Strawberry Coconut Cake

Soft, tender, strawberry cake layered with a creamy coconut cream cheese frosting and finished off with shredded coconut and fresh strawberries - this Strawberry Coconut Cake is a beautiful celebration dessert.  We have all of the tips and tricks to make this easily the perfect strawberry and coconut cake.

Why This Coconut Strawberry Cake Works

For some reason, coconut has been associated with Easter. Does anybody know why? I'm dying to know. Is it because of those super rad coconut Easter bunny cakes my mom used to make? The egg nests? Here's why this is the best cake recipe.

• So Easy to Make. We're using simple ingredients to make this strawberry coconut cake which comes together easily and produces a fluffy, moist cake.
• A Terrific Flavor Combination. The strawberry and coconut flavors blend together flawlessly leaving you wanting more and more and more. This strawberry cake is very soft with a large crumb that seriously melts in your mouth. It carries a sweet, strawberry taste that goes perfectly with the coconut frosting.
• All-Occasion Pink Coconut Cake. It's light enough for the Spring and Summer but perfect to serve any time of year!

Love this flavor combination? Try our coconut strawberry smoothie!

About The Ingredients

Here's a look at the simple ingredients you need to make the strawberry cake and creamy coconut frosting. The full list and quantities of each are further down the page in the recipe card.

PRO TIP: Remember, baking is a science - while cooking allows some wiggle room.  So when it comes to cake making - follow the recipe exactly as directed.  You'll end up with the BEST homemade strawberry cake you've ever tasted when you do!

The Strawberry Cake

• Fresh Strawberries: Use ripe, fresh berries. We are flavoring our cake with these, so make sure they are juicy and flavorful. Strawberries are in season from March-June.
• Freeze Dried Strawberries: These will add a little strawberry umph to the flavor of the cake. Find these near the raisins or dried fruit in your grocery store.
• Buttermilk: The key to make your cake super moist and delicious. In a pinch you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 2 cups of milk and let it sit for about five minutes..

The Creamy Coconut Frosting

• Cream cheese: I like to use the name brand cream cheese for better quality. I find it smoother than the store brand.
• Butter:Use salted butter for this frosting. It enhances the flavors.
• Coconut extract: This is the magic. Use a quality extract so that you really get that coconut flavor in the frosting.

A complete list of ingredients and instructions can be located in the recipe card below.

How To Make Strawberry Cake

Let's start first with making the cake! It mixes up in just a few minutes. Before you get started be sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prep your cake pans.  

• Step 1: Combine the buttermilk, fresh strawberries, and freeze-dried strawberries in a blender.
• Step 2: Blend everything together until the mixture is smooth.
• Step 3: Separate your eggs and discard the yolks. Allow the whites to sit at room temp for about 30 minutes.

PRO TIP: If you're wondering how to separate eggs here's my easy method. Crack your egg and open it over a bowl.  Let the yolk settle in one-half of the shell. Carefully pour the yolk back and forth into the other half of the shell, letting the white drip into your bowl. Repeat this until all of the white is removed from the shell.  Pour the yolk into a separate bowl.

• Step 4: Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir them together. Adding salt when baking activates the baking soda.  So don't skip the salt!

• Step 5: Whip the butter using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer for 30 seconds.
• Step 6: Add the sugar and beat until combined.
• Step 7: Stir in the vanilla.
• Step 8: Add the room-temperature egg whites.

• Step 9: Beat the mixture for 3 minutes until you have a pale, light batter.
• Step 10: Add a third of the strawberry mixture followed by a a third of the flour mixture. Beat just until combined.  Repeat until you have used the remaining flour and strawberry mixture.
• Step 11: Divide the batter between your 3 prepared cake pans.  Give each pan a little shake to even the batter.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Step 12: Let the cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes and then turn them over onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Pro Tip: Be careful to not over-mix the flour which makes a tough cake.

• Step 13: Whip the butter and cream cheese together using your paddle attachment of your stand mixer.
• Step 14: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and coconut extract.
• Step 15: Beat the mixture until it's smooth.
• Step 16: Add about a tablespoon of frosting to your cake plate.  This will function as glue and keep the cake from slipping around on the plate.

• Step 17: Add one cake round to your plate. Smooth a thick layer of frosting on top. Add your second cake and add frosting on top.  Repeat with the 3rd and final layer.
• Step 18: Smooth the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the top with shredded coconut and press more coconut into the sides of the cake.  Top with fresh strawberries.  

How to Store

• Leftovers: This cake can be stored covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or covered in the fridge for 3-5 days. Try to enjoy sooner rather than later as the cake dries out the longer it sits.
• Freezing: You can bake the cake layers in advance and freeze them. After they're fully cooked wrap in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to one month. Thaw them out on the counter for a few hours before frosting and layering the cake. You can also freeze leftovers either in individual slices or large sections of the cake. Flash freeze on a tray first and then cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to a month.

Expert Tips

• Make Sure to Fully Cool. The cake layers need to be cooled all the way before you begin to frost it or it may melt and slide off the cake.
• Use Room Temperature Egg Whites. You can set the eggs out on the counter for about an hour before you start to mix.
• Don't Over Mix. When you begin to add the flour only mix long enough to incorporate the ingredients.
• Prep Your Pans. Either grease or butter the pans and then dust with flour or use a cooking spray that's formulated for baking.
• Use the Right Size Pans. This recipe makes three layers and you will need 3 - 9" cake pans.  

Recipe FAQ

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