Coconut Milk Snack Cake is a quick and easy treat that's ideal for after-school snack, coffee breaks, and late night study sessions. This lightly sweet cake has a soft, tender texture that's delicious any time of day.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This easy coconut cake recipe is quick to make with just a few basic ingredients.
- The flavor of coconut milk cake is mild and the fluffy texture of the moist crumb is amazingly silky.
- Packed in the foil baking pan, this cake can be shipped in care packages.
Coconut milk baking recipes have been very popular on The Monday Box. Baking with coconut milk gives a lovely tropical flavor and a soft, tender texture.
I'm always looking for ways to use this delicious ingredient. The Coconut Milk Cookies recipe was followed by Coconut Milk Chocolate Chip Pound Cake and Coconut Milk Toffee Blondies. Now, Coconut Milk Snack Cake!
The cake is beautifully golden with a heavenly smell. It's simultaneously sturdy enough for shipping yet soft and tender, with such a lovely vanilla-coconut flavor, that adding frosting would be a crime.
Coconut Milk Snack Cake is delicious and easy to make (no mixer needed) snack cake that compliments a glass of milk or a mug of coffee or tea.
With a shelf-life of about 7 days, this perfect coconut cake can be enjoyed all week as an after-school snack, or shipped to your favorite college student for a sweet start to the semester!
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full recipe is in the recipe card below.
- Combine the contents of the canned coconut milk THOROUGHLY. The thick, heavy fat separates from the thin milk and MUST be recombined before using.
- Stir together the dry ingredients with the coconut milk mixture to form the batter.
- Pour batter into a gresed pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the pan before cutting or storing.
Storage
Wrapped well or stored in an airtight container at room temperature, Coconut Milk Cake remains fresh for up to 1 week.
If shipping, leave the cooled cake in the disposable pan and ship uncut. Wrap the entire pan first in foil, then in plastic wrap.
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Tips
- Taking the time to thoroughly homogenize the can of coconut milk is essential for best results.
- Coconut Milk Cake has a very mild coconut flavor, almost neutral. For more pronounced coconut flavor add ½ - 1 teaspoon coconut extract.
- Powdered sugar can be added on top right before serving. For shipping include a small ziplock bag of powdered sugar.
- To mail Coconut Milk Snack Cake in a care package, I recommend baking in a disposable foil pan and wrapping the cake in the pan, uncut. The foil pan provides protection. Leaving the cake uncut, keeps the cake from drying out while shipping.
Related recipes
Made with cocoa nibs for crunch and chocolate flavor, Coconut Milk Cookies are fluffy, cake-like cookies made from a Thai recipe.
Soft, chewy Coconut Milk Toffee Blondies have the tropical taste of coconut.
Coconut Milk Chocolate Chip Pound Cake is a soft, fluffy treat that you'll want to enjoy for breakfast, snacks, and dessert.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies are flourless treats with chewy coconut deliciousness.
Coconut Macaroons are chewy coconut cookie balls with no flour and no condensed milk.
Toasted coconut gives Coconut Crunch Cookies lots of great flavor.
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Coconut Milk Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, canned full fat, not low fat
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut shredded
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease an 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray (If shipping, use a disposable foil pan.)
- Open the can of coconut milk and combine the contents THOROUGHLY. The thick, heavy fat separates from the thin milk and MUST be recombined before using. This is most easily done in a blender, food processor, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, but can also be done with vigorous whisking. When the fat is completely blended with the liquid the consistency should be similar to dairy cream or milk.
- In a large bowl, stir together the homogenized coconut milk, melted coconut oil, eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, shredded coconut, and baking powder, then add to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting or storing. If shipping, leave the cooled cake in the disposable pan and ship uncut.
- When cooled, the top of the cake can be sprinkled with powdered sugar (optional).
- Wrapped well or stored in an airtight container at room temperature, Coconut Milk Snack Cake remains fresh for up to 1 week.
Notes
Nutrition
First Published: August 27, 2017. Last Updated: December 12, 2023. Updated for additional information and better reader experience.
Karen
I can't wait to make this... When I mix the wet with the dry, I just hand mix that, correct?
Thank you!
john talabot
gif for thank you
Wendy Sondov
You're welcome, John! Enjoy.
Merete
This cake came out delicious and moist, and it stayed like that for two days - I'm sure it would have stayed like that longer, but I don't think it'll ever last long enough at my house for us to find out 🙂
It was so easy and fast to make. I sprinkled some chocolate chips on top before baking it and it was heavenly. I can't wait to play around with what other flavours to add when I make this again.
Wendy Sondov
Hi Merete! Thank you for taking the time to share your delicious experience with this cake and for leaving a 5 star rating. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Your chocolate chips idea sounds great!
sarah chrismas
I tried it this afternoon but it didn't want to cook in the middle. It's been in there an hour now and the centre is still doughy
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Sarah. Sorry to hear that your cake is giving you problems. It's impossible for me to know exactly what went wrong. I know that the recipe, as written, has worked well for many people. My first question would be if you have a thermometer sitting inside your oven to check that it is heating properly (to 375). Then, I am wondering about your ingredients. Did you use canned, full fat coconut milk? Coconut milk in a carton is watered down and may not work with this recipe. Lastly, I wonder about the pan you are using. Are you using the recommended 8" x 8" square? A loaf pan will not bake in the same way, and if it works at all would take much longer to bake. I hope this helps.
Annie
I thought this cake must be too good to be true when looking around for something to use up leftover coconut milk. It was bar far the easiest I found and to my surprise, it turned out amazing! So delicious! I used dessicated coconut because that's all I had and I prefer the texture. Next time I am going to add drained crushed pineapple to the cake to add an extra element. I think this would also be amazing with a lime juice icing! So divine and so simple!!
