time.

The parchment paper was a lifesaver. Otherwise, left to my clumsy, fumbling baking hands, the cake would have cracked. The cake held up with no disasters during the whole lifting process.

Light and fluffy were not words that I thought of when I read the ingredients in this frosting. I had some reservations about the use of cream cheese and butter, thinking it would be too thick and heavy, but trusted the directions and let them come to room temperature. They softened enough. To my delight, they worked perfectly. Timing was imperative here as you will not get that light, fluffy quality if you don’t mix the butter and cream cheese long enough.

Watching everything come together this easily was a sheer delight to me. If you don’t believe me, just ask my kitty. He loves to be in the kitchen with me when I cook. I talk to him a lot while working recipes out. He knows when I’m very happy and when I’m exasperated. Normally at this point, I’m literally crying and whining loud enough for the neighbors to hear. They must wonder what the heck goes on in my kitchen. Every attempt to make a cake from scratch is an EPIC FAIL! But not this time. This time was a triumph for me as everything went according to plan and the cake turned out perfectly perfect.

It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS BECAUSE I ATE A PIECE IMMEDIATELY AFTER FROSTING IT. It had a lemony quality to it that I couldn’t quite figure out where or how it was there. Clearly no lemon in the recipe, but it was there. Very pleasant and faint. It got me thinking, however not necessary at all, that if you were to add a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice along with the vanilla into the icing and decorate with some thinly sliced lemons and some fresh mint leaves on top it would be very refreshing if served at a picnic on a very hot day.

The cake was even better the second day, which I could not believe. Speechless. After allowing the flavors to fully develop, there was no longer a faint lemony taste, but it was still ever so lovely. Fluffy, light, dreamy, with a not-overly-sweet frosting. The cake was firm yet moist with a delicate crumb and the perfect cake-to-icing ratio. I do not care for overly sweet cakes with gobs and gobs of icing. I actually like to taste the cake and this cake tasted like the perfect yellow cake with just a hint of the coconut and vanilla.

Third day? Again, perfection. Taste is still ever so light, fluffy, and lovely. Magically, the cake seems a bit more tender. Fifth day! Amazingly! It still tastes just like it did on day three.

I do not know exactly why or how this recipe works as the chemistry and science of baking has always eluded me. But what I do know is that I not only loved the flavors and textures of the finished product but I feel this cake baking adventure was quicker (and cheaper) than many hours of therapy as it helped me overcome a lifetime of cake baking failures and subsequent cake baking complexes.

One of the softest, fluffiest cakes I’ve ever made. Full of rich coconut flavor that’s superbly complemented by the tangy cream cheese frosting. The coconut milk, shredded coconut, and coconut extract deliver an intense coconut flavor in every bite and with a soft, fluffy crumb.

I loved the fact that it’s a sheet cake! My first time baking a sheet cake and now I get it. So much easier to frost—just pour it in the center and spread it out. So much easier to cut.

I made sure to follow the advice to have all the ingredients at room temperature. As well as the butter and cream cheese, I also made sure the eggs were at room temperature.

My only problem is stopping at one thin slice—I really tried. A delicious cake that I am sure will become a family favorite.

I cut the cake into 12 squares—so easy with a sheet cake! On the second day, the cake was still super moist and fluffy.

If you’re a lover of coconut, this is your dream dessert. Fresh coconut, coconut oil, coconut extract, and coconut milk come together to make a cake that is light, airy, and tastes like summer in the tropics.

I thought this looked very cute out of the pan with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting on top. My one change would be to toast the coconut to get some color contrast and take this over the edge in presentation.

Isn’t it great when a picture “speaks” to you? I’m a coconut lover, and this picture spoke to me. You don’t see a lot of coconut recipes—it’s a sort of love-it/hate-it food. What a shame. The ingredients come together into a mellow, moist cake that’s substantial. The frosting is easy, rich, and just the right amount of light and creamy vanilla to complement the coconut cake.

Everything worked well and to fantastic results. I didn’t butter the paper or the pan. Worked well, no sticking. For the frosting, I used an entire 8-ounce package of cream cheese, and 1 pound of powdered sugar. I don’t have a reason to use partial packages of cheese and wanted to ensure sufficient frosting. Results were soft but worked very well with the cake and toasted coconut topping. Using unsweetened dessicated coconut was perfect to me. Not too sweet and not at all stringy or overpowering.

My coconut milk can left about 2 to 3 tbsp in the can. Not wanting to waste it, I poured this on top of the hot cake and let it soak in for more moistness.

I don’t like pulling out the food processor for parts of recipes. While I usually purchase superfine sugar, this time I didn’t have it. I don’t think using regular granulated sugar had any kind of negative impact on the results, taste, or appearance.

To gild the lily, try toasting the coconut for the top. It will take you back to the days of enjoying that iconic toasted almond ice cream bar—sans almond, double up on the coconut! I went with 300°F, baked 5 minutes, stirred, and then baked for 3 more minutes. It browns quickly!

If you want to store it in the pan, skip the parchment and lightly butter the pan.

This is definitely one I’ll make again, even though there are a few ingredients I don’t regularly keep in my pantry.