Dolly Parton Coconut Cake will give you a classic taste of the South with each and every bite. This homemade version of Dolly’s oh-so-popular cake mix line yields a from-scratch cake that’s tender and a frosting that is velvety smooth.
A few years back Dolly released a line of Dolly Parton-themed cake mixes that sold out immediately. With the success, the line expanded to a variety of baked goods like pancakes, muffins, cornbread, brownies, and cookies, yet the first release of cakes were still an imprinted memory. I got a hold of the coconut cake finally but it was the first and last time. Since then I’ve been thinking of how to recreate Dolly’s coconut cake mix.
This cake definitely gets close! A butter-based cake is full of vanilla and has a tender, delicate crumb. The cream cheese frosting is cut with a little bit of butter to create a contrasting note to the sweet cake. A final coating of toasted coconut sends this cake into a wonderfully coconut-y realm.
Start by beating the butter and sugar together and then adding the eggs one at a time. Next add in the dry ingredients alongside the buttermilk. Finally fold in the shredded coconut.
Bake the cakes until the edges are starting to look golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few moist, but not wet crumbs.
As the cake is cooling, go ahead and work on the frosting. Once the cream cheese and butter are well combined and super smooth, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. If the cakes are domed, use a serrated knife to level off the cakes. An offset spatula is the easiest way to apply the frosting evenly on the cake layers.
Once you coat the cake with toasted coconut, you’re ready to dig in! This from-scratch version of Dolly Parton’s Coconut Cake is waiting for you to bake it! The butter and eggs give this cake the perfect melt-in-your mouth tenderness. The toasted coconut provides a great textural contrast to the smooth, luscious cream cheese frosting.
It has a taste of a classic cake but it has all of the right ratios meaning this Dolly Parton Coconut Cake isn’t too dry nor too sweet.
Each bit is both light and satisfying to such a degree that you’ll find yourself making it again and again. This is a versatile cake for a variety of holidays whether it be for a part of a springtime Easter spread, a companion to a summer’s bounty of berries, or a showstopper holiday dessert centerpiece it fits into each and every season.
Dolly Parton Coconut Cake
For the Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 20 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, very soft
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven 350°F and spray 2 8-inch pan with baking spray and line the bottoms of the pan with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, set aside.
- In another bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl periodically.
- Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add in vanilla extract.
- Add the dry-ingredients alternately with the buttermilk into the butter mixture. Alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the coconut.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans, tap the pans lightly to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake the cakes for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out mostly clean with a few moist (not wet) crumbs.
- Remove cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting and assemble the cake:
- Beat cream cheese and butter and very smooth and well combined, about 2 to 3 minutes of beating, scraping the bowl periodically.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar followed by the vanilla and salt.
- If the cake layers have domes, use a serrated knife to flatten the cakes. Use the frosting to secure one cake layer onto a cake board or plate. Spread some of the frosting evening on top of the first layer followed by the second cake layer.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake, using an offset spatula to smooth out the frosting. Coat the cake with toasted coconut.
Recipe adapted from The Hungry Hutch.