This Vegan Coconut Cake recipe is an excerpt from Charlotte Roberts’s book Decadent Vegan Cakes. Charlotte is the food blogger, photographer, and recipe developer behind the blog Charley’s Health. Charlotte grew up with a strong passion for both cooking and food in general and as a child always enjoyed helping her Mum bake cakes. She later developed a serious interest in plant-based food and loves exploring different alternative dishes and ingredients.
Table of Contents
This is making somewhat of a bold statement, but I do believe that this is the best vegan coconut cake that I’ve had the pleasure of eating! I’m obsessed with anything coconut flavored, so the recipe is a favorite of mine!
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Coconut Cake
Cake
- Apple cider vinegar
- Nondairy milk
- Olive oil
- Sugar
- Vanilla bean paste
- Self-rising flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Coconut
Frosting
- Vegan stick butter
- Sugar
- Coconut
Toppings
- Coconut
- Mixed berries of choice
- Pomegranate seeds
- Mint leaves
How To Make This Vegan Coconut Cake
Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prepare Cake Pans
Preheat the oven to 355 ̊F (180 ̊C) and line two 6 1/2-inch (17-cm) loose-bottom cake pans with parchment paper.
To make the vegan buttermilk alternative, add the apple cider vinegar to the nondairy milk, stir and let thicken for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the olive oil and sugar together until slightly pale and fluffy. Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla and mix well using a wooden spoon.
Step 2: Incorporate Dry Ingredients, Divide Batter, and Bake
Sift in the self-rising flour, baking powder and baking soda and using a wooden spoon, fold these into the wet ingredients until fully combined. Add a pinch of salt and the desiccated coconut and stir thoroughly.
Divide the batter between both the lined cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly golden and risen. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
Step 3: Prepare the Coconut Frosting
In the meantime, you can prepare the delicious frosting. Add the butter to a stand mixer or use an electric hand whisk. Beat until gloriously pale and fluffy, then gradually add the powdered sugar while continuing to mix.
When your frosting is fully mixed and perfectly smooth, stir in the desiccated coconut.
Step 4: Assemble and Garnish the Cake
To assemble the cake, spread a generous layer of the vegan buttercream on one of the cake layers using a palette knife and place the second cake on top. Use the remaining buttercream and use a palette knife to apply a thin, even layer of buttercream over the entire cake. Then, take a cake scraper and use this to smooth and even out the frosting.
Carefully press the coconut against the frosted cake to coat it entirely. Add the berries and pomegranate seeds to garnish and finish with some mint leaves for freshness.
Vegan Coconut Cake – Recipe Card
The Best Vegan Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 15 ml 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 200 ml 7 oz nondairy milk
- 80 ml 3 oz olive oil
- 180 g 7/8 cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- 250 g 2 cups self-rising flour
- 5 g 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 40 g ½ cup desiccated coconut
Frosting
- 250 g 11/10 cups vegan stick butter, room temperature
- 300 g 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 30 g 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
Toppings
- 200 g 2 cups desiccated coconut
- 250 g 1 cup fresh mixed berries of choice
- 100 g 3.5 oz fresh pomegranate seeds
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355 ̊F (180 ̊C) and line two 6 1/2-inch (17-cm) loose-bottom cake pans with parchment paper.
- To make the vegan buttermilk alternative, add the apple cider vinegar to the nondairy milk, stir and let thicken for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the olive oil and sugar together until slightly pale and fluffy. Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla and mix well using a wooden spoon.
- Sift in the self-rising flour, baking powder and baking soda and using a wooden spoon, fold these into the wet ingredients until fully combined. Add a pinch of salt and the desiccated coconut and stir thoroughly.
- Divide the batter between both the lined cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly golden and risen. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
- In the meantime, you can prepare the delicious frosting. Add the butter to a stand mixer or use an electric hand whisk. Beat until gloriously pale and fluffy, then gradually add the powdered sugar while continuing to mix.
- When your frosting is fully mixed and perfectly smooth, stir in the desiccated coconut.
- To assemble the cake, spread a generous layer of the vegan buttercream on one of the cake layers using a palette knife and place the second cake on top. Use the remaining buttercream and use a palette knife to apply a thin, even layer of buttercream over the entire cake. Then, take a cake scraper and use this to smooth and even out the frosting.
- Carefully press the coconut against the frosted cake to coat it entirely. Add the berries and pomegranate seeds to garnish and finish with some mint leaves for freshness.
Reprinted with permission from Decadent Vegan Cakes by Charlotte Roberts. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. Photo credit: Charlotte Roberts.
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About the Cookbook
Making delicious plant-based cakes is foolproof thanks to this outstanding collection of recipes from blogger Charlotte Roberts. Ranging from mouthwatering layer cakes perfect for a celebration to tasty loaf cakes that can be ready in no time at all, Charlotte’s wide array of bakes has you covered no matter what flavor or style of cake you’re in the mood for. Her crave-worthy recipes include:
- Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Gingerbread Latte Layer Cake
- Lemon Curd & Poppyseed Cake
- Apple Crumble Loaf Cake
- The Best Vegan Coconut Cake
- Chocolate Orange Layer Cake
- Strawberry Swirl Cake
- Browned-Butter Chai Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Loaf
- Pumpkin-Spiced Layer Cake
Bursting with recipes that will bring you back for seconds (and maybe thirds!), as well as all the tips and tricks you need to demystify vegan baking, this will be your go-to guide for vegan cakes for every occasion.
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More Vegan Recipes You Might Like
If you Enjoyed This Coconut Cake, You Might Like this Vegan Apple Cake from the same author. Click here to get the recipe.
Connect with Charlotte on Instagram and at charleyshealth.com
Please add a “jump to recipe” button. Not everyone needs blow-by-by instruction for how to make a recipe, some of us are experienced bakers and cooks. Your recipes are fantastic and actually delish–can’t say that about a lot of the vegan recipes online–but I really, really don’t like having to read through copious amounts of text to get to the recipe. Thank you. Kate
Hi Kate! Thank you for your feedback! We just added the button:)