Coconut Cake Squares Recipe

These coconut cake squares are moist, light, fluffy, and packed with rich, nutritious coconut in every bite, even in the frosting.

I’ve made these coconut squares more times than I can count, sometimes for family gatherings, sometimes for the potlucks, sometimes just because I was craving them.

They come together in less than 10 minutes, don’t require any fancy ingredients, or special tools.

Let me show you how to make them—your afternoon coffee is about to get a mouthwatering companion.

Let’s begin!

Why will you love this coconut cake squares recipe? 

1. Super easy to prepare.
2. Moist, fluffy with tender crumb (picture never lies 😉 ).
3. Loaded with coconut flavor.
4. Ideal potluck treat.
5. Make-ahead dessert.
6. Ready under 2 hours.

How do you make coconut cake squares recipe? 

Let’s understand the overview of the recipe. Jump to the step-by-step recipe for all the details.

Coconut cake squares ingredients

Before we jump into the recipe, let’s take a quick look at the ingredients and why they’re key to making these coconut cake squares so irresistible.

Coconut cake ingredients

All-purpose flour – This is the base of our recipe. It provides the structure to the recipe.

Corn starch – This is used to create the light and fluffy cake. Do not get confused with cornmeal, which is yellow in color. Corn starch is white in color.

Baking powder – Works as a leavening agent. It helps the cake rise and stay light and airy.

Salt – We need just a pinch, but trust me, it makes a huge difference. It balances the sweetness and brings out all the flavors.

Unsalted butter – Use unsalted butter because you can control the amount of salt. It provides richness and flavor to the cake.

Oil – Use any flavorless oil. This is used to make our cake moist. Do not replace with butter.

Sugar – This is used to sweeten the cake, of course. But it also helps with the texture and beautiful golden crust.

Egg – Acts as a binding agent and also moistens the cake.

Vanilla extract – Just a splash, but improves the overall flavor.

Coconut extract – This adds the nice coconut flavor and improves the overall taste of the cake.

Coconut milk – This is where that creamy coconut flavor shines through. It keeps the cake moist and gives it a tropical vibe.

Shredded coconut – Star of the show.

Coconut cream cheese frosting ingredients

• Cream cheese: Use regular full-fat cream cheese. Philadelphia or Kirkland is my favorite brand of cream cheese.

• Unsalted Butter: This will give richness and structure to our frosting. Cream cheese is very soft, so you will need something to hold the frosting together. If you are using salted butter, then skip out the salt.

• Icing sugar: Use only icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar, or powdered sugar. DO NOT use regular white granulated sugar, as there is no way the regular sugar will melt and mix with other ingredients. So, use icing sugar, which will be easily dissolved in the cream cheese and butter.

• Vanilla extract: You can use pure vanilla extract or artificial extract, whatever is available in your pantry.

• Salt: Just a pinch! Trust me, this will enhance the flavor of the frosting. If you are using salted butter, then skip this completely.

• Shredded coconut – The star of our recipe. I would recommend using an unsweetened variety of coconut.

Any substitutes? 

All-purpose flour – Replace all-purpose flour with cake flour and skip the corn starch entirely.

Coconut milk – Use regular full-fat milk instead of coconut milk if you do not have coconut milk in the pantry. Also, increase the extract by 1/4 teaspoon.

Tools needed

1. Measuring spoons/cups – to measure ingredients.
2. Weighing scale – to precisely measure ingredients.
3. Mixing bowls – To prepare the cake batter.
4. Hand beater – to beat the butter, sugar.
5. Spatula – to fold the coconut and scrape the bowl.
6. 8×8 inch square pan – to bake the cake.
7. Parchment paper – to line the baking pan.

Coconut cake squares (step-by-step) recipe

Base cake step-by-step recipe

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) and prepare your 8×8 inch square pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Keep aside.
3. Add unsalted butter, oil, and sugar to another mixing bowl.
4. Beat using a hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.

