This fluffy and creamy Vegan Coconut Buttercream Cake is topped with coconut shreds and finely grated chocolate.

A vanilla cake that is moist, fluffy and has just the right weight makes the core of this recipe. The cake component of this recipe is utter perfection. It’s not too light and not dense. You can enjoy slices of this cake without that heavy feeling afterwards.

A layer of vegan vanilla buttercream is used in the middle of the cake as well as on top and around the edges. The buttercream in this recipe has the perfect balance of creamy butter and sweet icing sugar. It is creamy and sweet, with the perfect vanilla flavour. This buttercream is not too rich, but is just right. Trust me, you’ll want to use this vegan vanilla buttercream icing on everything!

The piece de resistance of this Vegan Coconut Buttercream Cake recipe is, of course, the coconut!

What Coconut to Use in Vegan Coconut Buttercream Cake

The type and quality of coconut shreds you use in baking matter. I’ll say it again. What coconut you use in baking matters. It matters like, a lot!

Some people believe they don’t like coconut in baked goods. But, in actuality, what they don’t like is poor quality coconut in baked goods!

Poor quality coconut shreds are a sad thing indeed. They’re hard, stale and flavourless, with a dry and wire-y texture that is absolutely not pleasing. Anyone consuming poor quality coconut shreds will be fooled into thinking they don’t like coconut!

So, what should quality coconut shreds taste like?

Quality coconut shreds are fluffy and beautiful, like soft little flakes of snow that melt on the tongue. They have a light and airy consistency that melts in your mouth into a creamy delight.

I use Camino Shredded Coconut in Unsweetened. This variety of coconut shreds is fair-trade, organic, vegan, unsweetened, and without any additives or preservatives. You can absolutely taste the quality, and it melds beautifully with the vanilla cake and buttercream in this recipe.

So, if you believe you don’t like coconut, I suggest giving this variety a try. You might just be surprised!

Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Icing

In this icing recipe you want to use a block of vegan butter, rather than a vegan butter spread. A block of vegan butter typically has more fattiness to it than a spread, which works best to make an icing.

It’s crucial that you use softened (not cold rock hard!) butter to make your icing. Since vegan butters are usually made of oil they are naturally very soft. This means that unlike dairy-based butter, you may not need to softened your butter for long. Simply removing your vegan block of butter from the fridge and letting sit out for 10-15 minutes should do the trick!

Making a Grated Chocolate Topping

Grated chocolate makes a lovely cake topping. It’s one of my favourite easy ways to elevate a dessert. The little swirls of chocolate look fancy, but are super easy and quick to make!

These dainty little curls of chocolate are beautiful and add interest since no two are the same! It takes literally minutes to make a batch of these babies using a cheese grater, zester or a microplane.

Simply take a bar of chocolate such as Camino Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate and grate the bar along the edge. You can grate them swirls into a small bowl or even just grate them directly on top of your cake.