This decadent Coconut Angel Food Cake is the perfect complement to any celebration! It’s based on my popular Angel Food Cake with Roasted Strawberries.
Coconut Angel Food Cake
A true angel food cake takes time and a little patience to make right. This recipe is a great one, and if you follow it exactly, you should end up with the perfect Coconut Angel Food Cake that will wow family and friends!
How to Make Coconut Angel Food Cake
The ingredients are simple enough, you just need more than you would for a traditional cake. For instance, 12 eggs!
- cake flour
- granulated sugar
- 12 large egg whites
- warm water
- cream of tartar
- vanilla extract
- coarse salt
Start by sifting together flour and 3/4 cup sugar and then set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat room temperature egg whites and warm water with a mixer on low speed until foamy, about 3 minutes. Add cream of tartar, vanilla, salt, and coconut extract. Increase the speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With the mixer running, add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, a little at a time. Increase speed to high, and beat until peaks are stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes.
Remove bowl from the mixer. Working in 3 batches, sift flour mixture over egg-white mixture, gently folding in each addition with a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate egg whites.
Slowly pour batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes.
Important part! Immediately from the oven, carefully invert pan onto a wire rack. Let cake cool in pan, about 1 hour.
If baking at a higher altitude, be sure to check out my High Altitude Baking Tips.
Coconut Whipped Cream
I love this easy coconut whipped cream and find that it is the perfect complement to this cake! You only need:
- heavy whipping cream
- confectioners sugar
- pure coconut extract
Additional Toppings
I used unsweetened coconut flakes to cover the outside, but you can also use sweetened. You can also top with fresh fruit, a coconut glaze, or even chocolate glaze if you happen to love that flavor combination!
Coconut Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
Coconut Angel Food Cake
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon CAKE FLOUR
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
- 12 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ¼ teaspoon pure coconut extract
Coconut Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure coconut extract
- Unsweeteded Coconut Flakes for garnish
Instructions
Coconut Angel Food Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, with rack in the lower third of oven.
- Sift together flour and 3/4 cup sugar.
- Beat egg whites and warm water with a mixer on low speed until foamy, about 3 minutes. Add cream of tartar, vanilla, salt, and coconut extract.
- Increase speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- With machine running, add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, a little at a time. Increase speed to high, and beat until peaks are stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes.
- Remove bowl from mixer.
- Working in 3 batches, sift flour mixture over egg-white mixture, gently folding in each addition with a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate egg whites.
- Slowly pour batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan.
- Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Immediately from the oven, carefully invert pan onto a wire rack. Let cake cool in pan, about 1 hour.
- Carefully run a knife around sides of cake to loosen, and turn out onto a large plate or cake stand.
Coconut Whipped Cream
- Pour the heavy cream into a chilled stand mixer bowl (to chill a bowl fill with water and ice and let sit for a moment, then empty and dry) and add the sugar and coconut extract.
- Beat the cream until peaks stand in firm when the beaters are lifted, about 2 minutes.
- Gently frost the cooled angel food cake and sprinkle with unsweetened coconut flakes. (Or sweetened if you prefer!)
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Love Coconut Desserts? Check these out:
Easy Copycat Swiss Meringue Coconut Frosting
Wow! Looks intense!
Very good 👍 and easy 👍 5 star
We love coconut cake so glad I’m going to try it with glutten free flour. I’m looking forward to more of your recipes.
do you think you could make this with the pre packaged egg whites (in the carton) instead of the 12 eggs separated? thx.
I do think you could do that!
I made this in a bundt pan and it came out perfect! I loved everything about this recipe and would definitely make it again. I was so worried about folding in the flour and no deflating the egg whites, but it worked out just fine.
So glad, Diana!
Please send me your recipes in email as you post them. This lifts my spirits!
(I had to review again) I was on a coconut kick recently and wanted to make an angel food cake again (the first was for a friend, and this time I wanted one for me because it’s lighter, so weighs you down less so you can eat a whole one to yourself, right? :)) I tried a different recipe this time but was very disappointed. It wasn’t anything like this one. This one is definitely the winning recipe, from the flavor, to the consistency, to the sugary crust, and even the cravings that I still have to this day for it. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Thrilled to hear this Diana!! We strive to make sure every recipe is the best you will use, and I am so happy to know you had successful results in your kitchen! 🙂
I’m trying to see if there needs to be an adjustment for high altitude… I could find no comments. Thoughts/Recommendations?
Hi, Sue! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. When making an angel food cake in high altitudes, only beat the egg whites just until soft peaks form (they should be droopy). Another change would be to use less sugar (about a tablespoon less) and add a couple more tablespoons of flour. I hope this helps! Have a great day!
Do I have to use cake flour
Is it possible to make this in two loaf pans?
Hi, Susan! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. We have not made this cake using two loaf pans, so I can’t say how the baking time would be affected. Let us know if you try it, and have a great day!