Coconut Pound Loaf Cake. Light, soft, and oh so delicious! Really easy recipe with great results every time

This is such a delicious and popular coconut pound cake recipe. Once you've tried this recipe, I am sure you will make it time and time again.
The recipe itself is very easy to follow, just prepare all your ingredients and add step by step. For the baking time, please do check after 50 minutes as everyone's ovens can vary so much.
The texture of this coconut pound loaf cake is a fine crumb and very moist. The flavor is simply wonderful, packed with coconut, it's a perfect cake to go with a cup of tea!
This site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, check Privacy Policy.
This coconut pound cake is very freezer friendly so if you wanted to make a few loaves or perhaps cut into portions and freeze, there isn't any loss of quality once defrosted.
We've got a lot of pound cake recipes, with all different flavors and textures so make sure you check them out. There's a cake to suit everyone!

If you're looking for a few recipes to make for an Afternoon Tea, try our Traditional English Tea Loaf. It's always popular and really easy to make too!
So here's the recipe for my Moist Coconut Pound Loaf Cake, and please enjoy!
You will need a loaf tin, mine measures 30cm x 12 cm, and 8cm deep. (12 inch pan). The batter will also fit in a 9 inch loaf pan.
Please note cook times will vary if you are not using a regular loaf pan.
Ingredients
The Cake Batter
- 175 g or ¾ cup softened butter
- 175 ml or ¾ cup coconut milk
- 290 g or 1 ½ cups regular sugar
- 3 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 225 g or 1 ¾ cups Plain / All purpose flour (sieved)
- 1 ½ Teaspoons baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons desiccated / shredded coconut
The Topping
(Optional but gives the cake an extra hit of coconut!)
4 Tablespoons Coconut Milk
1 -2 Tablespoons Desiccated / shredded coconut for sprinkling.
Please note: Taste the coconut milk first, if you want it sweeter, add approx 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar to it and mix until dissolved.
The cake does already contain a lot of sugar but some of you have a very sweet tooth!
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 160c, 300F. Grease and line your baking tin. See here for how to line.

** Please note, if using a Bundt tin, be sure to grease it very well as it can be hard to get the cake out of such a shaped tin, or use our amazing homemade pan release to coat the inside of the tin.
We would recommend this method for all patterned baking pans!
2. Get all your ingredients ready, i.e coconut, sieve the flour, and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.

3. Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light color.

4. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low-speed setting, a bit at a time.
If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary until all the eggs are added.

5. Add the coconut milk with half of the flour, keeping the mixer on a slow speed. Once combined, add the shredded/desiccated coconut, and the rest of the flour.
6. Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin. Then place in the oven for 1 hr and 5 minutes, check after 1 hour.
Please note, if using a Bundt tin, cook time is 45 minutes.
Do a test if the cake is done by using a skewer and poke it in the middle to see that it comes out clean. Every oven is different and cook times may vary a little.
7. Have a cup of tea whilst your coconut pound cake is baking and giving off those lovely aromas in your kitchen!
8. When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and leave in the cake tin until cool.
Whilst the cake is still HOT, using a skewer, prick holes all over the top of the cake, pushing the skewer through to the bottom of the cake.

Gently pour the coconut milk all over the surface of the cake, distributing evenly with a brush if needed. The liquid will be quickly absorbed by the cake.
Then immediately sprinkle the dried coconut all over so it sticks. You can use as much dried coconut as you wish. I only added a light sprinkling, but the choice is yours!

Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container. This cake is best eaten the following day, although it doesn't usually last that long!
And there you have our lovely Moist Coconut Pound Loaf Cake.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our moist coconut pound loaf cake recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!


