Irresistible Snack Size Strawberry Coconut Cake: A Tropical Delight!
Get ready to fall in love with our Snack Size Strawberry Coconut Cake! Featuring wonderfully fluffy coconut cake layers beautifully complemented by a luscious, sweet strawberry buttercream, this cake is an absolute dream. It’s perfectly sized for any occasion, offering a taste of tropical paradise in every bite.
As the seasons change and the warmth of summer begins to fade, it’s natural to crave those bright, sun-kissed flavors that define the season. Our new Snack Size Strawberry Coconut Cake is the perfect way to extend that summer feeling just a little longer. This delightful creation combines the rich, tropical essence of coconut with the fresh, sweet burst of strawberries, creating a dessert that feels like a mini-vacation on your plate. Whether you’re holding onto summer memories or simply love a vibrant, flavorful cake, this recipe is a must-try.
If you’re a fan of our tropical-inspired treats and crave more delicious bakes, be sure to explore some of our other fantastic recipes. They’re perfect for expanding your baking repertoire and satisfying any sweet tooth!
- Frosted Coconut Lime Sugar Cookie
- Moist and Fluffy Coconut Cake
- Coconut Caramel Cake with Pecan Buttercream
Why You’ll Love This Snack Size Strawberry Coconut Cake
This isn’t just any cake; it’s a celebration of flavor and convenience. Here are compelling reasons why this strawberry coconut cake will become your new favorite:
- Quick and Easy Baking: Don’t let the idea of baking intimidate you! This snack cake can be whipped up in under two hours, making it an ideal choice for spontaneous sweet cravings, last-minute celebrations, or when you simply need a delicious treat without spending all day in the kitchen. Its straightforward process ensures a delightful outcome every time.
- Perfect Snack Size (8×8 Pan): Designed specifically for an 8×8 cake pan, this recipe yields a perfectly portioned cake. It’s fantastic for smaller families, intimate gatherings, or even as a personal indulgence without the worry of excessive leftovers. This size ensures freshness and makes it incredibly manageable.
- Explosion of Tropical Summer Flavor: Prepare your taste buds for a blissful escape! The heavenly combination of light, airy coconut cake layers and the vibrant, sweet strawberry buttercream creates a tropical paradise in every bite. It’s like bringing a summer vacation directly to your kitchen, offering a refreshing and indulgent experience.
- Guaranteed Crowd-Pleaser: With its beautifully balanced flavors, fluffy texture, and eye-catching presentation, this cake is destined to be a hit. Whether served at a potluck, birthday party, or a casual get-together, its irresistible charm will have everyone asking for the recipe. It’s a dessert that truly stands out!
Essential Ingredients for Your Strawberry Coconut Cake
A great cake starts with great ingredients. Below is a spotlight on some key components that make this snack cake truly special. For a complete list with precise measurements, please refer to the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this page!
- Cake Flour: This isn’t just regular flour; cake flour has a lower protein content, which is crucial for achieving the incredibly tender, light, and delicate crumb texture that defines our fluffy coconut cake layers. It prevents the cake from becoming dense or tough.
- Coconut Extract: To truly infuse that delightful tropical essence, a quality coconut extract is essential. It provides a concentrated burst of sweet, nutty coconut flavor that permeates every bite of the cake.
- Sour Cream: The secret to an exceptionally moist cake lies in ingredients like sour cream. It adds a wonderful richness and tang, enhancing the cake’s tenderness and ensuring it stays moist for longer.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: For an intensely flavorful and beautifully colored strawberry buttercream without adding excess moisture, freeze-dried strawberries are a game-changer. When finely ground, they provide a potent, natural strawberry taste that fresh berries simply can’t match in frosting. (I found mine at Target!)
- Cream Cheese: Integral to our strawberry cream cheese frosting, cream cheese adds a delightful tang and a velvety, rich creaminess that perfectly balances the sweetness. It contributes to a frosting that is both luxurious and flavorful.
- Coconut Milk (High Fat, Low Sugar): To deepen the authentic coconut flavor in the cake batter and provide a lovely richness, high-fat, low-sugar canned coconut milk is used. This ensures a decadent, tropical profile without making the cake overly sweet.
