Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Moist Southern Pound Cake Recipe)

Click to add me as a Google Trusted Site

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.

Pin this recipe

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

Can I freeze coconut pound cake?

Yes. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.

How do I keep pound cake moist?

Store tightly covered at room temperature and avoid overbaking.

Can I use sweetened coconut?

Yes. Sweetened shredded coconut works well in pound cake recipes.

Why is my pound cake dry?

Dry pound cake is usually caused by overbaking or too much flour.

Did you forget to add the baking powder or baking soda?

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 tube 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 will 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 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

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

4.79 from 315 votes

Print Rate

Save To Your Recipe Box

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 25

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: 16 slices

Items in blue & underlined below can be clicked for more detail or to purchase.

Equipment

stand mixer

measuring cups/spoons

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

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

Nutrition

362 Comments

Donna Chalmers says:

05.12.26 at 9:52 pm

This cake is like velvet!!! So smooth… I couldn’t wait till it cooled off….

Alice says:

05.12.26 at 12:51 pm

I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it is always a huge hit. I fried a leftover slice of this cake on a nonstick pan to create a light brown crust before serving it with strawberries & whipped cream. It was amazing!!

1. Paula says:
  
  05.12.26 at 5:19 pm
  
  Yes!! I love it toasted! Thank you so much for your kind words. ~ PMc