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Southern-style Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake. Taking some cues from the south with this DELICIOUS coconut layer cake. Picture a buttery vanilla cake made with sweet coconut and toasted pecans. Each layer of fluffy cake is covered with a delectable, roll your eyes back good – brown sugar frosting that’s sweet and creamy with notes of caramel and coconut mixed throughout. The cake is then topped with a light and creamy vanilla cream…and plenty of toasted coconut. Sooo much to love here! Every bite is sweet, nutty, light and fluffy, and truly delicious. The perfect cake to enjoy any day, but especially fun and fitting for Easter.

overhead photo of Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake slices on plates

Happy Friday, happy weekend guys! I am 100% ready for the weekend ahead. ‘Twas a very long week to say the least, but not in a bad way, just a busy way! Thankfully we get to end the week with cake, so all is good.

And this cake? It really is something special. It’s one I have been dreaming up for well over a year now. Yes, over a year. I first had the idea to make this cake around early March of last year. A coconut cake for Easter sounded just right with everyone home baking. I also figured cake was greatly needed.

Long story short, I made the cake, but it didn’t end well and I never ended up sharing the recipe. Yes, I told you guys, I too have recipe fails and that cake I made a year ago was a fail. I was bummed. But sometimes recipes just don’t work out the way I envision them and then they have to be scrapped.

And that’s what brings me to the cake we have here today. It’s a version of that cake from last year, but this one is better. It has been adjusted and perfected…I  finally got it right.

So you see, I’m excited! This cake has been such a long time coming.

Ingredients

  • Shredded coconut, unsweetened or sweetened 
  • Toasted pecans 
  • All purpose flour 
  • Baking powder 
  • Baking soda 
  • Kosher salt 
  • Salted butter, at room temperature 
  • Granulated sugar 
  • Vanilla extract 
  • Large eggs 
  • Canned coconut milk 

Brown Sugar Icing

  • Salted butter 
  • Packed brown sugar 
  • Heavy cream 
  • Powdered sugar 
  • Vanilla extract 
  • Shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened 

Whipped Cream

  • Heavy whipping cream 
  • Powdered sugar 
  • Vanilla extract 
  • Toasted sweetened shredded coconut 
prep photo of Cake batter

Here are all the details

For the cake itself, I adapted my vanilla butter cake to be a vanilla coconut butter cake, adding in coconut and toasted pecans. It’s very simple, just beat the butter with the sugar, then add in all the wet ingredients, then the dry.

The key I’ve found is to finely grind the coconut and pecans until they are fine crumbs. If you have a food processor, this is super easy to do. If you don’t have a food processor, give everything a very fine chop, the smaller the better.

overhead photo of Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake

For the filling, I like to use my go-to brown sugar frosting that has notes of sweet caramel.

The brown sugar melted down adds hints of warm molasses and really deepens the flavor to create an icing that’s perfectly rich and caramel-like. And when you add a touch of vanilla and sea salt along with sweet shredded coconut? Well, it’s hard to say no to a second piece.

The final step is to finish off the cake with a creamy layer of whipped vanilla cream. Then cover the whole cake in toasted coconut for that classic coconut cake look.

front on photo of Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake slice

Slicing those cake layers…

The trickiest part of this cake is slicing the layers in half. Please don’t let this deter you from making this cake. If this step sounds like too much, simply leave the cake as a two-layer cake. It may not be quite as fancy…but still very pretty, and of course delicious!

If you’re willing to give the slicing a try it’s really not that hard. Let me walk you through it.

One, don’t stress about creating a perfectly even cut. As you can see, my layers are nowhere near perfect, but all turned out OK.

Two, use a long serrated bread knife to cut the cake in half. This helps so much with making an even cut all the way through.

Three, make sure to cool the cake completely before slicing.

Bottom line, don’t stress about having to cut the cake layers in half. It’s not as scary as it may seem and once you layer everything together the cake is going to be beautiful no matter what. And, if you do have trouble and the cake crumbles a bit, don’t worry, those crumbs make for a delicious snack. So embrace those uneven layers…imperfect is in these days. The uneven layers, make each and every cake unique and beautiful.

Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

And with that, I’m hoping you now have the inspiration you need to jump up and spend a couple of hours in the kitchen baking this sweet, extra special, coconut cake. Not only is it fun and pretty, but it’s also amazingly good. I mean four layers of coconut pecan cake, caramel/brown sugar icing, and whipped vanilla cream, plus all the toasted coconut you can find – yep…delicious!

