Sheet Cake with Coconut
Coconut dessert lovers out there, REJOICE! This Coconut Sheet Cake recipe is just for YOU! Made in a 9″ x 13″ cake pan; this house-made coconut sheet cake is super tender and so VERY airy! Not to mention it will make your house smell terrific! To complement this lighter-than-air coconut cake, I've paired it with this smooth and creamy coconut buttercream frosting that is simply wonderful!
Meet Domino Sugar's Latest Product, Golden Sugar!
When Domino Sugar invited me to try out their new Golden Sugar with a few of my dessert recipes, I knew without a doubt I was clearly game! I've been using their products for a long time, so I knew it would be genuinely perfect with this Coconut Sheet Cake recipe!
It's also great because now I can use this as a white sugar replacement with the other dessert recipes!
What is Golden Sugar?
Golden Sugar, which is made from pure cane sugar, is a cup-for-cup replacement for traditional granulated white sugar. It requires fewer steps to process (3 steps versus the standard seven steps for white sugar), it gives a hint of molasses flavor and has a nice golden color.
How it comes together
This straightforward to mix house-made coconut sheet cake recipe is essentially made in 3 separate parts — toasting the shredded coconut, making the cake batter, and then beating (then folding in) the egg whites.
Coconut Sheet Cake
Ingredients needed for this easy coconut sheet cake recipe are:
- Shredded Sweetened Coconut, toasted
- Cake Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- Vegetable Oil
- Domino Golden Sugar (this is a cup-for-cup replacement for granulated white sugar)
- 4 Large Eggs, separated and at room temperature (meaning you'll use the egg yolks first, then will beat the egg whites separately and fold them in at the end)
- Coconut Extract
- Vanilla Extract
- Canned Unsweetened Coconut Milk, room temperature (usually found in the baking aisle)
- Cream of Tartar
Toasting Shredded Coconut
The first part of making the coconut sheet cake is toasting the shredded coconut. You can do this either in the microwave (see my Chocolate Covered Coconut Buttercream Eggs recipe) or on the stovetop.
For the stovetop version, heat the shredded coconut in a small- to medium-size frying pan over medium heat. You will want to continually stir this around until it starts to toast and turn a light golden brown color.
Don't let it go too long, though, or you can end up with burnt, shredded coconut! Bleh!
Coconut Cake Batter
The next part is to make the cake batter which is pretty straightforward and like most cake batter recipes with one exception—the eggs. You will need to separate your large eggs, meaning you'll have one bowl of yolks that you'll use first within the cake batter recipe and then another bowl with the egg whites to use for the next step.
Beating the Egg Whites
Beating the egg whites is the last part of this sheet cake recipe. You'll use the egg whites that you separated from the yolks earlier. Add a little cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat them until they become stiff peaks. The cream of tartar is optional, but it's a trick I picked up that truly helps!
I have a 2nd stand mixer bowl that Use for this part, along with the whisk attachment. You'll want to make sure whatever mixing bowl you use, that it's very clean.
Beating the egg whites usually takes me (or rather, my mixer) anywhere from 5-6 minutes on high speed. You can use a hand-held mixer if you like, but it may take longer.
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
There truly isn't too much to this coconut buttercream frosting because it only contains four ingredients: unsalted butter, confectioners sugar (Use Domino Sugar's brand), coconut extract, and unsweetened coconut milk (use from the same can you opened earlier for the cake batter).
Some key tips for making this coconut buttercream frosting are:
- Make sure your unsalted butter is at room temperature
- Sift your confectioner's sugar. This and the room-temperature butter will ensure a smooth and creamy buttercream!
- I didn't include any shredded coconut for the frosting because I wanted to do some fun piping on top. If you would like to add some, I would recommend adding and toasting another cup to this method.
- If you're not planning to pipe the coconut buttercream frosting onto the cake, you can use the following amounts: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 4 1/2 – 5 cups Domino confectioners sugar, sifted; 1 teaspoon coconut extract; and 3-4 tablespoons of canned unsweetened coconut milk.
