This orange coconut cake is a moist, light orange flavored cake with a brown butter and cream cheese frosting and bit of orange zest and toasted coconut. It's so soft and tender with a perfect orange and coconut flavor.
This orange coconut cake is a sweet orange cake with notes of coconut coming through and filled with shredded coconut. The brown butter cream cheese frosting is so good you're going to want to eat it with a spoon and never stop.
If you like coconut desserts you should try the cake that inspired this one, the best coconut cake. And if you love all things coconut then make sure and try my chocolate chip coconut cookies and my coconut almond granola.
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- SO SOFT: With the addition of pudding and coconut to this cake, it is so moist. It's so pillowy soft and tender.
- LOADED WITH COCONUT: This cake uses coconut oil, sweetened shredded coconut and toasted coconut for all different hints of coconut.
- QUICK & EASY TO MAKE: This cake starts with a box mix which makes it both quick and super foolproof to make. But you'll never guess it with the incredible flavor.
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Yellow Cake Mix- You need this mix as a base, but will not follow the recipe on the back.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix- You want to make sure it's not cook & serve or sugar free, those will not yield the same results.
- Eggs- Using room temperature eggs is key.
- Oil- I use coconut oil, but any neutral oil would be great also.
- Oranges- You will be using both orange zest and the juice for the cake, and more zest for the frosting.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut- If you can't find sweetened, unsweetened will work fine. Make sure it's shredded though, the flakes are too large for the cake.
- Cream Cheese- Make sure this is room temperature before you begin making the frosting so you're sure not to have any lumps.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: MAKE THE CAKE. In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cake mix and instant pudding together. Add eggs, orange juice and zest, and oil and mix again for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Fold coconut in.
Step 2: Divide and evenly pour between 2 cake pans and smooth the top with a spatula. This becomes about 600g in each pan.
Step 3: Bake for about 28-34 minutes,or until the cake no longer jiggles and the middle bounces back when very lightly pressed. It should be a light golden brown along the top and sides. Cool for about 15-30 minutes in the pans before putting on a cooling rack.
Step 4: MAKE THE FROSTING. Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and put back in the fridge to solidify again. You will want it to become a soft solid, like room temperature butter.
Step 5: Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Beat just until combined and fluffy. Make sure not to over mix.
Step 6: TOAST THE COCONUT. Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large frying pan. Once melted add coconut and stir over low-medium heat until starting to turn light brown. Be careful not to burn. When finished toasting pour onto a piece of wax paper or paper towel to cool. Once cooled, mix â…” of the coconut into the frosting, leaving â…“ for topping the cake.
Step 7: ASSEMBLE THE CAKE. Place one of the cake layers, top side up, on a cake plate or serving stand. Spread a small amount of frosting over the first layer. Place the other cake layer, top side down.
Step 8: Frost the entire cake, top and sides, with a thin crumb coat layer of the cream cheese frosting. Place in the fridge or freezer for about 10-15 minutes to chill. Pull the chilled cake out, and frost the cake with the remaining frosting. Top the cake with extra toasted coconut.
Expert Baking Tips
- Cakes will have the best results if made with room temperature ingredients. I like to pull my eggs, cream cheese, and butter out of the fridge an hour or two before I start baking.
- This cake can also be made in a 9x13, a 3 layer cake, or cupcakes. You will just need to alter the baking time depending.
- If your frosting feels too thick to frost the cake, add 1-2 tablespoon of orange juice and mix until smooth. Mine didn't need any liquid.
FAQ
Yes, this can be just a simple orange cake without adding the coconut inside and on the outside.
Cake layers will sometimes sink in the middle because they were not quite done baking. You want the whole top of the cake to have a very light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle to come out with crumbs, but not wet batter.
You can use store bought orange juice and skip the zest, but you will lose some of the orange flavor that the zest brings.
Storing & Freezing
This orange coconut cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days while remaining fresh. You do not need to store it in the fridge.
After baking the cake layers, allow them to cool completely, then wrap them well in plastic wrap and stick each layer in a ziplock freezer bag. They can be frozen for a few months. I usually just pull them out of the freezer once I am starting to make my frosting, or an hour or two before I want to assemble.
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Orange Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 small box vanilla instant pudding mix not Sugar Free
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) orange juice
- 1-2 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) orange zest a whole large orange
- ½ cup (109 g) coconut oil can use any neutral oil
- 1 cup (90 g) sweetened shredded coconut
Frosting:
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter browned
- 12 oz (340.2 g) cream cheese softened
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
- zest of an orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- â…› teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) salt
- 1½ cup (120 g) shredded toasted coconut
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of 2 eight or nine inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cake mix and instant pudding together. Add eggs, orange juice and zest, and oil and mix again for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Fold coconut in.
- Divide and evenly pour between 2 cake pans and smooth the top with a spatula. This becomes about 600g in each pan.
- Bake for about 28-34 minutes,or until the cake no longer jiggles and the middle bounces back when very lightly pressed. It should be a light golden brown along the top and sides. Cool for about 15-30 minutes in the pans before putting on a cooling rack.
- I like to wrap cake layers in saran wrap and freeze before frosting. When ready to make frosting pull the cakes out and let them start to defrost.
To make the frosting:
- Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and put back in the fridge to solidify again. You will want it to become a soft solid, like room temperature butter.
- Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Beat just until combined and fluffy. Make sure not to over mix.
To toast coconut:
- Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large frying pan. Once melted add coconut and stir over low-medium heat until starting to turn light brown. Be careful not to burn. When finished toasting pour onto a piece of wax paper or paper towel to cool. Once cooled, mix â…” of the coconut into the frosting, leaving â…“ for topping the cake.
To assemble cake:
- Place one of the cake layers, top side up, on a cake plate or serving stand. Spread a small amount of frosting over the first layer.
- Place the other cake layer, top side down.
- Frost the entire cake, top and sides, with a thin crumb coat layer of the cream cheese frosting. Place in the fridge or freezer for about 10-15 minutes to chill.
- Pull the chilled cake out, and frost the cake with the remaining frosting. Top the cake with extra toasted coconut.
Jordan
Super yummy and easy! I will be making this again
Rebekah
Made this for Christmas dessert and everyone loved it! Love how fullproof the cakes are
Brooke Homec
I'm so happy to hear that!! Thank you!
Bailey
The orange in this is the perfect touch to transform this into a holiday cake. So yummy!