- Eggs: As a foundational baking ingredient, eggs serve multiple purposes. They act as a binding agent, providing structure to the cake, while also contributing moisture and richness for a well-rounded texture.
- Unsalted Butter: Butter is key for both flavor and texture. In the cake, it contributes to a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. In the frosting, it creates a smooth, rich base for the other flavors to shine.
Helpful Baking Tips for the Perfect Coconut Batter
Achieving a perfect cake batter is all about technique and a few key pointers. I typically use a stand mixer – my favorite is KitchenAid, and you can find my exact model here. You’ll also need an 8×8 baking pan, parchment paper, good mixing bowls, a bowl scraper, metal binder clips (useful for securing parchment paper!), and a rubber spatula. Here are my top tips for an impeccable coconut cake:
- Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: This is a golden rule in baking! Ensure your eggs, sour cream, and butter are at room temperature. This allows them to emulsify properly with other ingredients, creating a smoother, more uniform batter and a more tender final cake.
- Properly Measure Your Flour: Avoid simply scooping flour directly from the bag, as this can compact it and lead to too much flour. Instead, gently spoon cake flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. This technique prevents a dense, heavy cake.
- Do Not Overmix the Batter: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour excessively, resulting in a tough, dry cake. A few small lumps are perfectly fine and will disappear during baking.
- Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients: When combining your wet and dry ingredients, add them in alternating batches. Start and end with the dry ingredients, incorporating a portion of the dry mixture, then some coconut milk, and repeating. This method helps maintain the batter’s emulsion and prevents overmixing.
- Preheat Your Oven Thoroughly: Always preheat your oven to the specified temperature well in advance. A hot and ready oven ensures that your cake starts baking immediately and evenly, promoting a good rise and proper texture from the moment it enters the oven.
- Spray and Line the Cake Pan: For easy and clean removal of your baked cake, always spray your 8×8 pan with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper. You can even spray the parchment paper lightly again for extra insurance. This prevents sticking and makes transfer a breeze.
- Allow the Cake to Cool Completely: Patience is a virtue in baking! Let the cake cool entirely in the pan on a wire rack before attempting to remove it or frost it. A warm cake can crumble or cause your frosting to melt and slide off.
Advanced Baking and Decorating Tips
Beyond the basics, these tips will help you perfect your Snack Size Strawberry Coconut Cake, from achieving the ideal texture to giving it a polished look.
- Master Precise Measurements: For consistently perfect results, especially with dry ingredients like flour and sugar, always spoon them into your measuring cups and level off the top with a straight edge. For liquids, use liquid measuring cups and check at eye level. This precision prevents common baking errors.
- Consistent Oven Temperature: Reiterate the importance of a properly preheated oven. Fluctuations in temperature can lead to an unevenly baked cake, with a dense bottom or a sunken center. An oven thermometer can be a great tool to ensure accuracy.
- The Magic of Room Temperature: As mentioned, ensuring butter, eggs, and dairy are at room temperature creates a smooth, homogenous batter that holds air better, resulting in a lighter and fluffier cake.
- Gentle Mixing for Tenderness: Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your cake tough. Mix only until the ingredients are just incorporated. A slightly lumpy batter is often preferred over an overmixed one.
- Patience with Cooling: Resist the urge to frost a warm cake! It will melt your beautiful strawberry buttercream and create a messy outcome. Allow the cake to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, to ensure the frosting sets perfectly. You can speed this up in the fridge or freezer.
- Utilize a Cake Comb for Professional Finish: Want those gorgeous, smooth sides on your cake? A cake comb (I found mine here!) is an inexpensive tool that can transform your frosting game, giving your cake a beautifully textured or smooth finish.
- Garnish for Elegance: Elevate your presentation with a simple garnish. A sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes, a few fresh strawberry slices, or even a sprig of mint can add visual appeal and hint at the delicious flavors within.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Strawberry Coconut Cake
Got questions? We’ve got answers to help you bake the most delicious strawberry coconut snack cake.
Can I use regular buttermilk instead of coconut milk?
