Easy Coconut Cake (5 Ingredients, No Eggs, No Dairy)

This Easy Coconut Cake is a moist, light, and fluffy recipe made from just 5 ingredients. You will love that this coconut cake is egg-free, and dairy-free so everyone can have a piece.

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I love cakes. I mean, I love baking in general, but cakes in particular, like my Yogurt Berry Cake, Vegan Bundt Cake, or Vegan Christmas Cake. Cakes bring people together, bring families around the table, celebrate occasions like birthdays, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

Cakes are not just recipes for me. They are glue for people you love. And making them has a deeper dimension than making any other recipe. This coconut cake is very special to me, because I loooove coconut. But, trust me on this, even if you don’t like coconut, you will still love it! Damien, who’s not big on coconut munched it, so I’m sure you too will!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Self-Rising Flour – Use a good quality self-rising flour. If unavailable, you can make your own by mixing 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
• Desiccated Coconut – Choose unsweetened desiccated coconut. Shredded coconut can be used for a different texture.
• Sugar – Use white granulated sugar for a classic taste. Coconut sugar can be substituted for a more caramel-like flavor.
• Canned Coconut Milk – I used full-fat canned coconut milk for best results. Light coconut milk can be used, but will result in a less rich cake.
• Melted Coconut Oil – cooled at room temperature, or any light flavor oil you love. For oil-free, use more canned coconut milk.
• Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Coconut extract can be used to enhance the coconut flavor further.

How to Make Easy Coconut Cake

Get my recipe card below for all the details! I’ve included here pictures of the key steps.

Pour the unsweetened shredded coconut and self-rising flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the canned coconut milk, oil, sugar and the optional vanilla extract.

Stir the batter with a silicone spatula until just combined.

Pour it in a square cake pan and bake it for 30-35 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).

Make my Coconut Cream Frosting and spread it on top of the cake.

Add some toasted coconut flakes to decorate the cake and slice it into slices as big as you think you can eat!!

Expert Tips

• Shake the can of coconut milk well before opening to ensure the fat and liquid are well combined.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Stir it just until the ingredients are incorporated to avoid a tough cake.
• For extra coconut flavor, toast a portion of the desiccated coconut before adding it to the batter.
• If the top of the cake browns too quickly, cover it loosely with aluminum foil during baking.
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
• For a fancier look, press toasted coconut flakes onto the sides of the frosted cake.
• Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
• To make cupcakes, divide the batter among 12 muffin cups and bake it for about 20-25 minutes.

More Easy Cake Recipes

Yogurt Berry Cake

Yogurt Cake

Vegan Carrot Cake

Vanilla Crazy Cake

Easy Coconut Cake

This Easy Coconut Cake is a moist, light, and fluffy recipe made from just 5 ingredients. You will love that this coconut cake is egg-free, and dairy-free so everyone can have a piece.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 304.8 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 2 cups Self-Rising Flour - (note 1)
• ▢ 1 cup Desiccated Coconut
• ▢ 1 cup Sugar - (note 2)
• ▢ 1 ⅔ cups Full-fat Canned Coconut Milk - (note 3)
• ▢ 7 tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil - cooled, or more full fat coconut milk for oil-free

Optional

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a 9-inch round or square pan with parchment paper. Slightly oil with cooking oil. Set aside.
• In large mixing bowl, add the self-rising flour, coconut and sugar. Whisk to combine.
• Fold in the liquid ingredients: melted coconut oil, canned coconut milk, and optional vanilla extract. Whisk until it forms a smooth batter.
• Pour evenly into the prepared pan and bake it on the center rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool down for 10 minutes in the pan, then cool it down for 2 hours on a cooling rack before slicing.
• You can serve the cake plain or frost the cooled cake with my coconut frosting recipe or my dairy-free vanilla frosting.
• Sprinkle coconut flakes on top of the cake before serving.

Notes

Note 1: To make 1 cup of self-rising flour, stir 2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of all-purpose flour.

Note 2: Any granulated sweetener works in this recipe, like sugar, raw sugar, or coconut sugar.

Note 3: You can use packaged coconut milk, but the cake won’t be as moist. Canned coconut milk contains more fat and makes the cake crumb moist and not dry.

Storage: Store the cake leftovers in a cake box in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (no frosting) | Calories: 304.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.5g | Protein: 4.1g | Fat: 16.7g | Saturated Fat: 14.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Sodium: 10.9mg | Potassium: 189.1mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 18.8g | Vitamin A: 0.4IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 14.3mg | Iron: 1.3mg | Magnesium: 29.9mg | Phosphorus: 82.3mg | Zinc: 0.7mg