Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
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This Coconut
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.
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
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
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
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
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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This recipe looks so yummy! Has anyone been successful at making this recipe dairy free and egg free? Any tips ?
This turned out absolutely fantastic! I didn’t change a thing except I baked it in a large angel food cake pan. I will definitely be making this again.
Can I omit the shortening and use all butter?
Yes
May I use coconut oil instead of vegetable shortening?
Yes, but there’s a slight difference in taste and texture with coconut oil. You may not notice if you use coconut oil a lot but I can tell.
Can you use margarine instead of butter?
No, it won’t turn out the same.
I made the coconut cream cheese pound cake. I just took it out of the oven, and it sank! I’ve never had a cake do this! What did I do wrong?
Usually when it sinks it’s either not cooked long enough or the batter was over-beaten.
Where is the lavener?!
Eggs are the leavener.
I made this recipe yesterday ( as it was written) . It was easily the best pound cake I’ve ever made or eaten. Thank you for sharing . Ps . The house smelled wonderful too.
I’m so happy you liked it. Thanks for commenting.
Can I use unsweetened coconut?
Yes, you can.
OMG best cake I’ve ever made. Only thing I will change is to NOT use a bundt cake pan. It took longer to cook . Otherwise make it you won’t regret it at all.
Look no further for the absolute best coconut pound cake ever. I have made this before without the coconut extract, and it was delicious. However, the coconut extrac was a game changer so I will never leave that out again. This cake was everything a pound cake should be and baked beautifully. I love the suggestion about using shortening and sugar to crease the bundt pan. This has been my trick for years to get cakes that don’t stick or have the dreaded white patches. The very top always cracks for some reason but once inverted, it is fine and doesn’t impact the cake in any way. Just stop looking for other recipes and make this one. I have baked for 50 years and i know a good cake. Thanks Paula for a great recipe.
Thank you so much for the review, Connie. I’m so happy you like the recipe.