Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Moist Southern Pound Cake Recipe)
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This Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake is rich, buttery, moist, and packed with sweet coconut flavor in every bite. Made with cream cheese for a soft texture and tender crumb, this homemade pound cake has the classic dense texture people love with a tropical coconut twist.
The combination of butter, cream cheese, and coconut creates a cake that stays moist for days and tastes even better after resting overnight.
Whether served for holidays, brunch, potlucks, Easter, or family gatherings, this Southern-style coconut pound cake is an easy dessert that always impresses.
My classic Southern pound cake recipes are always a hit, whichever one you choose to make.
Why Cream Cheese Makes Pound Cake Better
Many bakers prefer cream cheese pound cake because it stays fresh longer and has a smoother texture.
Cream cheese helps create a rich pound cake with a softer texture and more moisture than traditional pound cakes. Because cream cheese contains fat and moisture, it creates a tender crumb while still keeping the dense texture pound cake is known for.
What Gives Coconut Pound Cake So Much Flavor?
Coconut adds sweetness, texture, and a light tropical flavor that pairs beautifully with buttery pound cake. Shredded coconut helps add texture, while coconut extract can deepen the flavor even more.
Coconut on top adds crunch and extra coconut aroma.
Tips for the Best Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
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)
Use room temperature ingredients
Room temperature butter, eggs, and cream cheese blend more smoothly.
Don’t rush creaming the butter and sugar
Proper creaming helps create better structure and texture.
Avoid overmixing
Overmixing can make pound cake tough instead of tender.
Use full-fat cream cheese
Full-fat cream cheese gives the richest flavor and best texture.
Let the cake cool fully
Pound cake slices more cleanly after cooling completely.
Why Does Pound Cake Crack on Top?
A crack on top is actually normal for old-fashioned pound cake recipes. Thick batters and long baking times naturally create a split as the cake rises in the oven.
Many bakers consider the crack a signature characteristic of homemade pound cake.
What to Serve with Coconut Pound Cake
I sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top. I then served the Pound Cake with fresh berries and whipped cream. Southern pound cake pairs well with any of these:
- fresh fruit dessert recipes
- strawberry sauce
- lemon sauce
- blueberry sauce
- whipped cream
- Cream Cheese Glaze
- coffee
- vanilla ice cream
- pineapple topping
- caramel sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Store tightly covered at room temperature and avoid overbaking.
Yes. Sweetened shredded coconut works well in pound cake recipes.
Dry pound cake is usually caused by overbaking or too much flour.
No, I didn’t. One important note: traditional pound cakes did not contain baking powder or baking soda. They were leavened simply with eggs. Baking powder and baking soda change the texture (crumb) of cakes and inhibit the formation of that nice crunchy ‘crust’ that is so desirable on pound cakes.
Enjoy more homemade pound cake recipes and easy Southern desserts. Also, I do recommend you read How to Bake the Perfect Pound Cake and How to Calibrate your Oven to get the very best results for your pound cake baking.
Pound Cake Baking Tips
- Brands I recommend: Philadelphia 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.
Pan Information
I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. Also, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For the record, I bake my pound cakes in a dark-colored
Your
I’m not a fan of using a 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.)
Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Items in blue & underlined below can be clicked for more detail or to purchase.
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). Alternatively, 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
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Are you sifting flour first, and then measuring to get 3 cups? When using White Lily, do you increase each cup of four by 2 TBS? That is what White Lily instructs on bag, and I have done that with other pound cakes. Have you made this with the cold oven method at 300 Deg? Plan on making for friends birthday next week, and adding on the Cream Cheese Frosting glaze, and adding some chocolate dipped strawberries around the bottom perimeter. Cannot wait to try. Many thanks!
Yes, sift first, then measure. I don’t use White Lily, but if that’s what it says on their product I’d go by it.
I tested using the cold oven method numberous times (like 50 or more times) and didn’t find a difference in the cakes. I recommend following the time and temp in this recipe card.
Why don’t you use any liquid like milk, heavy cream, sour cream?. I’ve never made a pound cake without some type of liquid. I seen Martha Stewart use 12 eggs one time and no liquid but never tried it. Just curious, because I make all kinds of pound cakes and always used some type of liquid. Heavy cream is my favorite. Thank you for all your recipes. They look so inviting 💖.
Sometimes I do use milk, heavy cream, or buttermilk. The ratios for this one with cream cheese just doesn’t need it.
I made this last night. It tasted absolutely divine! I used crisco and sugar to coat the inside of my pan. Came out so pretty!
Could this be made in loaf pans? If so, would it make two? (I’m afraid they would be too small???) How long to bake if in a loaf pan? I want to try it for Thanksgiving and give one away. Looks and sounds DELICIOUS!!!!!
It’ll fit in to 9×5-inch loaf pans and take 50 to 60 minutes to bake – I never have succes with baking in loaf pans though – they always fall in the center. That could just be my pans though.
I’m trying this recipe as we speak. My poundcake should be done in a half hour. What do you put for a topping? Do you have a frosting recipe that would go with this? Thank you so much!!
Can’t wait to try it!!
Kimmie
I’d do a simple cream cheese glaze and sprinkle coconut on it https://www.callmepmc.com/the-best-cream-cheese-frosting/
Wish me luck! I am about to try making my first pound cake ever. I am following the recipe exactly using quality ingredients. The only change I am making is cutting the recipe in half and baking in a loaf pan (my hubby and I don’t need a large cake). I will let you know how it turns out!
Awesome – hope you both love it!
325 degrees regular bake or air bake (convection)? Thanks!
regular bake
Can you substitute anything for the shortening? I don’t use vegetable oils. I have coconut oil or lard. Thanks for answering!
Butter would be the best substitution for shortening. Next would be solid coconut oil although it will change the flavor and texture slightly.
Perfection. Our family’s new favorite! Best I’ve ever had. I have made it 3-4 times.
Is this a high altitude recipe
No it isn’t. I’m in the (very hot and humid right now) South.
Can you cake flour instead of flour?
Yes the substition is Add an extra 2 tablespoons per cup of cake flour to equal the quantity in 1 cup of all-purpose flour.