5. Now add the egg, vanilla extract, and coconut extract, and beat again.
6. Alternate sifted dry ingredients with coconut milk and beat on low speed until it is just combined.
7. Add shredded coconut and gently fold using a rubber spatula.
8. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake at 350°F or 180°C for 38 to 40 minutes.

9. Once baked, remove from the oven and keep on a wooden board until you can touch the pan with your bare hands.
10. Perform the toothpick test. The toothpick inserted should come out clean. If it has some moist batter, pop it back in the oven and bake for another few minutes, and check again.
11. Now, remove from the pan and keep on a wire rack to cool down. Remove the parchment paper and keep it upside down to cool completely.
12. Once cooled, place onto the serving plate and prepare frosting.

Coconut cream cheese frosting step-by-step recipe

13. In a medium bowl, add unsalted butter and cream cheese.
14. Beat for two minutes until light and fluffy. Use a hand or stand mixer (whichever is handy) on a medium-high speed. I am using a hand mixer as the batter is in a small quantity.
15. Now add the powdered sugar in batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch is mixed into the butter well before adding the next batch.
16. Add vanilla extract and coconut extract and beat again. Scrape the bowl once, and beat again. Finally, add shredded coconut and fold gently.

Coconut cake squares step-by-step recipe

17. Take a big dollop of frosting and add it over the cooled cake. Spread and make a smooth top.
18. Smooth out using a spatula and cover the entire top.
19. Slice into 9 pieces.
20. Now add some shredded coconut on. Serve immediately.

How to serve? 

Now our coconut cake squares are ready. Let’s see how we can serve them.

1. Serve on a dessert plate – Coconut cake squares are tiny, bite-sized squares. Serve them on a nice dessert plate.
2. Hot drink – In my opinion, this pairs beautifully with any hot drink, such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. My favorite is coffee as it balances the flavors very well.

Watch me making it (video)

Storing and freezing instructions for the Coconut cake squares recipe 

These coconut cake squares usually don’t last long. But if you have any leftovers or want to make it ahead of time and store it, here are some ways to store it.

Storing instructions

Store plain coconut cake at room temperature (3 days)

Once the cake has cooled completely, cover it with a cling wrap and store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Store plain coconut cake in the refrigerator (1 week)

Once it is cooled, cover it with a cling wrap and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Store the frosted coconut cake in the refrigerator (4 days)

Keep the frosted cake in the freezer until the coconut cream cheese frosting hardens. After that, add a few toothpicks on the top of the cake and then cover with a cling wrap. This will wrap the cake without touching it. Finally, refrigerate it for up to 4 days.

Freezing instructions

Freeze plain coconut cake (2 months)

Once the cake has cooled completely, cover it with a cling wrap, followed by aluminum foil, and freeze it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 2 months.

Freeze the frosted coconut cake (2 weeks)

Keep the frosted cake in the freezer until the coconut cream cheese frosting hardens. After that, add a few toothpicks on the top of the cake and then cover with a cling wrap, followed by aluminum foil. This will wrap the cake without touching it. Finally, freeze it for up to 2 weeks.

Thawing instructions

When you are ready to enjoy, defrost it in the refrigerator for 8 hours or a couple of hours on the kitchen counter, but keep a watch as these can not be left at room temperature for more than a couple of hours because of the cream cheese frosting.

Secret tips to make the coconut cake squares recipe

1. Cool the cake – Cool the cake completely before frosting it with coconut cream cheese frosting, otherwise frosting will melt, resulting in a messy cake.

2. Room temperature ingredients – I always recommend using room temperature ingredients because they mix easily with the rest of the ingredients. Make sure to remove butter, cream cheese and egg, at least an hour before starting the recipe.

3. Do not overmix – We do not want the dense cake, hence avoid overmixing. Take extra care while mixing the cake batter after adding dry ingredients to the wet.