Lyse
This cake is absolutely divine! It was incredibly easy to whip up and came out with the most wonderful fluffy texture. I appreciated that it took exactly 30 mins to bake perfectly; no continuous re-inserting of toothpicks and taking in and out of the oven was required. 🙂
I only had sweetened coconut so I reduced the sugar to about 3/4 of a cup and the sweetness of the cake ended up being perfect. I'll definitely be making this one again!!
Becca Gilgert
I make this cake often. When I'm craving something more decadent and after the cake has slightly cooled, I poke holes in it and pour sweetened condensed coconut milk over the top. Its delicious, you gotta try it. T-you for this wonderful recipe! ~BG
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Becca! Your adaptation does sound amazingly decadent! The idea reminds me of a Tres Leches cake with all coconut milks! I don't know if I have ever seen sweetened condensed coconut milk, but I'm going to look for it now! Thanks for sharing your adaptation!
Muringi
Love. Love. Love. Success. Thank you
I love coconut milk. I always have leftover. My fave recipes are coconut rice(I could eat this all week long), rice flour coconut milk cakes and mahamri (beloved Kenyan and Tanzanian snack)
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Muringi! I am so glad you enjoyed the cake. As a coconut milk lover, I recommend you try my Coconut Milk Cookies too. 🙂 I am a coconut milk lover too and coconut milk rice is a favorite. After reading your comment, I immediately looked up mahamri, as I had never heard of them before. Now I am excited to try the little puffy donuts! I am so intrigued to taste them with savory foods as well as sweet! Thanks, for bringing them to my attention!
Joyce
Thank you for this! I made this today but made it into a lighter “snack bread”. Instead of the coconut oil, I used 1/8 cup vegetable oil, and I cut the sugar amount to about 2/3 cup in total. Turned out perfect with a hint of sweetness. Moist and fragrant!
Wendy Sondov
So delighted that you enjoyed the cake, Joyce! I'm glad your adjustments gave you the snack bread you were trying for! Happy baking!
Katheirne
HI there!
Can you use coconut flour instead of All Purpose Flour?!?
Trying to keep this as healthy as possible 🙂
Thanks!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Katheirne. No, I don't think your cake would work with all coconut flour. Coconut flour is very dry and had none of the gluten to hold the cake together. You might be able to sub a little bit (1/4 cup?) , but I would start very small to see the effect.
Irena
I baked this cake yesterday. I replaced sugar with coconut sugar. In addition, I sprinkled the top of the cake with almond flakes. Coconut sugar gave the cake a light brown color. The cake smells beautiful, it's moist and very tasty. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Irena. I'm so glad that you are enjoying this cake! Thank you for sharing your substitutions and for leaving a 5 star rating. Happy baking!
FunmiO
Just tried this recipe...deliciously moist?
Wendy Sondov
I'm glad you enjoyed the snack cake! I would really appreciate it if you would leave a 5 star rating so that other readers will know to try this recipe too. Happy baking!
Jenny Trott
Delicious. Definitely need to line the tin though!
Tina
I didnt know what to make with the left over coconut milk that I had and came across the recipe. I love that the cake is easy to make and delicious. Everyone loved it. Simply good treat.
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Tina! I'm so glad you enjoyed this cake! This recipe is a great way to use up extra coconut milk. I would really appreciate it if you would leave a star rating for this recipe, so that other readers will give this recipe a try! 🙂
Tina
5 star treat ?
Wendy Sondov
Thank you!!!
A O
Hi there,
This recipe looked great, but every time I try it, it doesn't come out right. Thr center just doesn't bake through and the cake doesn't rise much. Ive tried multiple times and am following recipe exactly. What am I missing?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Tina. I'm sorry you are having trouble with this recipe. It's hard to say exactly what might be happening, as I am not in your kitchen, but these are some questions. Are you using an 8" x 8" pan? (There is a photo in the blog post of my cake in the pan for reference.) Are you using the exact ingredients that the recipe calls for with no substitutions? Using another kind of oil or butter may not work in this recipe. The 2 large eggs and the baking powder are needed for rise. Is your baking powder expired? That said, this is a snack cake and not a tall loaf cake. As you can see in the photo, the cake doesn't rise above the 2" tall pan. The times given in a recipe are always based on an oven calibrated with an additional thermometer. Perhaps your oven is heating to slightly lower than 375 degrees and your cake will have to stay in the oven longer to bake through. Keep your cake in the oven until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. I hope this is helpful .
Jas @ All that's Jas
That cake looks so fluffy! Wonder if I could replace the flour with coconut or almond flour. YUM!
Wendy Sondov
Hi Jas. I am not a flour expert but I have used both coconut flour and almond flour in different recipes. I am pretty sure that all coconut flour would not work. The cake would be very dry. Almond flour might work but the texture would be completely different. Let me know if you experiment!
LisaLoo
I made this cake with half almond, half AP flours. Came out delicious, toasty on top, dense and smooth, like a custard, on the bottom, but def cooked all the way through. Love the contrast of textures, almost like an upside-down impossible pie.
I did set the timer for 30min, but knife came out slightly sticky, so gave it another 10. Still a bit sticky, so after another 10 min, it was done. Let it sit for maybe 10 min on the counter, then everyone plowed into it, lol. Great recipe, wonderful website, btw. I didn’t even realize the purpose of your site until the cake was in the oven. Thanks for what you’re doing, Jas!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, LisaLoo. Thank you for writing about your positive experience using this recipe with some almond flour! I suspected almond flour would change the texture, but I never imagined the lovely results you describe! Thank you for your kind words about The Monday Box. This labor of love warms my heart as much as I hope my care packages warm the hearts of those who I bake for. 🙂 I would appreciate it if you would leave a 5 star review based on your experience. The reviews help other readers know what is worth trying! Happy baking.