Coco Loco Cake – Gretchen’s Vegan Bakery

You’ve got to be crazy to not love this Coco Loco Cake!

coconut cake layers, lemon custard and raspberry buttercream filling

Coconut Buttercream Icing with flaked coconut all over!

Cakes like this one are not as difficult as it may seem at first glance

with just three easy recipes
you can have this showstopping Coco Loco Cake in no time!

Not sponsored by any product or company below

Notes for Success

My preference is to use 3-7″ cake pans for a 3 layer cake but this batter will equally bake into 2-8″ cake layers

Using vegetable oil in the cake recipe will keep your cake whiter and lighter versus using vegan butter, however it is completely your preference to use either one or a combination of both

Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer is my go-to for dry blend replacers, but you can use whatever one you prefer and honestly I have left it out completely and still had a great cake!

Additionally cake flour can be difficult to find for many people so using all ~ all purpose flour is fine just take out ¼ cup total from the entire amount

Building this cake using the “ring mold method” meaning I am constructing all the layers inside a springform pan lined with an acetate cake strip
This method allows all the fillings to set inside of the cake to be unmolded and iced with the final icing later. Alternatively you can build with the traditional method using a buttercream dam 

To watch how I implement this ring mold build method CLICK HERE and skip to 2:24 minutes in the video or watch the short video attached in the recipe below

Freeze dried raspberry fruit powder is my preference for making raspberry buttercream as it keep the buttercream stable since I am not adding more liquid or added sugar to the recipe in the form of a compote or jam

Unsweetened coconut for both the cake batter and the garnish is my preference since I do not want to add more sugar to this cake. You can use whatever you prefer however I would omit 2 Tbs sugar from the cake recipe if you do choose sweet flakes

For the custard when measuring cornstarch I cannot stress enough that a kitchen scale is the best way to go. Cornstarch is a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume/spoons measure, so while I list both measures below I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a scale is going to give you the best results.

Coco Loco Cake

Be sure to read the Notes for Success section above the recipe!

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Ingredients  

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For the Coconut Cake

• 1¾ cup Coconut Milk 415ml
• 2 teaspoon Vinegar 10ml
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Extract 5ml
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil 237ml
• 1½ cups Cake Flour 180g
• 2¼ cups All Purpose Flour 280g
• 3 teaspoons Egg Replacer
• 1¼ cups Granulated Sugar 250g
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• 2 cups Flaked Coconut

For the Lemon Custard

• 1 cup Plant Milk 237ml
• ¾ cup Water 177ml
• ½ cup Lemon Juice 118ml
• ¾ cup Granulated Sugar 150g
• 3 Tbs Cornstarch 24g
• 2 teaspoon Lemon Zest

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350℉ & grease & parchment line 3-7″ cake pans

• Make the coconut cake by combining all the wet ingredients together in a measuring cup

• Sift all the dry ingredients together in a larger bowl *including the sugar & dry blend egg replacer- I do not reconstitute

• Add the wet ingredients to the dry & whisk smooth then add the flaked coconut

• Bake for approximately 30 minutes or when you gently press the centers they are springy to the touch

• Cool in the pans while you prepare the buttercream recipe as per the instructions on that post

• Divide the buttercream by separating 2 cups for the filling then add the freeze dried raspberry powder to that. The remaining buttercream is for the icing

• Next prepare the lemon custard by whisking the sugar with the cornstarch in a small bowl, then add it to a medium sauce pot along with the water, lemon juice, zest & plant milk

• Bring it up to a rolling boil whisking constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom

• Once it boils fully add the lemon zest & stir for 10 seconds then remove from the heat & reserve

• Once your cakes are fully cooled & preferably COLD set up the ring mold build method as shown in the video linked here

• Layering with the cake/raspberry buttercream/slightly cooled lemon custard so you won’t melt the buttercream! then repeat until you have a 3 layer cake

• Refrigerate for at least an hour or until firm & set then ice with the remaining buttercream & cover the entire cake with flaked coconut & optional raspberries for garnish

Video

Notes

Be sure to read the Notes for Success section above the recipe!
Storage Coco Loco Cake must be kept refrigerated & will stay fresh for up to 1 week wrapped loosely to prevent drying.