4. Prepare the pan – To remove the cake without breaking it, make sure to prepare the pan. Either use the butter-flour method or the oil-parchment method (like I used here).

FAQs

If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop a comment below, and I will be happy to answer them. 

Want to try some other cake recipes? 

1. Moist vanilla cake recipe.
2. Homemade red velvet cake.
3. Eggless tres leches cake.

Let me know what you think!

Over to you! It is your turn to make these delicious coconut cake squares. I will guarantee that you are going to love these. I am waiting for your response.

Drop a comment below and let me know how yours turned out. Your feedback matters to me a lot.

Do not forget to tag me @dessertkatta or use hashtags #dessertkatta, #dessertkattarecipes if you post the pictures on Instagram.

Recipe card

Print Recipe

Coconut Cake Squares Recipe

Author: Sayali Bhave Courses: Cakes Recipe Keys: Dairy Nut Free

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 45 mins Rest Time 30 mins Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Cooking Temp: 350  F Servings: 9

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Description

Hello, coconut lovers. these coconut squares are just for you. Prepare these cake squares with everyday pantry staples in under 2 hours and impress your loved ones.

Ingredients

Servings

Coconut Cake Squares Ingredients

• ³⁄₄ cup (90 gms) All-purpose Flour
• 2 tsp (10 gms) Corn Starch
• 1 tsp (5 gms) Baking Powder
• ¹⁄₄ tsp (1.25 gms) Salt
• 8 tsp (38 gms) Unsalted Butter
• 4 tsp (22 ml) 4.5 Oil
• ¹⁄₂ cup (100 gms) Sugar
• 1 Egg
• ³⁄₄ tsp (3.75 ml) Vanilla Extract
• ¹⁄₄ tsp (1.25 ml) Coconut Extract
• (92 ml) Coconut milk
• (30 gms) Shredded Coconut

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ cup (113 gms) Unsalted Butter
• ²⁄₃ cup (152 gms) Cream Cheese
• ¹⁄₂ tsp (2.5 ml) Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup (184 gms) 1.08 Icing Sugar
• 1 cup (80 gms) Shredded Coconut
• A Pinch of Salt

Recipe

Base cake step-by-step recipe

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) and prepare your 8x8 inch square pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Keep aside.
3. Add unsalted butter, oil, and sugar to another mixing bowl.
4. Beat using a hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
5. Now add the egg, vanilla extract, and coconut extract, and beat again.
6. Alternate sifted dry ingredients with coconut milk and beat on low speed until it is just combined.
7. Add shredded coconut and gently fold using a rubber spatula.
8. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake at 350°F or 180°C for 25 to 28 minutes.
9. Once baked, remove from the oven and keep on a wooden rack until you can touch the pan with your bare hands.
10. Perform the toothpick test. The toothpick inserted should come out clean. If it has some moist batter, pop it back in the microwave and bake for another few minutes, and check again.
11. Now, remove from the pan and keep on a wire rack to cool down. Remove the parchment paper and keep it upside down to cool completely.
12. Once cooled, invert onto the serving plate and prepare frosting.

Coconut cream cheese frosting step-by-step recipe

1. In a medium bowl, cream butter for two minutes until light and fluffy. Use a hand or stand mixer (whichever is handy) on a medium-high speed. I am using a hand mixer as the batter is in a small quantity.
2. Add room temperature, softened cream cheese, and beat again on low to medium speed until it is well combined with butter.
3. Now add the powdered sugar in batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch is mixed into the butter well before adding the next batch.
4. Add vanilla extract and coconut extract and beat again.
5. Scrape the bowl once, and beat again.

Coconut cake squares step by step recipe

1. Take a big dollop of frosting and add it over the cooled cake. Spread and make a smooth top.
2. Now add some shredded coconut on top.
3. Slice into 9 pieces.
4. Serve immediately.

Keywords: coconut cake squares, square coconut cake, coconut squares cake, dessertkatta, dessertkatta recipes