Vegan Coconut Poke Cake
I am overjoyed with the outcome of this cake! It took a few tries to perfect it, and finally, I am going to share a perfect vegan coconut poke cake recipe with you. I’m super excited!
It is quite simple, easy, and quick to prepare. With a generous pour of condensed milk and coconut cream, the cake comes out moist and soft every time. Then, with whipped cream on top, it’s the stuff of coconut fantasies!
I worked hard to keep the recipe as simple as possible while ensuring that the finished result tasted like something you’d get in a bakery. For baking, I prefer one-bowl recipes, and this one worked out perfectly for me!
Scroll down for the detailed recipe, but I suggest you do not miss out on reading the important information included in the blurb if you want to make a perfect recipe every time!
You will also love Vegan Lemon Pound Cake and Healthy Cranberry Bread
What is a “poke cake”?
It is called a poke cake because of the poking step. The poking in the “poke” cake assists in dripping the cream mixture into the cake. This adds an extra layer of moistness to the cake. As a result, it’s deliciously moist. When poking the cake, the important thing to remember is to ensure that the holes allow for even drainage. If you’re doing it haphazardly and leave some areas unpoked, expect the cake to be significantly drier in those areas.
What is the best way to poke the cake to ensure even absorption? You can begin in the center and work the way around. OR start in the middle and poke the cake from the inside out, creating a “pinwheel” spiral of pokes.
Why you’ll love this coconut poke cake:
- It is vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
- It’s a simple enough recipe that anyone can make.
- It is light and fluffy rather than dense and heavy.
- Because you pour both coconut cream and coconut condensed milk over the baked cake immediately, you’re guaranteed a soft and moist cake every time.
- Because you can also store it refrigerator before or after frosting, making it an excellent dessert that you can prepare in advance.
- Coconut has an undeniably delicious flavor in this cake. It is a real dream for coconut lovers. Or even if you don’t like coconut, you’ll surely be going to love this cake because it is so delicious.
On top of all, you’ll enjoy a soft vegan coconut poke cake with sweet, creamy dripping and coconut flakes on top. Wow, it’s amazing!!
Coconut Poke Cake recipe:
This vegan coconut poke cake is quite simple and easy to prepare. You’ll require the following ingredients and steps to follow:
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseeds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 1/2 cup coconut condensed milk
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- Coconut whipped cream
- 1 cup coconut flakes
How to make vegan Coconut Poke Cake?
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray or brush a small glass rectangular with oil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add gluten-free flour, cornstarch, flaxseeds, baking powder, salt.
- In another bowl, mix coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Mix with dry ingredients until fully combined.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the fork comes out clean. Poke holes throughout the cake using a fork or skewer.
- Meanwhile, combine the coconut cream with the coconut condensed milk and immediately pour it over the coconut cake.
- Allow cake to cool completely, top with coconut whipped cream, and sprinkle with coconut flakes.
- Keep the cake in the refrigerator. Serve and enjoy.
Serving suggestions:
You can serve vegan coconut poke cake slices for additional flare with a dollop of vegan whipped cream on the side. A bowl of fresh strawberries would also be a nice addition.
Storing tips:
When refrigerated properly, this vegan coconut poke cake will keep for up to a week. Although I am not a big fan of freezing the cake, you can freeze the individual cake slices for up to a month. First, freeze the slices for approximately 30 minutes on a baking tray to allow the whipped cream to harden. Then, using plastic wrap and foil, tightly wrap the cake and put them in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
- The baking time may vary depending upon the type of your oven.
- Avoid overmixing the cake batter! If you do, the fluffiness of your cake will be compromised.
- Cool the cake completely before topping with coconut whipped cream, or the frosting will slip or spoil.
- If desired, you may use cake flour for all-purpose flour; however, you must skip the cornstarch.
- I used coconut oil; however, you can also use canola oil or vegan butter. If you are going to use vegan butter, there’s no need to add salt to the cake batter because vegan butter is already salted.
- To make this cake dairy-free, low in calories and fat, I used coconut milk. However, you can replace it with regular milk as well.
- Coconut flakes can be toasted before being sprinkled on the cake for extra flair and crunch.
- You may turn it into a vegan chocolate coconut cake by adding 1/4 to 1/3 cup cocoa powder to the batter.
If you like and enjoy this Vegan Coconut Poke Cake recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback in the comment section below!
More vegan cake recipes:
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Vegan Coconut Poke Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseeds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut condensed milk homemade, or Carnation or Kroger brand
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1 recipe coconut whipped cream or one tub of store-bought coconut whipped cream
- 1 cup coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray or brush a small glass rectangular with oil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add gluten-free flour, cornstarch, flaxseeds, baking powder, salt.
- In another bowl, mix coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Mix with dry ingredients until fully combined.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the fork comes out clean. Poke holes throughout the cake using a fork or skewer.
- Meanwhile, combine the coconut cream with the coconut condensed milk and immediately pour it over the coconut cake.
- Allow cake to cool completely, top with coconut whipped cream, and sprinkle with coconut flakes.
- Keep the cake in the refrigerator. Serve and enjoy.
This sounds delicious ! Is that much cane sugar healthy ? couldn’t you replace it with another sweetener without calories ? Also couldn’t you also use Almond flour and or Coconut flour ?
Laura thank you, on this one, I was focused on recreating the dish just like the traditional version since it is for the holidays. Yes, you can substitute the sugar for maple syrup. I rarely bake with coconut flour, don’t like the texture, might as well just do a raw version or energy ball. However, for the New Year, I’ll experiment with a healthier version, planning to do both traditional gluten-free vegan versions of desserts and healthy versions from here on for both types of readers, ones who just want to enjoy traditional desserts without gluten, dairy, etc and ones who want healthy sugar-free. Let’s see how my audience responds. Your feedback is vital.
Vegan coconut poke cake is so delicious!
I know this is something I would enjoy