Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

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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.

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

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.

Pound Cake

After a busy Track season, Boy Scouts campouts, and birthday celebrations I finally got to test and 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 omitted 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)

Dessert Recipe.

Pound Cake Baking Tips

  1. As indicated above, I sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top. I then served the Pound Cake with fresh berries and whipped cream.
  2. You could frost it with Caramel Sauce or Cream Cheese Glaze and toasted coconut if you prefer.
  3. Brands I recommend Philadephia cream cheese, Crisco solid vegetable shortening, and White Lily or Martha White flour. Pans and more recommendations here.
  4. I have found solid vegetable shortening and sugar instead of flour to be the best for coating the pan with 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.
  5. If you use a bundt pan instead of a tube pan, make sure it’s a taller bundt, about 5 inches tall.
 Pound Cake

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 

Dessert Recipe.

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 296 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 16 slices

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter room temperature, salted or unsalted, your preference
  • ½ cup solid vegetable 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 recommended brand
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 6 extra large eggs or 7 large eggs
  • 1 cup flaked coconut 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

Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 484IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg
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287 Comments

  1. 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. 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.

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 5 stars
    I love all things coconut . This cake has great flavor and a wonderful crunch .

  4. 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. 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.

  5. I am planning on making this cake later today or tomorrow… can someone clarify if you use 3c of sifted flour or 3c flour then sift. Also what is meant by measured correctly?

    1. Always sift then measure flour. If you’ll click on ‘measured correctly’ it’ll take you to my post on how to measure flour.

      1. 4 stars
        Thanks for confirming … I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t adding too much flour. I saw some comments that flour was not sifted

  6. This is a great cake! I used 1/2 cup of sugar an 1&1/2 cups of stevia, (health restrictions) and that’s all I changed.
    This is a real treat though!!!
    We are having it as our Christmas dessert with whipped cream and strawberries!
    It was done in half the time because I used a small Bundt pan and used the remainder of the batter in a small loaf pan and 2 cupcakes…we HAD to for quality control purposes ya know,?!?😂
    Next!!!

  7. 5 stars
    I thought it was excellent. Very moist. Maybe cut back a little on the almond flavor. I will make it again. Next time I will cut the recipe in half and use just one regular pound cake pan. Since it is a lot for just two people.

    1. How about making the full recipe and wrapping the second loaf for the freezer. Just a thought. 😉

  8. Saw this recipe and I want to try it! Everyone in my family loves coconut! However, we have Celiac Disease and need to eat gluten free. Has anyone tried this recipe with a gluten free baking mix? Just thought I would ask. I have a really excellent product that can be substituted cup for cup into a recipe instead of flour.

    1. I really keep meaning to test this with gluten-free flour just haven’t yet. Melanie, please let me know what you use and how it turns out.

      1. Hi Paula, I just finished plating the gluten free version of your Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It looks wonderful. I used all of your hints for measuring and mixing and the cake is just perfect. I haven’t tasted yet because I have to take it to a gathering but for gluten free it is usually about how it will bake instead of flavor. It has the nice crunch around it as well. I also used the sugar with the shortening for the coating and it came right out. I used Cup4Cup Multi Purpose Flour Gluten Free. My daughter gave me this and said all her favorite gf places in Nashville used it. For sweets as well as pizza dough etc. I wish I could send a picture! I will try to send one more reply after we taste it and how the crumb is. Thanks!

      2. Great info!! Thank you so much!! I’d love to see it if you want to email me at callmepmc@gmail.com. Don’t trouble yourself to send it though. Thank you so much for all the info!

      3. I always use GFJules. BEST FLOUR. I’ve tried em all. I love baking. When I found this flour it changed life. I’ve always said my favorite food group is Cake. Celiac stopped me for awhile until this flour. No I get no money for this, I just like to tell others who may have celiac. We want goodies too. 😄

  9. 5 stars
    I was anxious to try and so glad I did! Delicious, moist and so coconutty!

  10. I made this tonight and the taste is great; however, the top crust really pulled away from the cake. The cake seemed to shrink down away from the crust as it cooled after taking out of the oven. Any suggestions on what I did wrong??

    1. This is very common for pound cakes made with cream cheese, sour cream and heavy whipping cream.
      I am not sure about the science behind it, but this type usually “crust up” pretty good.

      Also,I prefer to use bundt pans with this type cake. So when you flip it out, all the PERFECT imperfections are on the cake platter. 🙂

      Tara

  11. I am making this today for a birthday. Sounds so delicious. Should this cake be stored in refrigerator?

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