This unique coconut cake is sweet and full of coconut flavor. It tastes like coconut macaroons in cake form. It’s an easy one-bowl recipe that takes only a few minutes to prepare. The cake is just 3 ingredients and doesn’t require any flour, butter or oil. The cake can be made ahead of time and is perfect for brunch or dessert.
With so many holiday celebrations coming up, I wanted to share a few easy dessert ideas. This easy coconut cake is perfect if you love coconut.
Ingredients
- Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Condensed milk
- Eggs
Unsweetened shredded coconut: This cake is quite rich and sweet so I definitely recommend using unsweetened coconut rather than sweetened.
Condensed milk: Make sure to use full fat sweetened condensed milk. The condensed milk provides sweetness and helps to bind the coconut together to form a cake. I did test this cake with sweetened coconut milk but it did not work.
Eggs: The eggs help provide structure and give the cake rise.
How to Make Coconut Cake
The eggs and condensed milk are first whisked together. Then the coconut is stirred in. Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes and thicken. Then the batter is ready to be poured into your prepared cake pan and baked.
Coconut Cake Texture
This cake reminds me of coconut macaroons and it has a very similar set of ingredients as making coconut macaroons. However, the cake is not chewy like a macaroon. The cake is soft on top and then gives way to a delightful bottom layer that has a slightly different texture, almost like a pudding cake.
Tips for Making Coconut Cake
Make sure to use a solid one-piece cake pan (so not a springform pan). The batter is too thin and will leak if you use a springform pan. I used a round cake pan but you can also use a square pan.
The cake can be made ahead of time for an event. I usually make mine the night before I plan on serving it.
More Coconut Desserts
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Coconut Cake
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Coconut Cookies
- 2 Ingredient No Churn Coconut Ice Cream
- 3 Ingredient Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
3 Ingredient Coconut Cake
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (237 ml) full fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ cups (113 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Thoroughly grease the interior of a 6 inch round one-piece cake pan (so no springform pan or pan with removable bottom) with cooking oil spray. Line the bottom with a parchment paper round.
- Add eggs and condensed milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until eggs are fully beaten and incorporated into the condensed milk. Add in the coconut. Whisk until evenly combined. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes. This gives the coconut some time to absorb some of the liquid and you will see the mixture thicken.
- After ten minutes, whisk the batter briefly one more time just to make sure the batter is evenly thick and coconut is evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake cake for about 35-40 minutes or until done. When cake is done, the surface will be golden brown and may be puffed up and may have a few cracks. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. The surface of the cake should level once the cake is out of the oven (and the cracks will disappear). Let cake cool completely before decorating or serving.
- Optional Frosting: After the cake is fully cooled and right before serving, spread a thin layer of the remaining condensed milk across the cake and then sprinkled more shredded coconut on top. I recommend you do this right before serving because otherwise some of the condensed milk will soak into the cake if you add it too early.
Notes
- You must use a solid one-piece cake pan because the batter will leak through if you use a springform cake pan. You can use a square cake pan instead of a round pan but your cake may be thinner depending on the size of your square cake pan (most ones in the US are 8 x 8 inch which would result in a much thinner cake).
- The cake is very sweet and rich so I recommend smaller slices.
- If you are using a 14 oz can of condensed milk, you will not use the full amount. You should have about 1/4 cup leftover which you can use to decorate the cake or use for another recipe.
- Make sure to use unsweetened shredded coconut. Make sure it is shredded and not flakes. And make sure it is unsweetened because otherwise the cake will be too sweet. I used Let's Do Organic Unsweetened Shredded Coconut.
- I have only made this cake successfully with sweetened full fat condensed milk. I did try it with coconut condensed milk but the cake did not bind well and fell apart once sliced. It may be possible to get it to work with coconut condensed milk but you likely would need to alter the other ingredient quantities.
- The flowers in the photos were for decoration only. They were not consumed.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I doubled the recipe and put it in a 6×9 baking dish. Took it to a women’s group meeting at my church. It was a HUGE hit! So easy to make and so tasty.
We’re so glad everyone liked it!
Can you add coconut powder to bump that coconut flavor to the mixture? Does this have a similar texture to mochi or cassava cake?
Please refer to the “Coconut Cake Texture” section of the post where I describe exactly what the texture is. I’m not sure what you mean by coconut powder. Do you mean coconut milk powder which is used often used as a creamer? The cake has a ton of coconut flavor so I don’t think you need to add anything to bump up the coconut flavor.
Do you think this will work with coconut flour instead of shredded coconut? Thanks
It will not work with coconut flour instead of shredded coconut
What can I substitute for eggs I am vegetarian. Thank you
Sorry I haven’t tested a version with an egg substitute
This looks delicious. Printing this and going to try it!
We hope you love it!