Coconut Chiffon Cake
Coconut Chiffon Cake is a tasty riff on the classic American cake. This version is made with unrefined coconut oil, coconut milk and coconut flour for unmistakable coconut flavor.
Table of contents
Recipe Development & Testing
The starting point for this recipe is my Vanilla Chiffon Cake. Before baking my first test cake I made several changes to the original recipe. All the edits were in service of adding coconut flavor to the cake while keeping the moist-yet-spongy chiffon cake texture.
Just changing recipe ingredients willy-nilly can get you in trouble. But if you understand how cake recipes work and what role each ingredient plays you can adapt and refine any cake recipe to your taste.
The first substitution was to replace the vegetable oil with unrefined coconut oil. Unfiltered oil contains coconut solids so it contributes flavor as well as fat.
The unrefined oil is solid at room temp so behaves slightly differently than vegetable oil. For the first test I whisked the coconut oil with hot tap water to melt the soft-solid fat. The oil and water were then emulsified with yolks as they are in the original recipe.
The next edit was to replace a portion of cake flour with coconut flour. Coconut flour is very absorbent and has a slightly gritty texture so I had to be careful not to use too much. Just 1/4 of the total weight of flour is coconut, the rest is soft cake flour.
The first test looked great coming out of the oven, but when I sliced and tasted it I found the cake a little dry with a coarse crumb. Not blog-worthy.
Cake recipes are all about balancing structure builders and tenderizers. The coarse-crumbed cake had plenty of structure, it needed a tenderizer. Sugar is a tenderizer, but the cake was already plenty sweet. So I turned to another tenderizer — fat.
I needed more fat but I didn’t want to overdo it with the coconut oil and weigh down the crumb. So I replaced the hot water with coconut milk. The batter was a little too thick so I re-added 2 oz of hot water to correct the texture.
The result is a tender and light cake with the classic chiffon texture and a prominent coconut flavor. The coconut glaze and toasted coconut add a beautiful final flourish for the cake.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cake Flour – Low protein cake flour makes a very tender cake. I prefer bleached cake flour for the softest crumb, but unbleached cake flour will work.
- Coconut Flour – Coconut flour is very absorbent so a little goes a long way. This recipe uses just enough to add flavor without compromising the tender chiffon crumb. Do not increase the amount or the cake will be dry and coarse.
- Coconut Oil – Use unrefined (virgin) coconut oil for the most prominent coconut flavor. Refined coconut oil has little to no coconut flavor and is not suitable for this recipe. The oil will be solid or semi-solid at room temperature — it will melt when whisked with the hot water and coconut milk.
- Coconut Milk – Use full-fat, canned coconut milk. Coconut milk in a carton is watered down and won’t provide the fat content this recipe needs. Give the can a good shake or stir before measuring as the cream and liquid may separate on standing.
- Eggs – Eggs provide both structure and lift. The yolks emulsify the oil and liquid for a smooth batter; the whipped whites create the airy texture chiffon is known for.
- Baking Powder – It looks like a lot of baking powder in the recipe. But this cake needs to rise high in the oven. The structure from the eggs will support the air in the cake and the baking powder will expand those bubbles for the lightest cake.
Process Photos
Here’s what the recipe process looks like at each stage. Refer to the recipe card below for measurements and exact instructions.
- Combine the coconut oil, coconut milk and hot water and whisk until the coconut oil is melted.
- Add the yolks and whisk until the mixture is emulsified.
- Add the dry ingredients.
- Whisk to aerate and lighten the batter.
- Whisk the egg whites until foamy.
- Add the sugar and whip the whites to full peak.
- Fold the whites into the batter in 3 increments.
- Stop folding as soon as there are no more whites visible.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven set it upside down on a cooling rack. Cool completely before removing from the pan.
- To remove the cake from the pan run a small spatula around the sides of the cake and lift the center portion away from the pan.
- Run the spatula around the bottom of the cake to separate it from the pan.
- Turn the cake out onto the cooling rack.
- Brush away loose crumbs from the cake. Set the cake onto the rack over a clean baking sheet.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.
- Allow the glaze to drip over the sides and center of the cake.
- Immediately sprinkle the cake with toasted coconut. Allow the glaze to set before transferring to a cake plate.
Storage
Coconut Chiffon Cake can be held at room temperature for 3-4 days. Leftover slices can be wrapped and frozen for 1-2 months.
More Chiffon Cakes
More Coconut Recipes
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Coconut Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 6 ¾ oz cake flour (1½ cups, see note)
- 2 oz coconut flour (½ cup)
- 12 oz granulated sugar (1 ½ cups, divided)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 ½ oz unfiltered coconut oil (½ cup)
- 6 oz canned coconut milk (¾ cup)
- 2 oz hot water (¾ cup)
- 6 large eggs (room temp, separated)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For the Glaze
- 2 oz shredded sweetened coconut (½ cup)
- 8 oz confectioner sugar
- 2 ½ oz canned coconut milk (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Use an ungreased 10" tube pan.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together 6 ¾ oz cake flour, 2 oz coconut flour, 8 oz granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon table salt.
- In a large mixing bowl combine 3 ½ oz unfiltered coconut oil, 6 oz canned coconut milk and 2 oz hot water and whisk until the oil is melted. Add 6 egg yolks and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Mix on medium speed until well combined and emulsified. Add the dry ingredients to the yolk mixture. Whip on high speed for 1 minute until the mixture is aerated and lightens in color. Set the mixture aside.
- Whip 6 egg whites on medium speed to soft peak. Gradually add 4 oz granulated sugar, increase the speed to medium high and whip to full peak. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture in three increments. Fold just until there are no streaks of egg white. Do not overfold.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the middle of the cake springs back with lightly pressed, about 45 minutes.
- Cool the cake completely with the pan upside down on a cooling rack.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, spread 2 oz shredded sweetened coconut on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden brown. Cool completely.
Glaze the Cake
- In a small bowl, combine 8 oz confectioner sugar with 2 ½ oz canned coconut milk. Whisk until smooth.
- Release the cooled cake from the pan and set it on a cooling rack set over a clean baking pan. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Allow the glaze to drip down the middle and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the glaze before it sets. Once the glaze sets, transfer the cake to a serving plate.
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