This old-fashioned Coconut Cake Recipe comes direct from the pages of Nana Ling's handwritten recipe book and is dated April 1940. Many decades later, I can confirm this cake is absolute coconut perfection. A fluffy, buttery cake topped with a pretty pink coconut icing and topped with lightly toasted coconut flakes. They really knew how to bake up a treat back then!
If you love coconut, or know somebody who's a coconut lover, this old-fashioned cake is simple to make and a delight to devour. (You might also like my other coconut recipes, which include Coconut Biscuits, Coconut Ice and Choc Coconut Slice.)
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Ingredient notes
The cake recipe calls for all of the traditional ingredients for butter cake – butter, sugar, eggs, milk and flour – along with half a cup of desiccated coconut.
Ideally, your butter and eggs should be at room temperature before you begin.
To make the icing, you'll also need: icing sugar, butter, desiccated coconut, boiling water and pink food colouring. I've also sprinkled some flaked coconut over the top of the icing.
Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Equipment
You'll need a bar cake tin for this recipe, approximately 24 x 13 x 7 cm.
How to make Coconut Cake
Prepare the tin by greasing with butter and then lining with baking paper.
The method involves creaming the butter and sugar before adding the egg yolks, coconut, flour and milk. The egg whites are whisked until stiff and then gently combined into the mixture. The cake is then cooked in a bar tin for 50 minutes.
The full method is in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Icing the cake
Once the cake is cooled, it's time to add the pretty pink coconut icing.
The icing is packed with 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut, to be precise, and made by adding all ingredients in a bowl and stirring to combine.
Top off the cake with some lightly toasted coconut flakes. The easiest way to toast coconut is to use the grill function on your oven. Spread the coconut out on a baking tray and then pop it in the oven for about 5 mins, taking it out to stir around a little every minute or so.
TIP: Keep an eye on it, though, as it's really easy to burn. It turns a lovely golden colour quite quickly, so keep watching and remove it from the oven as soon as you achieve the desired colour.
Allow the toasted coconut to cool completely before using it to decorate the cake.
The recipe
I recommend you keep scrolling to the recipe card for the tested and tweaked version of this Coconut Cake. But I also wanted to include this picture of the original recipe, handwritten by Nana Ling.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, for up to a few days. You can also wrap in plastic food wrap and freeze for up to a few months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
More classic cakes
Love this recipe? Check out these other favourites:
Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)
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Coconut Cake Recipe
Equipment
- medium bar tin (approx 24 x 13 x 7 cm)
Ingredients
Cake
- 125 grams butter
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 ½ cups SR flour
- ½ cup milk
Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 1 ½ tablespoons boiling water
- few drops pink food colouring (optional)
Decorating
- 2 tablespoons flaked coconut, lightly toasted
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to moderate (160 degrees celsius, fan-forced)
- Grease bar tin and line with baking paper.
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Separate eggs and add whisked egg yolks. Beat until well combined.
- Add coconut and SR flour. Stir to combine.
- Add milk and stir to combine.
- Beat egg whites until stiff and then fold into mixture until combined.
- Pour into bar tin and bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove cake from tin and allow to cool completely.
- To make icing, combine all ingredients and then pour over cooled cake.
- Immediately sprinkle toasted coconut flakes over icing to decorate.
Notes
- For best results, take the egg and butter out of the fridge about half an hour before you start so they can come down to room temperature. This will allow them to more easily blend with the other ingredients, creating a smooth cake mixture.
Jo
would have made this cake if you also have the measurements in grams. don't know how to use cups.
Libby Hakim
Hi Jo. I'm slowly getting around to updating the older recipes with this info. Sorry you couldn't use it this time.
Patricia
Amazing cake 🙂 I didn't have the correct ingredients for the icing so I used condensed milk, dissecated coconut and a splash of milk and it worked very well as well. Thank you for the recipe. Greetings from Portugal 🙂
Libby Hakim
Hi Patricia! Lovely, so pleased you enjoyed and thanks so much for the great rating, review and variation ideas. Portugal - amazing. We lived near a "little Portugal" suburb when we lived I Sydney and loved the food, especially the chicken and little custard Portuguese Tarts. Sending warm wishes from Australia 🙂
Megan
This may be the most precious cake I’ve ever baked. It is absolutely delicious and perfect. I baked it in a loaf pan, which seems to have similar dimensions. I am so pleased to have found this lovely recipe! Thank you.
Libby Hakim
Hi Megan. What a lovely review. Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to rate and review. Enjoy your cake! Libby x
Carole
Hi can I use an electric mixer for this recipe or is best by hand also could I use coconut milk in place of ordinary milk ?
Libby Hakim
Hi Carole. Yes, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar and after adding eggs bit just fold through flour and coconut by hand. I haven't tested it with the coconut milk, sorry, but you should be able to substitute it 1:1. Happy cooking!
Megan
@Carole, I used oat milk and it turned out great! I bet coconut milk would be nice.
Heather
Hi, I would like to try this recipe for coconut cake, I’m just not sure on the amount of milk. The handwritten recipe says 1/4 cup of milk and the new recipe says 1/2 cup. Can you let me know the right amount? Also can you use regular coconut, as I’m not sure were to get desiccated coconut? And would that be sweetened or unsweetened?
Libby Hakim
Hi Heather. The recipe card is the tested and tweaked version. I've add extra milk as I felt the cake was too dry following the original recipe (recorded at a time when cup sizes varied and flour may have been a little different).And yes, you could use regular unsweetened coconut. Good luck!