The BEST Coconut Pound Cake

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I don’t use the word “best” very often, but this cake? It is truly the BEST Coconut Pound Cake I have ever tasted! 

Oh my heavens. This cake. It is EVERYTHING I want in a coconut cake.

The BEST Coconut Pound Cake

Coconut Pound Cake

Dense enough to not fall apart when you slice it, tender and fluffy enough for the perfect crumb, sweet but not overly sweet, with just the right amount of coconut flavor in every bite.

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I could quite possibly talk your ears off about how much I LOVE this Coconut Pound Cake.

The crumb is spectacular, the crust has the perfect crunch, this beauty of a cake is drizzled with a sweet coconut icing, and topped with an extra sprinkling of coconut.

Coconut Pound Cake Ingredients

  • butter 
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • coconut extract
  • vanilla extract
  • milk
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • kosher salt
  • shredded sweetened coconut
Coconut Pound Cake

This cake has pretty much destroyed my self-control. I sliced it after dinner a few nights ago and then I could not stop slicing slivers to taste for the rest of the night.

This is going to be in my dessert line-up for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I am absolutely thrilled with this cake – can you tell?

The ultimate coconut pound cake

Kitchen Tip: I use this (perfect every time!) bundt pan and this mixer to make this recipe.

 I’m not typically an advocate for buying a slew of specialty ingredients, but the coconut extract is key to the lovely flavor in this cake.

And while I would not normally use an “imitation” vanilla extract, to my knowledge imitation coconut extract is the only available option and it works beautifully.

Buttery sweet and loaded with coconut flavor - you're going to LOVE this pound cake!

Favorite Coconut Desserts

If you have coconut lovers in your life, you’re going to want to save all of these recipes for future baking days.

Chewy coconut filling layered onto a buttery shortbread crust; Grandma’s Coconut Chews are so simple to make I have been making them since I was a child. 

Is it a scone? Is it a cookie? Coconut Scone Cookies are the best of both worlds. This is a coconut cookie that comes together in an easy scone recipe. That makes this a bite-size scone “cookie” that no coconut lover will be able to resist.

Plenty of pecans fill these buttery brown sugar Coconut Blondies creating a hand-held dessert that makes a terrific snack or a company dessert when served warm and topped with cold ice cream.

Chewy Coconut Lover’s Oatmeal Cookies are the ultimate cookie for any coconut lover. These cookies are so chewy, so irresistible, I actually burned my mouth eating not one, but two cookies while they were still piping hot from the oven.

A crisp shortbread crust is topped with a chewy gooey layer of pineapple and coconut to make these Pineapple Coconut Bars.

Coconut Pound Cake in a bundt pan

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Coconut Pound Cake

The BEST Coconut Pound Cake

4.71 from 54 votes
I don't use the word "best" very often, but this cake? It is truly the BEST Coconut Pound Cake I have ever tasted! 
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients 

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Glaze Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut, for topping toasted if desired

Instructions

Cake Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Thoroughly grease and lightly flour an 8 or 10-cup bundt pan. Beat the butter and sugars together, on medium speed, until fluffy crumbs form.
  • Add the eggs, vanilla, and coconut extract, beat again until smooth. Add the milk, beat on low speed to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat again, just until combined. Stir in the coconut.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, until golden on top and light brown on the edges. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, place the cooling rack on top of the cake, hold the sides firmly and invert the pan over the rack. The cake should drop smoothly out of the pan. Tap firmly on the pan with a wooden spoon, if necessary to free the cake from the pan. Let the cake cool completely before glazing.

Glaze Instructions

  • To make the glaze, melt the butter in a small glass bowl. Add the powdered sugar, milk, and coconut extract. Whisk together until smooth. The glaze should pour off the spoon in a white stream. Add a teaspoon more milk to thin it, or 1-2 tablespoons more powdered sugar to thicken it, if necessary.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Sprinkle generously with coconut. Store at room temperature, loosely covered, preferably not airtight. This cake will keep nicely and stay very moist for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

I’m not typically an advocate for buying a slew of specialty ingredients, but the coconut extract is key to the lovely flavor in this cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 542kcal · Carbohydrates: 77g · Protein: 5g · Fat: 24g · Saturated Fat: 16g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5g · Trans Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 102mg · Sodium: 279mg · Potassium: 146mg · Fiber: 2g · Sugar: 58g · Vitamin A: 631IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 48mg · Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 11/20/15 – recipe notes and photos updated 11/23/21}

The BEST Coconut Pound Cake (traditional and gluten free recipes included) get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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    • Mary Younkin says

      I do not have a GF version of this recipe that I am thrilled with. I only share GF recipes when they are truly as good or better than the original. I’m pretty fussy like that, Lori. Sorry I don’t have one yet!

