Ultra soft, tender, moist, and fluffy coconut cake with a creamy coconut cream cheese frosting, and a sweet and tangy raspberry filling. Loads of raspberry and coconut flavor, and the fluffy tender texture of the coconut cake is incredible. This cake is sure to impress any coconut lover! The coconut cake layers are buttery, tender, fluffy, and so coconutty. I've also included tips on how to make sure that the cream cheese frosting turns out stable and not gloopy.
This is the best coconut raspberry cake ever! I've tested many versions and this quite literally, took the cake.
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🥥 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Fluffy, tender, and moist white cake: This white cake is THE BEST, with the perfect fluffy tender texture.
- Loaded with coconut flavor: Shredded coconut, coconut milk, AND coconut extract all give this cake the best coconut flavor!
- Cream cheese frosting: Creamy tart cream cheese tastes so good with coconut. Plus, I have all the tips and tricks on creating a beautiful, stable cream cheese frosting.
- Raspberry filling: This easy homemade raspberry cake filling is so flavorful and is really quick to put together. You can even make it a day or two ahead of time.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Cake flour: Cake flour has a higher starch to gluten ratio than all purpose flour. This gives this coconut cake the perfect soft and fluffy cake texture. It's ultra tender. I strongly recommend that you use cake flour in this recipe!
Raspberries: Frozen or fresh raspberries will both work since they get cooked down for the filling. You need a lot of raspberries so I recommend using frozen raspberries.
Sweetened shredded coconut: I strongly recommend using sweetened shredded coconut because it has a better texture than unsweetened coconut. It's a lot softer and has a better bite to it. If you have extra shredded coconut, try my mango coconut swiss roll!
Coconut milk: Make sure you use the coconut milk that comes in cans! And try to find one that is full fat and doesn't say "light" on it. It's richer and has more flavor than coconut beverages in bottles.
Sour cream: Alternatively, you could use greek yogurt for the frosting.
Cream cheese: Full fat, brick style cream cheese works the best for cream cheese frosting.
Egg whites: A classic ingredient for white cake and it keeps the cake moist and pale. You can use egg whites from a carton.
Coconut extract: This just amplifies the coconut flavor. If you don't like coconut extract you can just omit it. There's plenty of shredded coconut and coconut milk in the cake for flavor.
Almond extract: This adds a hint of almond nutty flavor which amplifies the coconut flavor. Almond and coconut work so well together! I only added ¼ teaspoon so that the almond flavor doesn't overwhelm the coconut flavor.
Butter: You'll need butter for the cake layers and the frosting. I definitely recommend using unsalted butter so that the frosting doesn't turn out too salty!
👩🍳 How to make coconut raspberry cake
Raspberry cake filling step by step
Step 1: Add the raspberries into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir. Heat on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the juice gets released. Then let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes to break down the berries.
Step 2: While the raspberries simmer, combine cornstarch and water in a separate cup or a bowl. If you want a seedless raspberry filling, you could strain the raspberry mixture through a sieve at this point.
Step 3: Pour the cornstarch slurry into the hot raspberry sauce and stir to combine. Then, put it back onto the heat and stir until it thickens and comes to a boil.
Step 4: Transfer the raspberry filling into a heat safe bowl, and pop it into the fridge to cool completely.
Coconut cake layers step by step
Prep: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line the bottoms of two 8" round cake pans with parchment paper and butter the sides of the pans.
Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened butter, oil, sugar, and salt. Beat together until light and creamy, for about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to make sure that it's evenly creamed.
Step 2: Add the egg whites into the butter and sugar mixture.
Step 3: Beat again until combined and it thickens slightly, for about 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add the sour cream, vanilla, coconut extract, and almond extract into the bowl. Mix to combine.
Step 5: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a separate bowl.
Step 6: Sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix gently to incorporate until you don't see any more dry flour.
Step 7: Then, add the coconut milk and sift the rest of the flour inside. Mix on low to incorporate. Stop mixing as soon as it's smooth and you don't see any dry streaks of flour. Don't overmix!
Step 8: Add the shredded coconut and fold to combine. Divide the batter in half and transfer them into two baking pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (check at 25 minutes), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.
Step 9: Remove the cake layers from the oven and let them cool inside the pans for 10 minutes. Then, flip the layers onto a cooling rack to cool completely. If the cake is stuck, you can run a spatula along the outside.
