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This Easy Coconut Carrot Bundt Cake recipe is made with yellow cake mix and coated with a delicious cream cheese frosting and shredded coconut toppings. A bundt cake is perfect for any occasion but the coconut and carrot combo is extra special for Spring and Easter. 

one slice of carrot cake on a white plate covered with white frosting.


Easy Coconut Carrot Bundt Cake

Don’t you just love carrot cake? We do, especially during March and April and Easter season. This carrot bundt cake is perfect for Easter but honestly, any occasion. It’s actually too easy to not make all year round, thanks to the yellow cake mix we’ll be using. 

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Enjoy the best of both worlds with carrot and coconut together! It’s an iconic duo that’s fantastic to put together in one recipe.
  • This carrot coconut cake is so moist, thanks to using a yellow cake mix – but you could also use spice cake mix.
  • Adding freshly grated carrots, spices, and coconut frosting makes the perfect cake.

Ingredients Needed

  • Coconut: sweetened shredded coconut, the kind in the baking aisle
  • Cake mix: use any brand of yellow cake mix (approximately 15 ounces)
  • Vanilla or coconut pudding mix: Make sure to use instant pudding mix. If you canld find the coconut pudding mix, add coconut extract to the cake.
  • Oil: I prefer using vegetable oil in cake mix recipes
  • Coconut Milk: Use the refrigerated coconut milk (sold near the nondairy milk) not canned coconut milk. You can also use any milk you want, the coconut milk will just lend more coconut flavor.
  • Cinnamon: a few teaspoons ground cinnamon for carrot cake flavor
  • Carrots: shred your own carrots, don’t use the pre-shredded!
  • Butter: unsalted at room temperature for the frosting
  • Cream cheese: at room temperature for the cream cheese frosting.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

How to make carrot cake in bundt pan

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bundt pan with nonstick floured cooking spray (or butter and flour the pan). 
  • Place the shredded coconut in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring almost constantly, for a few minutes, until the coconut browns. Immediately remove to a plate to cool. (Coconut burns easily, so be sure to watch it carefully.) Reserve the toasted coconut for the topping of the cake.
  • Place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, cinnamon, and almond milk in a large bowl. Whisk together until just combined (mixture may be slightly lumpy). Stir in the shredded carrots and toasted coconut.
  • Pour cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes cook time or until a toothpick comes out clean near the center. 
To make the cream cheese frosting: 
  • Beat butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. 
  • Add salt and a cup of powdered sugar, beat until smooth, then mix in the remaining cup of powdered sugar and vanilla. Mixture should be smooth and spreadable. 
  • Glaze or pipe on cake as desired. Sprinkle with reserved toasted coconut.

Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cooled cake can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and frozen for up to one month.

carrot cake on a mint green cake stand covered in white frosting.

Expert Tips

  • Use any brand of yellow cake mix for this recipe. You could also substitute a white, spice, or carrot cake mix too.
  • Use any flavor pudding to enhance the flavor, just be sure to match it with the other cake flavors.
  • If you want to amp up the coconut flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract to the cake and/or the frosting.
  • I baked my cake in a 12″ bundt pan. If you don’t have a bundt pan, you could bake this in a 9×13″ pan or two 9″ rounds. The baking time will be affected, but it’ll work in either pan. You should probably double the frosting in that case, since the recipe as written makes just enough for the bundt.
  • Instead of using shredded coconut as your carrot cake topping, you can use chopped pecans
  • Add a teaspoon ground gloves for a kick of extra spice to your carrot cake. 

FAQs

How do you get carrot cake out of a bundt pan?

Let the carrot cake cool in the bundt pan then tap the pan to then gently invert the pan over a plate. You might need to lightly give it a shake to loosen up the cake to fall. 

Can you freeze bundt cake?

I love how wonderfully this carrot cake freezes. To preserve freshness, wrap the cake in a plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. 

Can I omit the coconut in this recipe?

You absolutely can! Instead of the coconut, you can simply stick to the shredded carrots.

Coconut carrot cake on mint green cake stand

Coconut Carrot Bundt Cake Recipe

5 from 5 votes
Coconut Carrot Cake – this easy carrot cake recipe is full of coconut with a cream cheese frosting. The perfect cake for spring, Easter, or any occasion! It’s an easy recipe that starts with a cake mix but you’d never know it.
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield 10 -12 servings
Serving Size 1 /10 slice of cake

Ingredients
 

For the Cake

  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 (approx 15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
  • 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla or coconut pudding mix
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend or any flavor
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups shredded carrots

For the Frosting

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12” bundt pan with nonstick floured cooking spray (or butter and flour the pan).
  • Place the coconut in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring almost constantly, for a few minutes, until the coconut browns. Immediately remove to a plate to cool. (Coconut burns easily, so be sure to watch it carefully.) Reserve 1/4 cup of the toasted coconut for the topping of the cake.
  • Place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, cinnamon, and almond milk in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until just combined (mixture may be slightly lumpy). Stir in the shredded carrots and toasted coconut.
  • Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for 38-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean near the center. Cool completely before frosting.
  • To make the frosting: beat butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Add salt and 1 cup of powdered sugar, beat until smooth, then mix in remaining cup of powdered sugar and vanilla. Mixture should be smooth and spreadable. Spread or pipe on cake as desired. Sprinkle with reserved toasted coconut.
  • Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cooled cake can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and frozen for up to one month.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Use any brand of yellow cake mix for this recipe. You could also substitute a white, spice, or carrot cake mix too.
  • If not using coconut pudding mix, add 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract to the cake.
  • If you want to amp up the coconut flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract to the cake and/or the frosting.
  • I baked my cake in a 12″ bundt pan. If you don’t have a bundt pan, you could bake this in a 9×13″ pan or two 9″ rounds. The baking time will be affected, but it’ll work in either pan. You should probably double the frosting in that case, since the recipe as written makes just enough for the bundt.
  • Instead of using shredded coconut as your carrot cake topping, you can use chopped pecans
  • Add a teaspoon ground gloves for a kick of extra spice to your carrot cake. 

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1/10 slice of cake | Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1396mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 28g
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

5 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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29 Comments

  1. Boy, do I empathize. I’m on a deadline and I just realized yesterday that I did part of the project all wrong and have to somehow fix it by tomorrow. I hate that feeling!
    The whole coconut in carrot cake thing is pretty brilliant. I can’t wait to give this a shot!

  2. I love carrot cake (and cream cheese frosting)!! ย 

    I always have Almond Breeze (for afternoon lattes) but I actually had NO idea they had a coconut milk blend, I’ll definitely be checking it out!

  3. Okay, the almond milk is genius! And a great idea since I always have a box of it in my pantry.

  4. Your cake looks awesome! ย I really like the cake mix fix and appreciate the cake has only 1\2 cup oil. ย  Can’t Wait to try!