Coconut Cake II

I was really excited to try this cake for my husbands birthday, because him and his family really loves coconut, and with all the great reviews, I thought it was a winner. Well, I was so disappointed. After following the recipe exactly, I had a well, beautiful, but tasteless cake. I had bought a store mix cake for backup, and I'm glad I did. My mother-in-law made me let her taste it, and she agreed it was a nice presentation, and said it was moist, but no taste whatsoever. I recommend if you like coconut flavor, perhaps use more coconut, and coconut milk.

This cake is very good after some changes. My first cake was stodgy and lacked salt. I made it again, this time using coconut milk (thanks to another reviewer's suggestion)in place of milk. I also added one half teasp. of salt to the flour mix. Then I used dessicated coconut in place of the soggy stuff. The result was a delicious coconut cake, very moist and delightfully gooey. Next time I will use margarine instead of butter as the butter made it a bit rich. Well work making again with the changes.

Very rich and yummy. It definitely needs some salt--I added 1/2 tsp. to the flour mixture. I also made it with canned coconut milk for extra flavor. Coconut milk for the frosting too: add enough milk or cream to whatever is left from the can of coconut milk used in the cake to make one cup liquid.

Great cake! Since I was baking it as a gift, I made a little 'baby' cake for myself. This not really a cake for beginners unless you're just lucky ;-) I think that the the bakers who could not get the cake out of the pan simply did not let it bake long enough. The cake is done when it is golden brown. It should not be the color of coconut custard pie! Take the cake out ot the oven and let it sweat in the pan for ~6 minutes. THEN remove it carefully and sit it on a rack to cool. Good luck! Recipe variation: I did add a little baking soda (~1/2 tsp), only 2 tsp baking powder and I used dried buttermilk. I also used a 'right smart amount' of shorting and flour in my pans instead of spray.

I made this for my father-in-law's birthday. Everyone really liked it. I used only 3/4 cup sugar in the frosting and the next time I may use a little less sugar in the cake. Also, I used 1/2 all purpose flour and 1/2 cake flour to make it more delicate. I will definitely make it again!

Made this cake for my Mom on her birthday was very disappointed .Although it looked great, this was a very tastless cake, however it was moist. Because of this I will try again only I will add coconut milk and coconut extract instead of regular milk and vanilla extract.

As per other reviews, I added a pinch of salt and instead of milk, I used coconut milk. The cake was delicious and very moist. I also used whipping cream instead of the frosting, as I had some whipping cream left from a cake I made few days ago. I added in the whipping cream some sugar, vanilla essence, coconut flakes and the rest of coconut milk. It also turned up very well, next time I'll try the frosting from the recipe.

I used coconut milk and I added crushed pineapple and garnished with pineapple rings, marachino cherries, and coconut flakes. The icing was out of this world!

Fantastic! A friend asked me to make a coconut cake for a birthday. This recipe sounded so good, I had to make it even though it was an untried recipe. The cake smelled so good. I had to sample a small piece before frosting. It reminds me of a pound cake without being cooked in a tube pan. The icing just happens to be a favorite recipe of mine. I will be making this cake for years to come.

I have looked for a coconut cake everywhere and this is the first recipe I actually tried because it had coconut in the cake and not just on top! The cake has an excellent crumb and keeps well. I rated it "easy" because even though it is a "from scratch" cake, it isn't difficult to follow the steps and come out with a great product. For Easter, I tinted some shredded coconut in green, pink and yellow and sprinkled it over the top and sides of the iced cake. Looked great and added a nice texture. I will make it again without the extra coconut. The icing is lightly sweet and sets off the cake nicely. It is the same icing I use on chocolate cakes and on Red Velvet cake. Three cheers for this recipe!

The "cake" overall lacked flavor.

Loved this cake! It was so moist. Used 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk for batter. Everyone was fighting over who would take home the leftovers! The cake was also excellent on the second day. (Some dry out). It was better then my mothers which won a blue ribbon at the Delaware State Fair.

I'm not sure if I used this cake recipe (looked at too many) but I give the frosting on this cake 5+ stars. It was easy to make, had a great, soft texture and was not overly sweet. Definitely a keeper!

