Coconut Chocolate Cake Recipe

This two-layer coconut chocolate cake has a moist chocolate base topped with a soft, chewy coconut layer that's crisp and golden on the outside. It tastes like a coconut macaroon crowning a rich chocolate cake.

Two Layer Coconut and Chocolate Cake

I first made this two-layer coconut chocolate cake in Germany and loved it so much that I adapted the recipe from a German cookbook (by Dr. Oetker) to US measurements. It quickly became a favorite, with the irresistible combination of coconut and chocolate.

The fun part is that both the layers are baked together which creates a delightful contrast of taste, flavor and texture. You just make the coconut and chocolate batters separately, layer them, and bake.

Save this rich cake for holidays and special occasions. For a slightly lighter option without butter, try this tahini chocolate cake, or for a more wholesome choice, I have a date-sweetened chocolate banana bread.

Why You'll Love This Cake

• Delicious contrast of flavors and textures, this cake pairs chocolate and coconut beautifully.
• Few Ingredients: Only ten ingredients for a cake that tastes this fancy. The decoration is optional.
• Variations: I've included suggestions for modifying this recipe for a variety of dietary needs, including tips for how to lighten it up.

Key Ingredient Notes

• Flour: All purpose flour is fine, but cake flour will give a more delicate texture. For substitutions use weight measures.
• Eggs: Use room temperature eggs of correct size. Be careful when separating the yolks from whites, because even a small amount of yolks can interfere with whipping of egg whites. Immerse cold eggs in warm water for five minutes to bring them to room temperature.
• Butter: It should be at room temperature and softened.
• Unsweetened desiccated coconut: Its a finely grated dried coconut thats available at Indian grocery stores or at regular supermarkets. You can try grinding dried coconut flakes into a coarse mixture that resembles desiccated coconut.
• Vanilla: I use vanilla sugar because it doesn't color the egg white-coconut batter. Regular extract is fine for the chocolate batter.
• Cocoa Powder: I use high quality dutch-processed cocoa powder for a rich taste.          
• Chocolate: Use good quality white and dark baking chocolate for decoration.
• Baking Powder: To check if it is active, place ½ teaspoon of baking powder in a small bowl and pour ¼ cup of hot water on top. If the mixture foams up, it indicates that the baking powder is active.
• Salt: Enhances sweetness and balances the flavors.
• Milk: Use ½ cup to start and add more as needed for a slow-dropping consistency.

Step-by-Step Visual Overview

Here are step-by-step photos showing how to make coconut chocolate cake. Full printable recipe with measurements are below at the end of the blog post.

• Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan with butter and dust it with flour. Set aside.
• Egg White Coconut Batter: Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar, then fold in vanilla sugar and coconut. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

• Chocolate Cake Batter: Cream softened butter and sugar until fluffy, adding vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, and alternate adding this dry mixture and milk to the butter mixture. Mix until smooth. Spread the chocolate batter over the coconut layer in the pan.
• Bake: Place the Bundt pan in the oven and bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

• Cool: Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan before loosening it with a spatula. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Decorate: Melt white and dark chocolate in piping cones. Drizzle over the cooled cake, and sprinkle with coconut flakes if desired.

My Top Tips

• Measure ingredients accurately. Use a weighing scale for best results.
• Dont over-bake. Bundt pans bake faster due to the center tunnel which helps transmit heat. Adjust baking time for other pans.
• Batter consistency should be fluffy and spreadable. Layer the chocolate batter as dollops over the coconut mixture and then carefully smooth it out with a spatula.

How To Serve This Cake

• Simple: This cake tastes amazing as is or decorate with chocolate drizzle or glaze.
• With Beverages: It is perfect with tea or coffee.
• Gifts: A great holiday gift with a unique twist.

More Cake Recipes

• Sacher Torte (Rich Austrian chocolate cake)
• Almond Flour Chocolate Cake (Reader's favorite)
• Almond Pound Cake (made with almond paste, with chocolate)
• Honey Cake (German spice cake with chocolate icing)

★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!

No ratings yet

Coconut Chocolate Cake Recipe

This coconut chocolate cake has two layers - a moist chocolate base topped with a soft, chewy coconut layer that is crisp and golden on the outside. It's like a coconut macaroon crowning a rich chocolate cake.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

1x2x3x

Print SaveSaved!