Recipe Card

Moist Coconut Pound Loaf Cake
Moist Coconut PoundCake Recipe. Light, soft, and oh sooooo delicious!
Ingredients
- 175 g or ¾ cup softened butter
- 175 ml or ¾ cup coconut milk
- 290 g or 1 ½ cups regular sugar
- 3 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 225 g or 1 ¾ cups Plain / All purpose flour (sieved)
- 1 ½ Teaspoons baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons desiccated / shredded coconut
The Topping:
- 4 Tablespoons Coconut Milk
- 1 -2 Tablespoons Desiccated / shredded coconut for sprinkling.
- **** Please note: Taste the coconut milk first, if you want it sweeter, add approx 2 powdered sugar to it and mix until dissolved. The cake does already contain a lot of sugar but some of you have a very sweet tooth!
Instructions
- Heat oven to 160c, 300F. Grease and line your baking tin.
- ** Please note, if using a Bundt tin, be sure to grease it very well as it can be hard to get the cake out of such a shaped tin.
- Get all your ingredients ready, i.e coconut, sieve the flour, and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.
- Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light colour.
- Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low speed setting, a bit at a time. If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary, until all the eggs are added.
- Add the coconut milk with half of the flour, keeping the mixer on a slow speed. Once combined, add the shredded/desiccated coconut, and the rest of the flour.
- Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin. Then place in the oven for 1 hr and 5 minutes, check after 1 hour ***** Please note, if using a Bundt tin, cook time is 45 minutes.
- *** Please do test if the cake is done by using a skewer and poke it in the middle to see that it comes out clean. Every oven is different and cook times may vary a little.
- Have a cup of tea!
- When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and leave in the cake tin until cool. Whilst the cake is still HOT, using a skewer, prick holes all over the top of the cake, pushing the skewer through to the bottom of the cake.
- Gently pour the coconut milk all over the surface of the cake, distributing evenly with a brush if needed. The liquid will be quickly absorbed by the cake. Then immediately sprinkle the dried coconut all over so it sticks. You can use as much dried coconut as you wish. I only added a light sprinkling, but the choice is yours!
- Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container. This cake is best eaten the following day, although it doesn't usually last that long!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Honey-Can-Do 2592 Paper Loaf Pan, 25-Pack, 8-Inches x 2.5-Inches x 2-Inches
-
Portable Bread Box with Handle Loaf Cake Container Plastic Rectangular Food Storage Keeper Carrier 13inch Translucent Dome for Pastries, Bagels, Bread Rolls, Buns or Baguettes (Pink)
-
KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
-
Walfos Nonstick Silicone Bread and Loaf Pan Set of 2, BPA Free ! Without Chemical Coating,Just Pop Out! Easy release and baking mold for Homemade Cakes, Breads, Meatloaf and quiche.
-
X-Chef Silicone Basting Pastry Brushes for Cooking BBQ Meat Cakes Pastries Butter Kitchen, Heatproof, Dishwasher Safe Flexible Easy Clean, BPA Free and FDA Approved, Set of 4
-
MEYKISS Cake Tester, Stainless Steel Cake Tester Probe Skewer Kitchen Baking Tools, Set of 2
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 569Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 347mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 1gSugar: 58gProtein: 6g
Loaf Cake Recipes
Here's a delicious selection of pound or loaf cake recipes for you to enjoy
Tiramisu Pound Cake, a soft and delicious pound cake with all the flavors of a Tiramisu! It's even got a mascarpone frosting. This will go fast so be sure to make two!
Easy Lemon and Poppyseed French Yogurt Cake. Lemon and poppyseed French yogurt loaf cake is soft and moist, an incredibly easy to make recipe, with poppyseeds throughout. A great tea time cake.
Strawberry and Lemon Loaf Cake.
A deliciously soft and fluffy strawberry loaf cake bursting with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Flavourful, with a tender, soft texture. An easy, popular cake recipe.
Peach Pound Cake with Raspberry Swirl. A delicious recipe bursting with sweet peaches and a tangy raspberry swirl running through. Soft, moist and perfect with a morning coffee or to take to friends! If you are a fan of pound cakes and peaches, then this one is for you.
A simple, easy chocolate loaf cake recipe is moist, rich and chocolatey. Perfect for new cooks and is a go to basic recipe
Caribbean Rum Cake, an easy delicious recipe! The cake is soft and moist, packed with rum infused raisins and makes for a great Christmas time cake.
Strawberry Pound Cake. A delicious recipe bursting with fresh strawberries. Soft, moist and perfect with a morning coffee or to take to friends!
Easy Lemon French Yogurt Cake. Delicious tangy lemon, soft and moist, incredibly easy made from scratch cake recipe, great as a tea time snack
Coffee Pecan Pound Cake is a lovely tasting, moist cake with a perfect combination of coffee flavor and texture from the pecans.
Easy Strawberry French Yogurt Cake.
Delicious juicy strawberries, soft and moist, incredibly easy made from scratch cake recipe, great as a tea time snack
Moist Vanilla Pound, Loaf Cake is such a wonderful tasting cake, soft, and delicious!
Easy Blueberry and Lemon Crumble Cake.