Recommended Cake Baking Tools
- Yield 18 servings
- Prep 30 minutes
- Cook 40 minutes
- Total 1 hour 10 minutes
- Calories 808
Ingredients
coconut sheet cake
- 1 cup <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Shredded+Sweetened+Coconut&i=grocery&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=0fbb3dc207fee1a96d8f392ec614f2b0&tag=beyondbutter-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shredded Sweetened Coconut</a>, toasted
- 3 cup <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Cake+Flour&i=grocery&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=912bc0ae24f5172ac78c84a687815641&tag=beyondbutter-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cake Flour</a>
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup Domino® Golden Sugar
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil)
- 4 Large Egg Yolks, room temperature
- 1 tsp <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Coconut+Extract&i=grocery&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=330ec2e921d330b76f2bcbf8e6a280ad&tag=beyondbutter-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coconut Extract</a>
- 1 tsp <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=vanilla+extract&i=grocery&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=69a7ff31c888a52f08be83c4c290eafb&tag=beyondbutter-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanilla Extract</a>
- 1 1/4 cup from a 13.5 ounce <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Canned+Unsweetened+Coconut+Milk&i=grocery&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=178112498291413cab0a77715b7b29e0&tag=beyondbutter-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canned Unsweetened Coconut Milk</a>, room temperature
- 4 Large Egg Whites, room temperature
- 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
coconut buttercream frosting
- 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 6 1/2 - 7 cup Domino® Confectioners Sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp Coconut Extract
- 4-6 tbsp Canned Unsweetened Coconut Milk, room temperature (use from same can used for cake batter recipe)
Method
coconut sheet cake
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and generously spray a 9" x 13" cake pan with a flour-based baking spray. Hold to the side.
- Using a small- to medium-size frying pan, toast the sweetened coconut flakes over medium heat, continuously stirring until they start to toast and turn a light golden brown color. Monitor this step carefully because if left on too long you can burn the coconut. Hold to the side and allow to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set dry mixture aside.
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter, Domino Golden Sugar, and vegetable oil on medium speed until well blended.
- Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each one. Then add in the coconut extract and vanilla extract.
- Carefully add in the dry mixture, about a 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the unsweetened coconut milk. Stir together until just combined. You can either transfer the cake batter to a large mixing bowl or if you have a 2nd stand mixing bowl, you can use this instead. I have a 2nd stand mixing bowl for steps just like this and it truly comes in handy!
- Using your stand mixer and 2nd mixing bowl, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold in the egg whites into the coconut cake batter, then fold in the toasted coconut.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared 9" x 13" cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick in the center of the sheet cake comes out clean.
- Remove and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. If you wish to frost the sides of the cake you can, after 10-15 minutes of removing the cake from the oven, very carefully invert it onto a wire cooling rack.
- Allow the cake to cool before adding the frosting.
coconut buttercream frosting
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add in the sifted confectioners sugar.
- Switch the mixer speed to medium speed and add in the coconut extract and the unsweetened coconut milk. BAKING TIP: If you're buttercream frosting appears to be too thick, you can add another tablespoon of unsweetened coconut milk. Likewise, if your buttercream appears to be too thin, you can add in some more sifted confectioners sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time.
Baker notes
3/4 cup unsalted butter = 1 stick + 1/2 stick
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter = 3 sticks
If you're not planning to pipe the coconut buttercream frosting onto the cake, you can use the following amounts: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 4 1/2 - 5 cups Domino confectioners sugar, sifted; 1 teaspoon coconut extract; and 3-4 tablespoons of canned unsweetened coconut milk.
If you're not planning to pipe with this frosting, you can add about 1 cup of toasted coconut to the frosting. Make sure to adjust the amount of this ingredient in the beginning when toasting the coconut for the cake batter.