Course :Dessert

Cuisine :German

Servings: 24 Slices

Calories: 253kcal

Author: Roxana Begum

Ingredients

Cake Batter

• ▢ 4 large eggs yolks and whites separated
• ▢ 2 pinches salt divided
• ▢ 2 cups sugar divided
• ▢ 3 teaspoons vanilla sugar or clear extract, divided
• ▢ 2¼ cups unsweetened desiccated coconut see notes
• ▢ 1¾ sticks unsalted butter room temperature, softened, 200g
• ▢ 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 200g
• ▢ ⅓ cup cocoa powder 30g
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ cup milk add extra as needed, ½ tablespoon at a time

Decoration

• ▢ 2 oz white baking chocolate finely chopped
• ▢ 2 oz dark baking chocolate finely chopped
• ▢ Dried coconut flakes optional

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

• ▢
  10-inch Bundt pan
• ▢
  Hand Mixer
• ▢
  Rubber spatula
• ▢
  Paper piping cones

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 10-inch Bundt pan with softened butter, then dust it with flour. Shake off any excess flour and set aside.

Egg White Coconut Batter

• In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer with a whisk attachment) to beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt at the highest speed until stiff peaks form, so that a knife cut remains visible. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar while continuing to beat at high speed. Once stiff peaks form, stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar and desiccated coconut. Transfer the mixture into the prepared Bundt pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula.

Chocolate Cake Batter

• In a separate mixing bowl, whip the softened butter at high speed with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with a paddle attachment) until smooth. Gradually add the remaining sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, beating until creamy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition, until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add this dry mixture to the creamed butter in two batches, alternating with milk. Beat at medium speed, scraping the bottom of the bowl to avoid leaving any unincorporated flour. The batter should have a fluffy, creamy and slow-dropping consistency.

  Tip: Do not over-mix the batter.
• Gently spread the chocolate batter over the egg white-coconut mixture in the Bundt pan, using a spatula to smooth it evenly.

Baking

• Place the Bundt pan on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for about 55 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to gently loosen the cake from the pan before inverting it onto a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool completely before decorating.

Decoration

• Prepare two paper piping cones, filling one with finely chopped white baking chocolate and the other with dark chocolate. Microwave each cone in 15-second intervals until the chocolate melts.
• Fold the top of the cone to seal it, then snip a small corner at the tip. Squeeze the cones and drizzle the melted chocolates alternately over the cooled cake. Let the glaze set before serving. Optionally, sprinkle the cake with dried coconut flakes.

Notes

1. Measure the ingredients properly. For best results, fluff the flour before spooning it into measuring cups, then level it off. Using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients is even more accurate.
2. Use all ingredients at room temperature.
3. To use other baking pans, refer to this baking pan size guide.
4. Desiccated coconut: It's finely grated dried coconut, available at Indian grocery stores or regular supermarkets. You can also try grinding dried coconut flakes into a coarse mixture to resemble desiccated coconut.
5. Storage: This cake keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container. It also freezes very well. Wrap the cake in parchment or plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to a month. When ready to serve, thaw it to room temperature.
6. Variations and Recipe FAQs below.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 253IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?I would love to know about it. Tag me @thedeliciouscrescent.

Variations

These are some suggestions you could try, but I have not tested some of them.

• Gluten Free: Test with gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour. Adjust batter consistency as suggested.
• Vegan: Substitute butter by weight, with a blend of equal amounts of oil and thin nut-butter (tahini-like consistency). Refer to my marble cake recipe that uses this technique. Replace eggs as below under "egg-free". Use plant-based milk and dairy-free chocolate.
• Dairy Free: Replace butter as mentioned above or try vegan butter. Use plant-based milk and dairy-free chocolate.
• Egg Free: This may require some experimentation. Try making the coconut mixture using an eggless coconut macaroon recipe, with the same amount of coconut as in this recipe. For the chocolate batter, replace the eggs with ¼ cup of thick vegan yogurt.
• Healthier:
  • Replace all-purpose flour with an equal weight of whole wheat pastry flour. Start with a partial substitution and gradually increase the amount as desired. 
  • Less sweet - Try the recipe with ⅔ the amount of sugar. Skip the glazes.
  • Less saturated fat - Use a mix of ¾ stick butter and ⅓ cup neutral oil.
  • Enjoy this indulgent treat in moderation.

Recipe FAQs