Deliciously soft & moist cake packed with blueberries and a hint of lemon. Topped with a crumble topping. Easiest simple cake recipe ever!
Easy Raspberry Pound Cake. A delicious classic pound cake recipe bursting with fresh raspberries. Soft, moist and tangy sweet. Topped with a simple chocolate topping. Easy to follow instructions
Coconut and Lime Pound Cake, a deliciously soft coconut cake with a splash of tangy lime.
Blueberry Coconut Pound Cake, a deliciously soft coconut cake with a sprinkling of juicy blueberries.
Moist Lemon or Orange Pound Loaf, a wonderful soft and delicious cake using freshly squeezed juice and zest. Bake in a loaf or bundt pan. You choose!
Easy Cranberry and White Chocolate Pound Cake. This is a delicious soft and moist pound cake with a wonderful white chocolate flavor and added lovely cranberries. Freezer friendly and easy to make. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas
Moist Pecan Almond Loaf Cake. The flavor combo is just divine!
Easy Cinnamon Swirl Loaf. A moist, soft, and delicious tasting loaf cake, perfect with a morning coffee! This is a wonderful no yeast, quick bread recipe, full of flavor, soft and fluffy, and really easy to make too.
Moist Caramel and Apple Loaf .... ABSOLUTELY Delicious!
Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake, a delicious soft and moist loaf bursting with juicy blueberries! Perfect with a cup of tea
Moist Coffee Loaf Cake! This is an absolutely delicious soft, moist cake, easy to make and goes perfect with a lovely cup of coffee too!
Banana and Walnut Loaf Cake. A delicious, very easy and moist cake, and smells so good when it's baking too!
Lemon and Poppy Seed Loaf.
This is truly a delightful cake. The flavors are gentle, the cake is soft and moist and of course, looks so pretty with the addition of poppy seeds sprinkled throughout the cake
Moist Chocolate Almond Pound Cake. Delicious, rich chocolate cake with added melted chocolate and ground almonds to take this cake to another level of deliciousness!
Spiced Pecan Carrot Cake! This has got to be the World's best carrot cake.
Fluffy, soft and bursting with the flavors of Fall! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas holidays!
Dolly's Chocolate Chip Cake. Very easy recipe and a family favorite. Makes two loaves so perfect for gifts or freezing too.
Nutella Banana Loaf. Delicious, soft pound cake with banana and Nutella chocolate. Easy recipe and very popular. Great tasting cake
gina f
says:what kind of coconut milk do you use, sweetened or unsweetened?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Gina, you can use either. I use unsweetened, if you have a particularly sweet tooth, you can opt for sweetened.
Saadia
says:What if I use plane milk instead of coconut milk will it be ok as I dnt have coconut milk
Lovefoodies
says:Hi, yes, you can use plain milk, but it obviously won’t be as strong ion flavor. If you do use plain milk, don’t pour any over the cake once it is baked. Just sprinkle some desiccated coconut and it will be good
Ash
says:Hi
I made this cake in February and it was great! I even took a screenshot of the recipe to send to my brother. I came back to the page to make the cake again, but the recipe has changed when I compare it to the screenshot I took! The amounts of each ingredient are different. Is there a reason for this? Which recipe should I use?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Ash, you can use either recipe. They both work. However, I changed it a bit because some people gave feedback that the cake wasn’t baking through properly, so I made it totally foolproof, even for those who are baking at high altitudes as this can affect the bake, as well as some who might ‘forget’ to cream the butter thoroughly etc. I made the cake over and over with both measures so the result will come out the same. So feel free to stick with the original recipe if you found that one to work well for you!
Antonia
says:Hi could I use this recipe for a round layer cake in a 20cm tin please and would it make 2 layers? Would the bake time differ? Thank you.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Antonia, you’ll need to double the recipe for a 20cm round tin as it won’t be deep enough to make 2 layers. If you’re doubling the recipe and putting all the batter in one tin, try for around 45 minutes bake time.
If you’re going to double the recipe and split the batter into 2 cake tins, try for 25-30 minutes.
Keep the same oven temp.
Hope that helps!
Kitty
says:Hi!! I look forward to trying this recipe. I was just wondering how to top the cake with coconut milk and flakes at the end whilst still hot if using a Bundt cake tin?? thanks so much
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Kitty, you can still do that, but you’ll need to wait 10 minutes to remove the cake from the pan. Too soon and it might fall apart. the cake will still be warm enough. Then poke holes with a skewer and use a brush to add the extra milk and sprinkle the flakes. Make sure you put the cake on a plate or parchment as the milk will pour down the sides and on to the surface otherwise.
Kitty
says:That’s great! Can’t wait to try this today! Thank you :-)
Jan
says:This coconut pound cake is the best I have ever made so moist and just melts in your mouth.
Katharine
says:Hi is the coconut milk the one from the can? Thanks this looks unreal ?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Katharine, yes, it’s the milk in the can!
Keysha
says:Hi,
