This Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe is simply delicious. Dense and buttery this pound cake is topped simply with a sprinkle of powdered sugar then served with whipped cream and berries. This rich, dense, buttery cake is dessert perfection.

Of all the pound cakes I’ve made and shared with you, I had not even thought about a Coconut Pound Cake until this spring when two different readers asked about one. They both wanted a Coconut Pound Cake for Easter.

After a busy Track season, Boy Scouts campouts, and birthday celebrations, I finally got to perfect this Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

My most favorite recipe to make is pound cakes. I’ve made hundreds and shared over 30 with you. (You can find the recipes here, Pound Cake Series.) I do recommend you read How to Bake the Perfect Pound Cake as well as How to Calibrate your Oven to get the very best results for your pound cake baking.

Also, check out Big Beautiful Cakes.

pineapple pound cake. Cream Cheese Pound Cake — Two Step Pineapple Pound Cake

Amaretto Pound Cake. Cream Cheese Pound Cake — Two Step Pineapple Pound Cake

Table of Contents

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Most often, I’m asked, ‘Did you accidentally omit the baking powder or baking soda’? One important note: traditional pound cakes did not contain baking powder or baking soda. They were leavened simply with eggs and is my preferred method of baking pound cakes. Baking powder and baking soda change the texture (crumb) of cakes as well as, inhibit getting that nice crunchy ‘crust’ that is so desirable on pound cakes.

Perfectly sweet and supremely moist Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake starts with a basic Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe. To this, I added coconut extract, almond extract, and flaked coconut. I didn’t want large pieces of coconut in the cake. Therefore, I pulsed the flaked coconut in a food processor until it was ground fine. (about .5 centimeters in length for lack of a better example)

Pound Cake Baking Tips

As indicated above, I sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top. I then served the Pound Cake with fresh berries and whipped cream.
You could frost it with Caramel Sauce or Cream Cheese Glaze and toasted coconut if you prefer.
Brands I recommend: Philadephia cream cheese, Crisco solid vegetable shortening, and White Lily or Martha White flour. Pans and more recommendations here.
I have found solid vegetable shortening and sugar instead of flour to be the best for coating the pan to prevent sticking. By using sugar instead of flour, you won’t have white patches on the cake. You can use flour if you prefer.
If you use a bundt pan instead of a tube pan, make sure it’s a taller bundt, about 5 inches tall.

Pans and such

I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet to bake. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. As well, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For my cakes, I bake in a light pan on a round cookie sheet.

Your tube pan or bundt pan needs to be at least a 12-cup pan. You can test it using water. If your pan isn’t large enough, don’t fill it with batter above 2 inches from the top. In this case, you can fill your pan not more than 2 inches from the top of the pan and use the remaining batter in cupcakes. Note your cupcakes will take less time to bake and need to be carefully removed when they’re done. Cooking time for the cupcakes will vary depending on how large they are. Start watching them at 20 minutes.

I’m not a fan of non-stick spray for pound cakes. Some of the sides always stick pulling off that crust that I worked so hard to create. Instead, I like to use solid vegetable shortening and follow that with a dusting of granulated sugar. (Yes, sugar. Sugar doesn’t leave any white areas on the cake.) Alternately, I like the Wilton cake release. (When I started this pound cake series, I did use non-stick spray. However, after making so many and trying other methods, I do not use non-stick spray for cakes now. I have tried to go back and update those posts, but may have missed some.)

You can also find great recipes here

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe is dense and buttery. It’s topped simply with a sprinkle of powdered sugar then served with whipped cream and berries.

Author: Paula

4.78 from 299 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 25

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: 16 slices

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup butter room temperature, salted or unsalted, your preference
½ cup Crisco shortening
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour sifted and measured correctly
1, 8 ounce package cream cheese (low or fat-free not recommended)
1 tablespoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 extra large eggs or 7 large eggs
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes sweetened, pulsed 4 to 5 times in a food processor

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a (10-inch, 12 cup) bundt or tube pan with solid vegetable shortening and sprinkle with sugar (or you can use flour). Alternately, you can use Wilton Cake Release.
In the bowl of your stand mixer beat butter, shortening, and sugar together. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Next, add the cream cheese and blend until fluffy. Again stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
Add eggs alternately with flour, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down the sides.
Blend in the coconut and almond extracts.
Stir in coconut.
Pour into prepared baking pan.
Place pan on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 85 to 90 minutes. Test cake with a wooden pick or skewer. Cake is done when dry crumbs or no crumbs come out on pick when inserted into the thickest part of the cake.
Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before inverting on serving tray.
Frost, if desired, and serve.*See posts for details

Notes

Recipe from Paula @CallMePMc.com All images and content are copyright protected.

Nutrition

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.

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311 Comments

Alyssa says:

05.05.22 at 3:01 pm

For the coconut in the food processor can I just blend it up in the blender if I don’t have a food processor

1. Paula says:
  
  05.06.22 at 10:20 am
  
  Yes, you can. Or, you can leave it as is. I just don’t like the bigger pieces of coconut, personally.
  
MJinUt says:

05.05.22 at 2:33 pm

How would you alter this for high altitude?

1. Paula says:
  
  06.14.22 at 10:23 am
  
  I’ve never baked at high altitude and have no way to but I did find this article that should help. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
  
Joseph says:

04.16.22 at 10:33 pm

Beautiful cake! Smells so wonderful.

Lisa says:

04.16.22 at 9:48 am

I am making this today. I assume my cream cheese should be room temperature so it blends well and us fluffy?

1. Paula says:
  
  04.16.22 at 4:47 pm
  
  Yes, it does.
  
Joyce Powell says:

03.09.22 at 6:31 pm

Hello Paula…I believe you stated this cake is the same as your regular cream cheese pound cake but the difference is you added the coconut and the flavoring …..I printed your cream cheese pound cake and in that recipe you called for 1-1/2 cup butter and no mention of the shortening….my husband does not like coconut but this cake was much better than the plain one….it is much better, denser and crumbwise….so if or could I leave out the coconut and still use the butter AND shortening would it still be the same texture and all but only without coconut….or could or should I use just the butter ??????

1. Paula says:
  
  03.10.22 at 3:12 pm
  
  Yes, you can omit the coconut in this recipe. (You don’t have to add anything in the place of it.) A lot of times it’s the texture of coconut not necessarily the flavor so you can either use the coconut extract or use vanilla or almond. I personally love almond extract in pound cake.
  
Denise says:

03.05.22 at 6:44 pm

This coconut cream cheese pound cake is phenomenal! I substituted all butter instead of shortening and I also substituted vanilla for the Almond extract. Just not a fan of almond extract.

Laurel says:

03.03.22 at 1:10 pm

I love all things coconut . This cake has great flavor and a wonderful crunch .

Rlee says:

02.24.22 at 5:16 pm

Can you use butter instead of shortening?

1. Paula says:
  
  02.26.22 at 9:45 am
  
  yes
  
Angie says:

02.19.22 at 2:15 pm

Hey I was wondering could you use cake flour for this recipe.

1. Paula says:
  
  02.21.22 at 8:23 am
  
  Yes, you can.
  
MaryAnn Bryant says:

02.17.22 at 1:58 pm

I notice you use all purpose flour but there is no baking powder, soda or salt listed in the recipe.
I want to make this, unsure about the ingredients. What would be the time for 2 loaf pans vs the tube or bundt pan?
Thank you

1. Paula says:
  
  02.18.22 at 6:44 am
  
  There’s no baking powder or soda, it’s leavened with the eggs.
  It’ll take about an hour in loaf pans. Not knowing the exact size of yours and material I recommend to Start watching it at 45 minutes.