A delicate, perfectly moist, and fluffy cake with the sweet, tropical notes of coconut made with just four simple ingredients certainly sounds too good to be true. But what if we told you that you could bake this scrumptious confection without any animal-derived dairy or eggs? Gear up to be inspired to whip up a decadent coconut cake that is a guaranteed stunner for the eyes and taste buds. Upon your first bite, you probably won’t even believe it’s a vegan-friendly dessert! All you need is full-fat canned coconut milk, self-rising flour, sugar, and finely shredded, unsweetened coconut. If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, save yourself a trip to the store and make your own with all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
To make this four-ingredient coconut cake, start by whisking the canned coconut milk to a homogeneous consistency. It’s essential to blend the coconut cream that may have separated in the can before stirring in the sugar. Finally, gently incorporate the self-rising flour and shredded coconut flakes until evenly combined and bake to perfection — it’s that simple.
The full-fat coconut milk imparts a delightful flavor and acts as a fat source that adeptly binds all the components together to deliver the desired texture. The shredded coconut offers a subtle textural contrast unlike coconut flakes, which are larger and will stand out more prominently while slicing through the cake. The result is a bakery-worthy cake, with a texture that is remarkably similar to one made with dairy and eggs, and will have you eating even the tiniest crumbs from your plate.
How to decorate your coconut cake
The cake is fresh out of the oven, and now comes the dreaded waiting time for it to cool so the party can start. By “party,” we’re not just talking about whatever occasion you might be making it for, but rather the frosting and topping options to unleash your inner “Great British Bake Off” contestant. With the foundational coconut cake, the diverse possibilities are endless. While you can keep it classic with a simple coconut-flavored frosting, lemon glaze, dusting of powdered sugar, or sprinkling of coconut shavings, there’s more to your cake decor game.
Serve up the iconic Thai mango sticky rice dessert in cake form with a coconut cream frosting, a drizzle of condensed coconut milk, dollops of mango puree, and sliced fresh mango. Keeping on the East Asian inspirations, infuse your frosting with a subtle vanilla-like flavor and vibrant hue that’s similar to green sticky rice using pandan leaf extract. For avid Girl Scout Cookie fans, a Samoa-style cake with a rich, chocolate frosting, a generous caramel drizzle, and shreds of toasted coconut interspersed with pieces of Samoa cookies would surely wow the crowds. Take it up a notch for the adults in the room with a delightful boozy frosting upgrade. When it comes to a coconut cake base, what better way to put the leftover coconut cream in your can of coconut milk to use than to whip up a piña colada frosting? It’s safe to say that with all these ideas (and any others you can think of), there may be a coconut cake decorating party in your near future.