Coconut cream cheese frosting and assembly
Step 1: Beat the softened butter until light and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until the frosting looks very creamy and light, about 5 minutes.
Add the coconut extract and salt. Then, add the cold cream cheese, one large piece at a time, mixing in between.
Step 2: Use a large knife to cut each layer in half lengthwise to make four cake layers.
Step 3: Add a small dollop of frosting onto the cake stand. Add the first cake layer on top. Spread about ½ cup of frosting evenly onto the first cake layer. Then, pipe a thick border of frosting along the edge to hold the filling.
Step 4: Spread a thin layer of raspberry filling inside the middle. Don't add too much or else it will leak out the sides.
Step 5: Continue with layering the rest of the cake layers.
Step 6: Once you place the last layer on top, add a generous amount of frosting on top and to the sides, and smooth it down. Don't worry if it looks messy.
Step 7: Sprinkle and press the shredded coconut onto the sides and top of the cake. It will stick to the frosting. You can use your hands to help you smooth the sides.
Step 8: Add a tablespoon of leftover raspberry filling to the remaining frosting. Mix together well. Use a piping bag to pipe dollops of pink frosting in a ring shape on top of the cake.
Step 9: Use a wet finger to push down the peaks of the icing (optional).
Step 10: Decorate with fresh or frozen raspberries. Slice and enjoy, or refrigerate and enjoy later!
✔️ Expert coconut cake with raspberry filling tips
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cake batter: this ensures that all of your ingredients blend smoothly and evenly, creating an even cake crumb.
- Use cake flour: In this recipe, cake flour makes a huge difference! It transforms the texture into a plush, tender crumb.
- Cool the cake layers and raspberry filling before frosting: If you frost a hot cake you're bound to have a leaning, melting mess on your hands.
- Add cold cream cheese into the frosting: This creates a stable cream cheese frosting that won't melt on you.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
You can make this coconut raspberry cake a day or two ahead of time - pop it into a cake container and store it in the fridge.
Leftovers store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To save on time, I'd also recommend making the raspberry filling a day or two ahead of time and storing it in the fridge in an airtight container. That way it's ready to go whenever you're ready.
You can also bake the cake layers ahead of time, just wrap them up tightly to prevent them from drying out, and store them in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
I don't recommend freezing the cake because the raspberry filling uses cornstarch to thicken and cornstarch tends to lose its integrity when it defrosts. If you plan on making and freezing the cake or filling, I recommend substituting the cornstarch with potato starch or arrowroot starch.
🧀 How to perfect a stiff cream cheese frosting
Cream cheese frosting is tricky because it can get gloopy unstable quickly. To understand how to prevent a gloopy, watery cream cheese frosting, it's important to understand how it happens.
Cream cheese is high in moisture content, much higher than butter is. When the moisture comes in contact with powdered sugar (which is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts and absorbs moisture), the powdered sugar dissolves into the moisture. Sugar is considered a "wet" ingredient in baking because once it dissolves, it becomes a liquid and adds moisture. This results in a loose gloopy frosting.
Here are the tricks that I use to prevent that so that you get a perfectly frosted cake with cream cheese frosting every time!
- Beat butter and powdered sugar together first to coat the sugar particles in fat which will prevent it from dissolving into the cream cheese.
- Use cold cream cheese and add it only at the very end. Cold cream cheese is more stiff and colder cream cheese is less likely to dissolve as much sugar.
- Once you add the cream cheese, mix only briefly. I only mix for about 5 seconds. If you overmix, you risk over incorporating the cream cheese which will then start to dissolve the sugar.
- Don't add too much cream cheese: This is a given. If you add too much cream cheese, you end up with too wet of a frosting. I like to add just enough to make the frosting fluffy and add that delicious cream cheese flavor.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Yes technically you could, but I don't recommend it because this recipe was formulated to be made with sweetened shredded coconut, which has a softer chewier bite and is much sweeter. If you use unsweetened coconut, the cake won't be as moist.
Yes substitute the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour.
Yes, I added instructions in the recipe on how to make the filling seedless. All you have to do is strain the raspberry mixture before adding the cornstarch slurry. Although, I love the added crunch and texture that the seeds gave because it worked so well with the coconut texture.
Yes you can. Bake it in a 9" by 12" baking pan. You can cut it in half lengthwise to create two layers or just frost the top. If you opt to frost the top, I recommend dividing the amount of frosting in half because this recipe would make too much frosting.