I was very disappointed in this cake recipe. The cake was dry and tasted more like a bread instead of a cake. And the white icing tasted more like sweet shortening. I have been searching for a good homemade coconut cake recipe, looks like I have to keep looking. It definitely wasn't this one.

A friend of mine asked if I could duplicate a coconut cake for him similar to one he was remembering that someone baked years ago.I selected this recipe and he loved it.The frosting recipe really sets it off nicely.

This cake was a big hit! I made it for my friend's birthday and we could not stop eating it! I used coconut milk instead of milk and also added coconut to the frosting.

I absolutely loved this cake! I made it for my roommates birthday in the shape of R2D2 and topped it with the Almost professional butter cream icing and it was a total hit =)

This cake came out great. My friend actually asked if I could make his wedding cake from this recipe. About 80 people ate it and not one complained. Thanks for the recipe!

I was trying to replace an old family recipe for coconut cake that was lost, this was almost identical, my family loved it, especially my dad!!

When this recipe prints out it lists the 6 tbs of flour for the icing, under the cake area. I think that some individuals who had trouble, may have used the six tbs rather than the 2.5 c. I was excited to try this after the rave reviews. My husband and I thought it was just okay. Not terribly moist or flavorful, but it was okay. I did use coconut milk in place of the milk in the cake.

I made this for Christmas and it really tasted awful. I followed the directions perfectly. My family thought it was just okay. I did not like it at all. The icing came out runny and I had to beat it forever to get a little structure to it.

After not wanting to do just another boxed cake for a special family guest, I picked this up out of my recipe box to try it. The reason I didn't give this cake 5 stars is because; 1. The frosting recipe didn't make enough for the whole cake, if you want to frost the sides, you need to double up the recipe. 2. The frosting is grainy and a bit flat tasting. I'd recommend buying coconut extract and using it in both the cake and frosting. Double the frosting recipe and do add some salt to the cake recipe for balance in flavor. I used sweetened coconut flakes that were already chopped up, and put some on top of the finished cake. All in all, a keeper recipe.

i have never made a frosting like this before and not sure if mine came out the right consistency, but it tasted good. this cake tasted even better the next day. our dinner guests LOVED it. i added salt and used coconut milk, per other reviews.

The only problem I had with this recipe is that the cooking time stated was too long. I used a 13x9 inch pan and cooked for 45 minutes, but the cake was too browned; next time I will definitely keep a closer eye on it. The center of the cake was great, though, so I will definitely make it again.

Can't wait to try this one!

Delicious! A nice change from the traditional method of pouring sweetened condensed milk over the cake. Make a beautiful and elegant cake. Full of flavor and very sturdy - almost like a pound cake. I added coconut to the frosting just for fun and it tastes and looks great. I made a double recipe for some friends' anniversary dinner party one week ago, and the little bit that's left it still wonderfully moist and delicious! A great complement to a seafood dinner. Will make many times again!

The cake was dense and fell in the middle. Won't be making again.

Make this cake if you want something to eat at a sleep over party,everyone that likes coconut will love it!

This cake was scrumptious! Instead of using what was suggested, I substituted Lemon Butter frosting (from Lemon Cake with Lemon Filling and Lemon Butter Frosting) and sprinkled coconut. Mmm mmm.

I used butter in the cake batter, for the shortening, and it was lovely. I made a coconut-pecan frosting for it, like a German chocolate cake would have, and it was delicious for my birthday!

I replaced half a cup of regular milk for coconut milk. Texture was good.

I made this cake for my bookclub meeting. It was a hit. Personally, I thought it was yummy but I do prefer a lighter less dense cake. I added 1 8oz can of drained crushed pineapple and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. The frosting was delicious but a requires more work. You MUST consistantly whisk not stir while cooking the frosting otherwise it gets lumpy quite quickly. It was graining using regular sugar. Even though my cake was covered in coconut shavings I could still taste a wee bit of the sugar granules. I will try using powdered sugar next time. oh yes add 1tsp of coconut extract into the frosting and batter too.

Make this cake for family and friends all the time, I made a few changes though. I use butter, soy milk and organic products when I can find them. All in All they love this cake a lot. I am making it again as I am typing a comment. I do not like coconut, but I had a tap bit the cake and was very good. But do not go by me, I am a chocolate girl at heart. Thanks for the recipe