Perfect for spring and upcoming Easter!

front on close up photo of Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake slice

Looking for other Easter cake recipes? Here are a few to try:

Coconut Carrot Cake with Jam Swirled Buttercream

Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Citrus Honey Glaze

Lemon Coconut Naked Cake with Whipped Vanilla Buttercream

Lastly, if you make this Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 20
Calories Per Serving: 544 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Brown Sugar Icing

Whipped Cream

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • 1. In a food processor, pulse together the pecans and coconut until finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse to combine.
    2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter 2 8-inch (9 inch works too) round cake pans and line with parchment paper. 
    3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour mix, beat to combine. Stream in the coconut milk, beating until just combined. Pour the batter among the 2 cake pans.
    4. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the center is just set. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert the cake onto a plate, flip it back over onto a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely before assembling.
    5. To make the brown sugar frosting. Melt together the butter, brown sugar, and cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Add a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sift in the powdered sugar, then add the vanilla. Beat until well combined. Stir in the coconut. If it feels too runny, add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
    6. Optional – for a four-layer cake: Using a large serrated knife, carefully cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup of the icing over the cake. Repeat with the remaining 3 cake layers.
    7. For a two-layer cake: Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup of the icing over the cake. Repeat with the remaining cake layer. * You will have extra frosting.
    8. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread the cream on the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the coconut all over the cake. The cake will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
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Coconut Pecan Caramel Butter Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

This post was originally published on March 19, 2021
3.87 from 767 votes (726 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  2. Can I make the icing a couple days ahead in the fridge and bring up to room temp to frost? Or Will the consistency change too much once it’s chilled?

    Reply

    1. Hey Cindy,
      I think that would be totally fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. Hi Tieghan,
    I just wanted to first say how much I LOVE your blog! I make one of your recipes at least 3 times a week, if not more! I have always been intrigued by cooking thanks to my parents who both know their way around a kitchen. After I graduate NP school and survived planning a 2020 wedding (wohoo!) I wanted to pick cooking back up and found your blog shortly after. I have to say you have made me the best newly wed cook and my husband a very happy man! I always look forward to seeing what creative recipes you post. I’ve gotten my sister and friends hooked on you too and they have bought me both your cook books!

    Just had to brag on you for a second because you deserve it and because I think too many people are rude to you in the reviews, But my actual question was if this cake would still be good without the pecans (Husband’s allergic to all nuts, bummer I know). Thanks girl!

    Reply

    1. Hey Alex,
      Thanks so much for your super kind message and reading along!! Yes, totally fine to skip the pecans:) I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Linda,
      Unfortunately, there will not be enough batter for that, you will either want to do 2 or 4 layers. I hope you love the cake, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Made this last night and 10/10 making it again. So so good. I took it to a church fellowship evening and it got rave reviews. The perfect blend of coconut, caramel and pecan. ???

    Reply

  7. I made this last night and it is the best cake I have ever made! It was moist! The wipe cream frosting was a no-no made the whole thing way to sweet. So I made more with very little sugar and added to the side of served cake. I just order a birthday cake. I told the lady I will provide the cake portion. She can just decorate. This is awesome!

    Reply

  8. Hi from Chicago- the coconut pecan cake looks amazing. I can almost taste it through the photos. Due to pandemic weight gain, partner and I are making miniature portions of the good stuff. For instance, little pies or small cakes so that we won’t have all the leftovers around. I’m trying to figure how to do the pecan cake but only with one layer without need to make the others and throw them out. I’m not even sure I would bother splitting the one layer. Any ideas of a conversion tool that might help.

    Thank you,
    Ray

    Reply

    1. Hey Ray,
      If you want to do one layer, I would just simply cut the recipe in half! I hope you love the cake, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan

      Reply

  10. 5 stars
    This recipe was super easy to make and it tastes amazing! I added some toasted pecans to the outside of mine for some extra crunch and ended up using unsweetened coconut for the outside since it was all I had. I also had to increase the baking time by about 10 minutes. My 4 year old loved it, so this recipe is definitely a keeper!

    Reply

    1. Hey Shannon,
      Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  11. You can also cut the cake with a piece of sewing thread or fishing line. (The fishing line is what I use more often) This is now the only way I cut my cakes, and it works and it is alot easier and less crumbs than using a knife.( I.M.O.) You just hold the thread against the side of cake and pull into and all the way through the cake. It slices it very easy and neatly. I can now cut 2 cakes and make 4 layers as before I was afraid to mess them up.

    Reply

    1. Hey Meg,
      So sorry, but I am not familiar with that recipe, I put a lot of time and energy into the recipes that I create. I hope you love the cake! xTieghan

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        Baking your recipe as we speak (it smells heavenly!!) and looked up the NYT recipe out of curiosity while I’m waiting for the cake to finish. I had to laugh aloud because to someone who bakes a lot these recipes are totally different. You’re not going to get a TON of variation with any type of similar cakes (all pecan coconut cakes are going to have similar ingredients) but it’s the small changes and techniques in yours that in my opinion gives your recipes such an amazing edge! I have pretty much only used your recipes for baking since I discovered you and am so thankful to always have somewhere reliable to turn when I’m looking for something new and tasty to make! Anyway, I’m sure it stings when someone tries to diminish your hard work and creativity so I just wanted to say for every hater there are probably like 200 people out there obsessed with your creations! Thanks Teighan!

        Reply

        1. Hey Lauren,
          Perfect!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! Thanks so much for your kind message. Have the best week!? xT

          Reply

  14. We are going away for my mom’s birthday – I was going to make the frosting ahead of time and frost the cake where we are going – since it is made on the stove do you think it will be okay to keep in a tuber-ware for a day?

    Reply

    1. Hey Natalie,
      Yes, that will work just fine for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan

      Reply

  15. 4 stars
    Made this but had enough of the brown sugar frosting to frost the entire cake! Left out the whipped topping and put pan-toasted coconut on top instead. Delicious!

    Reply