  1. M says

    Made this for a family friend with a strong liking for coconut. He loved it! I was giving instructions to save/use this version of a pound cake. I don’t use imitation extract. I didn’t make the glaze because he is on a gluten free diet and obviously cheated. I think fresh strawberries 🍓 would have been a nice topping. ALSO, I used cake flour. It is my personal opinion to use regular flour for a pound cake is a “sin”.5 stars

  2. Susan Hulett says

    Tastes almost like my mom’s recipe. Only difference is she used vanilla, butter & nut flavoring rather than vanilla extract. Still a great cake.5 stars

  3. Cathy says

    Ooohhh my goodness gracious! This is absolute deliciousness! We are a family of foodies who are accustomed to great tasting well prepared dishes. We all agree that your recipe has passed our test with an A+! Thanks for sharing!5 stars

  4. Nicki cornett says

    No doubt, the best pound cake I have ever eaten. My mother used to make a coconut layer cake for Christmas every year which the whole family enjoyed, but I really prefer this recipe. I am 77 yrs old, believe me, I have tasted a lot of cakes. Thanks for sharing.5 stars

  5. DeNece says

    Saturday, Oct 12th was my 56th birthday, and while it was a lovely day, I missed having a birthday cake. Yesterday, I decided to make myself one and stumbled on this recipe after deciding I wanted a coconut cake.

    Something has to be phenomenal for me to leave a review so, can I just say that this was the most delicious and tender and moist cake I have EVER made! EVER! I didn’t
    make the glaze, nor any glaze, as I felt it would be sweet enough on its own, and I’m not a fan of frosting/glaze
    anyway. Trust me when I say it doesn’t need it! The only
    thing that might have made it better (if even possible)
    would have been a dollop of fresh whipped cream and
    some berries. Also, the grocery store only had ”imitation coconut flavoring”, and not “extract”, so I’m very excited to try it again with the real stuff!

    I will take it to work tomorrow as I fear that if it’s not out of my house I will eat the entire cake!!

    This recipe is going to be kept VERY handy for any event that I may need to bring a dish to…. I CANNOT WAIT to make it for the holidays! Thank you for sharing such a phenomenal recipe! I LOVE IT!5 stars

    • DeNece says

      Thank you, so much, Mary… I’m actually making this again, right now, for Thanksgiving today at my mom’s house… Sure hope it doesn’t upstage the pumpkin pie! 😉5 stars

  6. Joanna Lau says

    I made this on a flat pan because I didn’t have a Bundt pan and my husband and his whole office gave kudos to the chef. Thank you!! I read some comments and I agree that this can be made with less sugar and with it without frosting. I also didn’t have milk handy so I used Cinnabon creamer (so maybe that’s why I can do with less sugar). My husband said this is his favorite cake now!5 stars

  7. Thom says

    Two questions:

    1. Ingredients: Did you use sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut?

    2. Technique: You day to beat the butter and sugar until fluffy crumbs form. When making a cake I usually cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 5-6 minutes, at which time it’s a light yellow and fluffy but not “crumbs.” Why is your technique different? What difference does it make in the texture of the cake?

    Thanks.

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi Thom, I use sweetened coconut. All I can really say with regards to the method is that it works well as written. Feel free to stick with whatever method you prefer for cake baking. While I’ve never seen the need to cream the butter and sugar for this cake for that long, it’s not likely to hurt anything. Happy baking!

  8. JoAnn Taylor says

    This recipe sounds fabulous! I live alone and would like to make a coconut pound cake in a loaf pan (8″ x 4″). If I cut this recipe in half would that be appropriate? Thank you.

    • Peso says

      I just asked that question so that the slices could be grilled. Did you try cutting the recipe in half ? I would like to keep the ingredient amount and make two loaf pans of cake. If you tried this, did you adjust oven time? Thanks.

  9. Jennifer says

    This truly is the BEST coconut pound cake EVER!!!! I’ve made it twice and it was a HUGE HIT!! Amazing with a cup of coffee, glass of milk or glass of wine! Thank you for this amazing recipe!5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      You can absolutely make this without the coconut extract, Diane. It simply won’t have as deep a coconut flavor. If you happen to have coconut milk in the house, you could swap that in for the regular milk and up the coconut flavor a bit that way. Happy baking!

  10. Laurie Burgess says

    Excellent recipe! Very moist and full of coconut flavor. It didn’t even need the glaze. My family love it.5 stars