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📖 Recipe
Raspberry Coconut Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Raspberry Cake Filling
- 4 cups raspberries 430g
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Coconut Cake Layers
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- ⅔ cups sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cups cake flour 300g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup canned coconut milk full fat
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- 6 oz cream cheese cold
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Raspberry Cake Filling
- Add the raspberries into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir. Heat on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the juice gets released. Then let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes to break down the berries.4 cups raspberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- While the raspberries simmer, combine cornstarch and water in a separate cup or a bowl. If you want a seedless raspberry filling, you could strain the raspberry mixture through a sieve at this point.3 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- Pour the cornstarch slurry into the hot raspberry sauce and stir to combine. Then, put it back onto the heat and stir until it thickens and comes to a boil.
- Transfer the raspberry filling into a heat safe bowl, and pop it into the fridge to cool completely.
Coconut Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line the bottoms of two 8" round cake pans with parchment paper and butter the sides of the pans.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened butter, oil, sugar, and salt. Beat together until light and creamy, for about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to make sure that it's evenly creamed.½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup neutral oil, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Add the egg whites into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat again until combined and it thickens slightly, for about 2-3 minutes.4 large egg whites
- Add the sour cream, vanilla, coconut extract, and almond extract into the bowl. Mix to combine.⅔ cups sour cream, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a separate bowl.2 ½ cups cake flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix gently to incorporate until you don't see any more dry flour. Then, add the coconut milk and sift the rest of the flour inside. Mix on low to incorporate. Stop mixing as soon as it's smooth and you don't see any dry streaks of flour. Don't overmix!1 cup canned coconut milk
- Add the shredded coconut and fold to combine. Divide the batter in half and transfer them into two baking pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (check at 25 minutes), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Remove the cake layers from the oven and let them cool inside the pans for 10 minutes. Then, flip the layers onto a cooling rack to cool completely. If the cake is stuck, you can run a spatula along the outside.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the butter into a clean mixing bowl. Beat with a paddle attachment until light and creamy. This will take about 7-10 minutes, and the butter should be very creamy and pale.2 cups unsalted butter
- Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing in between each addition. Then, mix on medium speed until the frosting looks very creamy and light, about 5 minutes.7 cups powdered sugar
- Add the coconut extract and salt into the bowl. Mix briefly to combine. Then, add the cold cream cheese, one large piece at a time, mixing to combine in between each addition.½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon coconut extract, 6 oz cream cheese
- Once all of the cream cheese is added, beat the frosting until it's light and creamy for about 5 seconds. No longer or else it will become gloopy! At this point it should be fluffy and very stiff.
Assembly
- Once the cake layers cool down completely, you are ready to assemble. Take the parchment paper off the layers. Use a large knife to cut each layer in half lengthwise to make four cake layers.
- Add a small dollop of frosting onto the cake stand. Add the first cake layer on top. Spread about ½ cup of frosting evenly onto the first cake layer. Then, pipe a thick border of frosting along the edge to hold the filling. Spread a thin layer of raspberry filling inside the middle. Don't add too much or else it will leak out the sides.
- Continue with layering the rest of the cake layers. Once you place the last layer on top, add a generous amount of frosting on top and to the sides, and smooth it down. Don't worry if it looks messy.2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- Sprinkle and press the shredded coconut onto the sides and top of the cake. It will stick to the frosting. You can use your hands to help you smooth the sides.
- Add a tablespoon of leftover raspberry filling to the remaining frosting. Mix together well. Use a piping bag to pipe dollops of pink frosting in a ring shape on top of the cake.
- Decorate with fresh or frozen raspberries. Slice and enjoy, or refrigerate and enjoy later!
Notes
- Raspberry filling: make it a day or two ahead of time and storing it in the fridge in an airtight container. That way it's ready to go whenever you're ready.
- Cake layers: wrap them up tightly to prevent them from drying out, and store them in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cake batter: this ensures that all of your ingredients blend smoothly and evenly, creating an even cake crumb.
- Use cake flour: In this recipe, cake flour makes a huge difference! It transforms the texture into a plush, tender crumb.
- Cool the cake layers and raspberry filling before frosting: If you frost a hot cake you're bound to have a leaning, melting mess on your hands.
- Add cold cream cheese into the frosting: This creates a stable cream cheese frosting that won't melt on you.
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