This show-stopping coconut snowball cake is fit for a festive Christmas party! Three layers of soft and fluffy coconut cake are enveloped by a sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting and coated in shredded coconut for a winter wonderland snowball effect.
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Why you'll love this Coconut Snowball Cake
- Incredibly Moist Coconut Cake: These coconut cake layers have an impossibly moist and fluffy texture with a natural coconut flavor.
- Silky Cream Cheese Frosting: Everything is better with cream cheese frosting, and this cake is no exception.
- Fun, Festive Christmas Dessert: This festive Christmas cake is coated in shredded coconut to look like a snowball, complete with rosemary sprig "trees" and mini candy canes on top!
For more Christmas cake recipes, try my Gingerbread Bundt Cake, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, Chocolate Peppermint Cake, and Maple Eggnog Crepe Cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Coconut: Use unsweetened shredded coconut for the cake batter and for coating!
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cold block cream cheese for the frosting.
- Unsalted Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for best overall flavor.
- Oil: I recommend using an extra light tasting olive oil, but you can use any neutral oil such as coconut, canola, or vegetable oil.
- Flour: Use a high quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Egg Whites: To make this cake white in color and fluffy and texture, we're using egg whites and whipping them before folding into the cake batter.
- Extracts: Add a high quality vanilla extract and coconut extract for a well rounded coconut flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this coconut snowball cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Make the cake batter
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut up the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until it resembles wet sand. Add the oil, coconut sour cream, vanilla, and coconut extract, and mix until just combined. Fold in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed.
Finish the cake batter
In a separate medium bowl, add the egg whites. Use an electric hand mixer to whip them until medium peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula until just combined. Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans. Wrap the cake strips around the outsides of the pans.
Bake the cake layers
Bake for about 25-28 minutes or until the cakes start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Immediately turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth. Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined. Once all of the powdered sugar is added, continue beating on low speed until no more lumps or pockets of air remain and the frosting is smooth.
Decorate
Secure the first cake layer on the cake stand with a small amount of frosting on the bottom. Using an offset spatula, spread on an even layer of frosting, then place the second cake layer on top. Spread an even layer (or crumb coat) of frosting along the top and outside of the cake, then place in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. Take the cake out of the fridge and spread a thicker layer of frosting on the cake. Coat the whole cake in shredded coconut. Top with rosemary sprig "trees" and mini candy canes if desired.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use cake strips to create flat cake layers. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strips around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.
- Use cold cream cheese & room temperature butter. In order to create a sturdy, pipeable cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while room temperature butter will ensure all of the ingredients cream together properly.
- Sift the powdered sugar. I know it can be a pain, but trust me, sifting your powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting is so worth it! If you don't sift it, you'll need to mix the frosting on low speed for a long time to smooth it out. This also runs the risk of agitating the milk solids, creating a grainy frosting.
Recipe FAQs
Cakes may dome in the middle when they bake because the outside bakes faster than the center, so the center has more time to rise. This is not ideal for layer cakes, because it is a pain to have to trim away the top of the cake. The best way to ensure your cake layers bake up flat rather than doming is to use cake strips. Soak the cake strips in cold water before wrapping around the outside of the cake pans. This will ensure that the outside of the cake does not bake faster than the center.
The key is to use COLD block-style cream cheese. The cold temperature and consistency of this type of cream cheese will ensure your frosting turns out thick & sturdy. I also recommend using full-fat cream cheese for best flavor.
This cake lasts up to 5 days in airtight container stored at room temperature or in the fridge. Cake slices can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other Christmas recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Coconut Snowball Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the coconut cake layers:
- 210 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
- 162 g (¾ cup +1 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 76 g (5 ½ tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- 50 g (¼ cup) neutral oil
- 227 g (1 cup) coconut sour cream, or yogurt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 80 g (1 cup) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 egg whites
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 227 g (16 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- 12 oz (1 ½ blocks) cream cheese, cold
- 340 g (3 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
For decorating:
- unsweetened shredded coconut
- rosemary sprigs
- mini candy canes
Instructions
For the coconut cake layers:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line three 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- Soak cake strips in ice water.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut up the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until it resembles wet sand.
- Add the oil, coconut sour cream, vanilla, and coconut extract, and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the egg whites. Use an electric hand mixer to whip them until medium peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans. Wrap the cake strips around the outsides of the pans.
- Bake for about 25-28 minutes or until the cakes start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Immediately turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature or freeze until ready to decorate. (Frozen cake layers will be much easier to frost!)
For the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth. Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined. Once all of the powdered sugar is added, continue beating on low speed until no more lumps or pockets of air remain and the frosting is smooth.
For assembly:
- Secure the first cake layer on the cake stand with a small amount of frosting on the bottom. Using an offset spatula, spread on an even layer of frosting, then place the second cake layer on top.
- Spread an even layer (or crumb coat) of frosting along the top and outside of the cake, then place in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes.
- Take the cake out of the fridge and spread a thicker layer of frosting on the cake.
- Coat the whole cake in shredded coconut. Top with rosemary sprig "trees" and mini candy canes if desired.
Notes
- Use cake strips to create flat cake layers. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strips around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.
- Use cold cream cheese & room temperature butter. In order to create a sturdy, pipeable cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while room temperature butter will ensure all of the ingredients cream together properly.
- Sift the powdered sugar. I know it can be a pain, but trust me, sifting your powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting is so worth it! If you don't sift it, you'll need to mix the frosting on low speed for a long time to smooth it out. This also runs the risk of agitating the milk solids, creating a grainy frosting.
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