I made this cake!!! However I was wondering how long it stays fresh?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Keysha, it will stay fresh for around 3-4 days if kept covered. I usually keep mine in an air tight cake box and it’s still just as when it was first baked after a few days. It will also freeze if you wanted to cut the cake in half and freeze half if there’s just one or two of you at home.
kim
says:I made this cake today. It looked very good but had very little flavour in spite of the topping with the icing sugar in it. Do you use sweetened coconut? I used butter not marg so can’t think what else it could be. Serving it with jam on top.
Lesley
says:If I put glace cherries on top at what stage shall I add them please
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Lesley, you will need to cut them in half as they will be too heavy and sink to the bottom. Also, give them a good dusting of flour all over, then at the end when your cake batter is ready, lightly fold them in and put in the oven ASAP.
Glacé cherries will often sink but keep your fingers and toes crossed that they managed to have a nice distribution!
If you really really are worried about them sinking, cut them even smaller and place them on top of the cake batter once it’s in the pan and they will naturally sink down but hopefully not all the way to the bottom!!
Jenna
says:I made this cake tonight and it came out really well! Moist and just the right balance of coconut flavor. My boyfriend loved it too! Great recipe. I can’t wait to try your other ones :)
Chrissie
says:Love this recipe and excited to try! Do you use canned or box / bottle coconut milk?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Chrissie, I use canned coconut milk. Enjoy!
Michelle
says:Hello!
I’m dying to make this as my mum used to make similar when I was younger, however during quarantine I don’t have coconut milk – could I swap for regular 2% milk?
Thank you
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Michelle, yes you can use regular milk instead, obviously it won’t have the exact flavor as using coconut milk but needs must in these situations!!
Clare
says:I love your recipes for pound cake!,!!!!!
They always turn out great
. However the recipe I printed off last year that I use all the time says bake @ 160 degrees.
Why did recipe change to 180 degrees??
Regards
Clare
!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Clare, you have noticed!!
I updated the recipe because some people were finding it hard to wait the longer bake time! It sounds ridiculous but it’s true!!
So I played around with the temperatures and bake times and managed to get a slightly shorter time at a slightly higher temperature. Result….. all our impatient bakers are happier!! No other reason but that!
Enjoy the recipe, there is no difference in taste or texture with the change!
Laura Martin
says:Hi Claire! I was going to make this recipe today, but wanted to check if it’s tinned coconut milk (usually used for curries etc) or coconut milk from a carton? Thanks so much! :)
Lovefoodies
says:Hey Laura, I use tinned coconut milk. Uoh can also use it from a carton, just make sure it is coconut milk and not cream as that will be too thick!
Enjoy!
Ruth
says:Did this today & it was a hit!
I don’t have a loaf tin, so I used a square tin, & only needed about 40mins cooking time. Would definitely add even more desiccated coconuts with the ingredients but all in all, nothing but belly-happiness.
Added plus, kitchen smelled great!
Lovefoodies
says:Hey Ruth, there’s nothing better than belly happiness! Glad you enjoyed the cake!
Denise
says:This cale is amazing! So moist and delicious.
Father in law suggested adding raspberry Jam, has anyone tried this?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Denise, glad you like the recipe!
I think raspberry jam will go really well. Just be aware of the added sweetness of the jam, so you may want to reduce the sugar a little in the cake recipe!
Shad LaCour
says:I just made this cake. I LOVE IT! I will be keeping the recipe and using it from now on. THANKS!
Sarah
says:Excellent recipe. You are absolutely right – it has been committed to my recipe book and I have made it time and time again!
Unrelated to the recipe but related to the post, in the name of the environment I would love to see you remove the suggestion of using a disposible loaf tin. I totally get the practicality of it but when you have so many readers I think it would be a great opportunity to advocate reducing this sort of unnecessary waste. If the cake is for a friend I’m sure they’ll be happy to return the load tin ? Thanks so much for reading my comment and for the fab recipe.
Christina
says:I just made your coconut pound cake for my birthday dessert. It was delicious… and yes, moist, light & fluffy! The change I made was that I used only 3/4 cup of organic cane sugar and I used spelt flour.
If I had coconut extract on hand I would have used a bit for more coconut flavor… however it was delicious with out .
I made chocolate ganache and spooned it over slices of cake..
Thank you.
L
says:Tried the recipe. I find the amount of sugar was too much therefore I only used 250g of sugar of which 200gm white and 50gm brown sugar. It tasted perfect. However to my dissapointment it tasted and smell very eggy and can’t really taste the coconut milk too much although I followed the recipes.
Catherine maxey
says:Very good recipe. I used a Bundt pan . I used unsweetened coconut, and that was fine. I did add 1\2 tsp coconut extract. Love this recipe.