Moist Coconut Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Coconut Carrot Cake has everything people love about a traditional carrot cake: warm cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, plenty of grated carrots, and a moist, tender crumb. The shredded coconut and chopped walnuts add extra texture, making the cake feel a little more special while still keeping the familiar flavor of a classic carrot cake.

The coconut is used twice in this recipe: once in the cake batter and again in the cream cheese frosting. The frosting is smooth, tangy, and rich, with shredded coconut stirred in for flavor and texture. It complements the spiced carrot cake beautifully without overwhelming it.

This recipe is baked in a 13×9-inch pan, which makes it easy to slice and serve. You can also bake it as a bundt cake, two 9-inch round layers, or cupcakes. Because the cake and frosting are both rich, small slices are usually plenty.

How to Make Coconut Carrot Cake

1. Shred the carrots with a box grater or food processor.
2. Beat together the oil and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the oil and sugar mixture until combined.
5. Fold in the grated carrots, shredded coconut, and walnuts.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 13×9-inch pan and bake at 350°F for 42–46 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Making the Cream Cheese Frosting with Coconut

1. Beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, then beat until fluffy.
3. Mix in the shredded coconut and chopped walnuts.
4. Spread the coconut cream cheese frosting over the completely cooled cake.
5. Slice and serve.

For the cake:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 3 cups grated carrots, loosely packed, about 12 oz
• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
• ½ cup shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup shredded coconut

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, beat the sugar and vegetable oil together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
• In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture just until combined.
• Fold in the grated carrots, chopped walnuts, and shredded coconut.
• Pour the batter into a greased 13×9-inch pan.
• Bake for 42–46 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the frosting, beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until fluffy. Stir in the chopped walnuts and shredded coconut.
• Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
• Chill until ready to serve. For the best texture, let the cake sit at room temperature before serving.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving for the best frosting texture.

If you do not want to use walnuts, substitute pecans or leave the nuts out completely.

Cooking times for different pans:

• Two 9-inch round cake pans: 35–40 minutes
• 24 muffin cups for cupcakes: 20–24 minutes
• Bundt pan: 45–48 minutes

There is plenty of frosting for any of these options.