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!
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 is 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 sweet to top off a nice holiday meal.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS CAKE
- Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! I used unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, omit the additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt further down the list of ingredients.
- 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 – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
- Baking Soda – Commonly known as sodium bicarbonate, or just bicarb, it is a baking ingredient that’s activated by a liquid and an acid to help with leavening or rising.
- 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!
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 the sugar, these Toasted Coconut Biscotti 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 was able to master the perfect over-easy egg.
When toasting coconut, all you need is 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. And 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 a 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!
MORE CHRISTMAS RECIPES!
Did you know that I’ve been posting a 24 Cookies of Christmas series for a few years now? There are over 100 Christmas cookie recipes that you can find right here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen! To make it easier to find, I have created a page for each series. Just click on the image below and you’ll find the full series for that volume all one page!
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.
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 to follow me and never miss another recipe!
Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup butter, softened (plus one tablespoon to grease the bundt pan)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus one tablespoon to flour the bundt pan)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups medium grated unsweetened coconut, toasted
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1/2 cup medium grated unsweetened coconut, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a pastry brush, grease the bundt pan very well with the 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 cake from oven and allow 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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