While you can substitute buttermilk for coconut milk, be aware that buttermilk will alter the flavor profile. Coconut milk provides a distinct, rich tropical coconut flavor that is central to this recipe’s character. Using buttermilk will still yield a moist cake, but it will lack the intense coconut notes.
Can I use fresh strawberries instead of freeze-dried in the buttercream?
For the best results with buttercream, it’s highly recommended to stick to freeze-dried strawberries. Fresh strawberries contain a lot of water, which can make your buttercream thin, watery, and unstable. Freeze-dried strawberries offer concentrated flavor and a vibrant color without affecting the frosting’s consistency.
Can I add shredded coconut to the cake batter for more texture?
Absolutely! For an extra burst of coconut flavor and delightful texture, you can certainly fold shredded coconut into the cake batter. About ½ to ¾ cup of sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut (depending on your preference for sweetness) can be gently mixed in with a rubber spatula at the very end of the batter preparation. This adds a lovely chewiness and intensifies the coconut experience.
Can I make cupcakes instead of a full cake with this recipe?
Yes, this versatile batter is perfect for making delicious cupcakes! Simply preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill each liner about two-thirds full and adjust the baking time to approximately 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Storing and Freezing Your Strawberry Coconut Cake
To ensure your Snack Size Strawberry Coconut Cake remains fresh and delicious, proper storage is essential.
First, always ensure the cake has cooled completely before storing. Any leftover cake can be placed in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for up to two days. For extended freshness, refrigerate the cake in the same airtight container for up to five days. Bringing it to room temperature before serving will enhance its flavors and texture.
Freezing Your Snack Size Strawberry Coconut Cake
For long-term storage, this cake freezes beautifully. Once the cake has cooled completely, wrap it tightly in several layers of plastic wrap, then an additional layer of aluminum foil. Store the well-wrapped cake in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature before serving for the best possible experience. This way, you can savor the scrumptious tropical flavors of this cake whenever the craving strikes!
HOW TO SERVE: The ultimate enjoyment of this cake comes when served at room temperature! Serving it cold can cause the cake layers to seem drier and the frosting to be too firm. Allow it to sit out for at least 30 minutes to an hour after refrigeration before slicing. Use a sharp, warm knife to cut into desired portions, typically yielding around 9 to 16 square servings, depending on your preferred slice size. Garnish with a fresh strawberry or a sprinkle of toasted coconut for an extra touch of elegance.
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Recipe
Strawberry Coconut Cake
Molly Murphy
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 large whole eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon toasted coconut extract (I used Amoretti’s!)
- 1 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup canned coconut milk (high fat and low sugar)
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1.5 ounce freeze-dried strawberries, finely ground
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Dash of heavy cream
Instructions
For the Cake
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Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (160°C). Spray an 8×8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk or sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and smooth, about 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and cream again for 1-2 more minutes.
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Add the whole eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition until well incorporated (around 30 seconds per egg). Once all eggs have been added, beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Add the coconut extract and sour cream, mixing on low speed just until incorporated.
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With the mixer on the lowest speed, add half of the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, followed by half of the coconut milk. Add the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the coconut milk. Be careful not to overmix; only mix until the ingredients are just combined and the batter is smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed.
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Pour the batter into the prepped pan, and carefully smooth the top with a small offset spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 35-40 minutes. Baking time may vary depending on your oven.
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Once out of the oven, let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, transfer the cake onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. You can place it in the fridge or freezer to speed up the process (20 minutes in the freezer, 30 minutes in the fridge).
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While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
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In a blender or food processor, finely grind the freeze-dried strawberries until they resemble a fine powder or crumb. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the room temperature butter and cream on medium-high speed for 1 minute until well combined.
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Add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, pinch of salt, finely ground freeze-dried strawberries, and a dash of heavy cream. Mix on low speed until all ingredients are just incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
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Adjust the consistency as needed: if the frosting is too thin, add a little more sifted powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add another dash of heavy cream until it reaches your desired spreadable consistency.
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Once the cake has completely cooled, use an offset spatula to spread the strawberry cream cheese frosting evenly over the top of the cake. Garnish as desired and serve!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!