Greek Coconut Cake

This syrup soaked cake is LOADED with coconut and it is delicious, moist and full of flavor! Greek Coconut Cake is going to be a new favorite!

Rich cake loaded with coconut and topped with coconut. This syrup is straight from the Greek isles, and a taste or two will transport you there. 

It may only be in your mind, but it will be a fun trip nonetheless! So enjoy the process of making, baking and tasting this coconut filled cake.

It’s cake time, it’s cake time, everyone. It’s cake time!  I don’t think I have ever baked (or eaten) as many cakes in my life as I have these past few months.

You’d think we never eat anything else, but somehow we manage to get in our three square meals a day despite all of the cake!

This recipe is adapted from World Class Cakes.

I stuck with the intent of the recipe but made a few very minor tweaks to accommodate ingredients that are easier to find or that I always have on hand.  The exception is the flaked coconut.

I really liked the look of it on the top of his cake.  I know I have seen unsweetened flake coconut around, but it still took me two stores and a lot of scouring to find it.

I found dehydrated chunks, which wouldn’t work, and of course, there was plenty of shredded coconut.  I ended up finding it in the health market section of the store.

It was on the pricier side, so I decided to use it for the topping and regular shredded for in the cake.

I also tweaked the method a bit to make it a way that felt a bit more natural to me.  But in the end, the cake is pretty darn close to what he published.

I can’t wait for you to read the ingredients and see if you have the same thoughts I did.  9 eggs in a one layer 9-inch cake?

Only 2 cups of flour and 7 whole cups of coconut? Gee whiz!  Roger said he made his in a 9″ cake pan and turned it out when it was done.

Tried as I might, I just couldn’t imagine turning it out with all of that coconut topping on top and having it turn out ok.  So, I opted for a springform.

All in all, I think that was a good choice.  Next time, I will certainly go with a bigger one, though!

The only issue I had with the springform itself was losing some of the syrup out the bottom.  In the end, I probably lost about a third of the syrup to the counter, the floor, and the bottom of the oven.

It turned out I had plenty for the cake, but I did find myself in a sticky mess.  I would definitely recommend baking it on top of a rimmed sheet pan to catch any drips.

When I took the finished cake out of the oven and saw all of the gooey topping everywhere, I thought for sure it would stick to the springform, and I’d end up with a broken cake.  So I took a couple of pictures of the cake in the pan just in case that was the last time it looked good.

Then, when the prescribed 10 minutes was up, I ran a plastic knife between the cake and the pan and popped it open.

Like magic, it released! I held my breath one last time, transferring it off the bottom and onto the plate, but somehow, it all worked out!

I have to say this cake was definitely a winner.  The coconut flavor is so good, and the eggy cake is just right.

All of that syrup makes the cake so moist and amazing, even a few days later.  And of course, a caramelized coconut topping never hurt a thing.

I would definitely think of making this cake again, but next time, I am using a bigger pan.  I also think it would be fun to try a honey version of the syrup.

Wouldn’t that be fun?!  There are so many options and so many things to think about.  All of this thinking is making me want another slice of cake.  Excuse me while I go grab some!

More Coconut Treats

If you would prefer a little chocolate with your coconut cake, may I suggest Ellen’s german chocolate cake?  Or if you want to do something a little less traditional, how about my great-grandma’s german chocolate cake with broiled coconut frosting?

Or make some coconut bon bons for a no bake chocolate and coconut candy treat. No matter which you decide to make, you are going to have happy taste buds!

4.45 from 9 ratings

Greek Coconut Cake

Author: Carlee

Servings: 16 Servings

Rich cake loaded with coconut and topped with coconut. This syrup is straight from the Greek isles and a taste or two will transport you there. It may only be in your mind, but it will be a fun trip nonetheless! So enjoy the process of making, baking and tasting this coconut filled cake.

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Prep: 1 hour hr

Cook: 2 hours hrs

Total: 3 hours hrs

Equipment

• KitchenAid  5-Qt. Stand Mixer 
• 9-inch Nonstick Springform Pan 

Ingredients 

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Cake

• ▢ 1 cup butter softened
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 9 eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 4 cups shredded coconut
• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 teaspoon baking powder

Syrup

• ▢ 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1¼ cups water
• ▢ 2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Topping

• ▢ ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 3 cups flaked coconut

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 300°F and grease a 9″ pan. (I used a springform because I was terrified to turn this finished cake out, but Roger says to use a 9″ pan and turns his out.)
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  1 cup butter, 2 cups granulated sugar
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated then adding the next. Be sure the scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go to avoid any curdling of the batter.
  9 eggs at room temperature
• Quickly stir together the flour, salt and baking powder and add to the egg and butter mixture stirring until just incorporated.
  2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoon baking powder
• Stir in the coconut and then pour into prepared pan.
  4 cups shredded coconut
• Bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes or until it tests done.
• Allow to cool for at least a half hour.
• While the cake is cooling, it is time to make the syrup. Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. There is really no need to stir during this step, just keep an eye on it. Boil for a minute to ensure all of the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool while cake is cooling. After 30 minutes, prick small holes in the top of the cake and spoon a bit of the syrup at a time over the cake allowing it to soak in before adding the next spoonful.
  1⅓ cups granulated sugar, 1¼ cups water, 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
• For the topping, put the brown sugar and cream in a pan and bring to a low boil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut. While it is still warm, spread over the top of the syrup soaked cake.
  ¾ cup packed light brown sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, 3 cups flaked coconut
• Return to the oven, this time at 375°F and bake until the topping is golden, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 152mg | Sodium: 469mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 64g

“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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