Coconut Cake

Soft moist and fluffy this Coconut Cake recipe is super easy to make from scratch. The light and tender cake layers are frosted with a rich coconut cream cheese frosting and topped with more shredded coconut so its bursting with sweet coconut flavors. Itll be the best coconut cake youll ever make.
Ingredients
For the Cake
3 cups cake flour 360g
2 cups granulated sugar 400g
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature and cubed 227g
4 egg whites lightly beaten

1 cup milk room temperature 240ml
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 100g
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter softened 227g
8 ounces cream cheese room temperature 227g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ to ½ teaspoon coconut extract
14 teaspoon salt
5 cups confectioners sugar 600g
2 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut 250g
Instructions
For the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour 3 9inch round cake pans or spray with baking spray. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment sift together the flour sugar baking powder baking soda and salt. Add the butter. Starting at the lowest speed mix for 1 minute or until the mixture is crumbly.
Add the egg whites milk vanilla and coconut extract. Mix at low speed until the mixture is well combined. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the bowl at least once during mixing. Fold in the shredded coconut. Divide the batter among the cake pans and smooth out to the sides with a spatula the batter will be thick.
Bake for 30 minutes rotating the pans after 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully invert and continue cooling on a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper.
For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment beat the butter until creamy and fluffy about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese vanilla extract coconut extract and salt. Beat until well combined and fluffy about 2 minutes stopping to scrape down the bowl occasionally.
With the mixer on low add the sugar 1 cup at a time. Once combined scrape down the bowl then mix on medium speed until fluffy about 1 minute.