Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake

If you have a coconut lover in your life, this gorgeous Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake is going to make that person very happy! This cake is prepared with coconut, coconut milk, and coconut extract. If that’s not coconutty enough, nothing will ever be! Drizzle with a simple glaze and top with more toasted coconut for presentation.

IT’S TIME FOR A NEW CHRISTMAS SERIES!

I’m so excited about today’s recipe post! This beautiful and delicious Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake is the first cake in my new Christmas countdown series. Welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas!! (Yes, I know it’s not Halloween yet, but I couldn’t wait any longer!)

Just like I did last year in my 2018 series, Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas, this year, I’ll be posting 12 back-to-back bundt cakes that have been dressed up for the holidays! I’ve been planning this series since June. Are you ready? I’m so ready, so let’s get started!!

LET THERE BE COCONUT!

You must be a lover of coconut if you’re going to enjoy this cake. Not only does it have that toasted coconut you see on the top of the cake, the cake itself was made with some of that same toasted coconut, as well as coconut extract, and coconut milk. That’s a lot of coconut flavour!

This particular cake doesn’t have to be served at Christmastime. It’s great any time of year, but it’s a great cake to serve for dessert. I can only think of one person who doesn’t like coconut, (Margaret!) so the odds that there’s going to be someone at your table who doesn’t love this cake are very slim!

Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake is very moist and it will stay that way for a few days. I think the coconut milk helps to keep the cake fresh longer, but I’m no expert on the benefits of baking with coconut milk!

Even though this cake looks dense, it’s not. It’s super light and it’s not going to fill you up or make you feel like you’ve eaten way too much sugar. Also, it isn’t too sweet but has just enough sweetness to top off a nice holiday meal.

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Bundt Cake series! I’m updating this paragraph right here to let you know that even though this original cake series was published in 2019, there have been many holiday recipes shared since then. Some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown the cake. 
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Coconut Milk – To get coconut milk, shredded coconut flesh is pureed with water and strained and pressed to create a rich, thick, white, coconut flavoured milk.
• Coconut Extract – If you cannot find any or do not wish to buy, you can use vanilla extract instead.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking it helps to enhance and balance sweetness. 
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda
• Unsweetened Coconut – Use unsweetened to avoid the cake being too sweet. Use a smaller grated coconut to make cleaner cuts in the cake.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.  It is used in frostings quite often.  When dusted lightly onto cakes and cookies, it adds just a touch of sweetness, but more importantly, it looks very visually appealing!

HOW TO MAKE A TOASTED COCONUT BUNDT CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pastry brush, grease the bundt pan very well with one tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle the one tablespoon of flour around the bundt pan and tap the pan lightly with your hand while moving the bundt pan around to ensure the butter is completely covered with the flour. Gently tap out the excess flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar with a hand-held mixer until lightly and fluffy. Add the eggs – one at a time – and beat well between each addition. Add the coconut extract, along with the coconut milk, and beat gently into the butter and sugar mixture. Next, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat until incorporated. Stir in two cups of the toasted coconut.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 20 minutes before turning the cake out onto a wire cooling rack to continue cooling. When the cake is cooled, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and coconut milk. Drizzle the mixture over the cake and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut.

USE THE RIGHT COCONUT!

When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe. Otherwise, with the addition of sugar, this Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake will be too sweet to eat!

Use a medium unsweetened coconut for this cake. The size of the grated coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference when you try to cut into it. The longer shreds of coconut will make for a messier slice and you want your delicious bundt cake to look just as amazing as it tastes! I did top the cake with flaked coconut just for garnish, but that is completely optional.

HOW TO TOAST COCONUT

Toasting coconut is easier than frying an egg! I use that comparison because when my daughter was learning to cook, she was so excited when she was able to master the perfect over-easy egg. When toasting coconut, you only need a skillet, a whisk, and some patience. Place the coconut into the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Do not for one minute think that you can walk away from the skillet to do something else. And, don’t ever think that you can stop moving the coconut around the pan. It will burn. And, it will burn fast!

Use a stainless steel skillet; not one of those non-stick types. Use a metal whisk or wooden spoon. Continuously – and, I mean continuously! – move the coconut around the skillet. Slowly, but eventually, you’ll notice that the coconut is losing that bright white colour. It will fade into an off-white, until finally, it begins to turn a nice golden, yellowish-brown colour.

Turn off the heat and get the coconut out of the hot skillet. The residual heat will continue to brown the coconut and you don’t want that to happen. Transfer the coconut to a wide, shallow bowl so that it can spread out. This will stop the toasting and you’ll be left with the most delicious coconut ever!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cakes, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cakes will stay fresh in a covered cake stand or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want to serve the cake, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.

If you plan to freeze your Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake, you certainly can! I would not recommend adding the drizzle of glaze or the decorative toasted coconut until you take the cake out of the freezer to thaw. To freeze almost any cake, wrap the completely cooled cake well in two layers of plastic wrap. Then, wrap it tightly in a layer of aluminum foil. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!