If there are fun-sized Almond Joys anywhere in my general proximity, I will eat them. All of them. I just love the flavor combination of sweet coconut, milk chocolate, and almond. It’s a taste trifecta and if you agree, you’re going to LOVE this cake! Just imagine all the textures and flavors in an Almond Joy candy bar, only in cake form, and behold this beauty:
This Almond Joy inspired cake starts with a delicious, fluffy Coconut Cake. It’s packed with so much flavor and texture between the coconut extract, shredded coconut, and canned coconut milk. And side note on the coconut milk: notice that I said canned. You’ll find canned coconut milk in the Asian foods aisle or the baking aisle of your grocery store and it’s loads different than boxed coconut milk (for drinking). The canned version is much more creamy and condensed, making it perfect for baking, so be sure to get the right coconut milk for this cake! It will make all the difference!
The Coconut Cake turned out so delicious that I just sat there eating a bowl of cake scraps for a good ten minutes. It’s so moist due to the sour cream and creamy coconut milk, and the texture with shredded coconut is unreal. I thought to pair it with straight up Almond Buttercream, but adding some coconut extract to the buttercream really brought out the perfect coconut-almond flavor you’d find in an Almond Joy. So Coconut-Almond Buttercream was born, and it could not be a more tasty compliment to this Coconut Cake!
You can’t have an Almond Joy inspired cake without some milk chocolate, so I whipped up some Milk Chocolate Ganache for drizzling between layers and dripping the top of the cake. After decorating it with some almond slices, a Coconut-Almond Buttercream border, and some more shredded coconut, it looks just as heavenly as it tastes. If you’re as much of an Almond Joy fan as I am, this is going to make your cakey dreams come true!
Almond Joy Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Coconut Cake
- 3 1/4 Cups (344g) cake flour, sifted before measuring
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups (330g) white granulated sugar
- 5 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup (168g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 1 1/4 Cups (296ml) canned full-fat coconut milk, room temperature
- 1 Cup shredded sweetened coconut
Coconut-Almond Buttercream
- 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 tsp coconut extract
- 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt
Milk Chocolate Ganache
- 1/2 Cup (92g) milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
Additional Garnishes (optional)
- shredded sweetened coconut
- almond slices
Instructions
Make The Coconut Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a cooking spray (Baker’s Joy is my favorite) and a wax paper circle fitted to the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, you can grease and lightly flour the pans.
- Sift the cake flour and then measure by spooning and leveling it in your measuring cup. Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter on high for two minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to mix on medium-high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Slowly add the egg whites while mixing on low until well combined. Add sour cream, vanilla extract, and coconut extract and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the canned coconut milk slowly and mix until just incorporated. Gently fold in the shredded coconut by hand, making sure you scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl without overmixing.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans (no more than 2/3 full) and bake for 40-45 minutes. They’re done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they’re entirely room temperature before applying any frosting.
Make The Coconut-Almond Buttercream
- With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar, a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, coconut extract, milk, and salt. Mix on medium-low for another minute or two until fully incorporated.
Make The Milk Chocolate Ganache
- Place milk chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal) and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to boil. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When you see that it’s just starting to boil, pour it into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for twenty seconds.
- Whisk the mixture together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool ganache at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature.
Assembly
- Torte the Coconut Cake layers to level off the tops. Place the first cake layer onto a cake circle and fill it with Coconut-Almond Buttercream, then drizzle with a little bit of Milk Chocolate Ganache (make sure it’s room temp or cooler). Place the next cake layer on top and repeat the filling process before adding the last layer of Coconut Cake on top. Crumb coat with Coconut-Almond Buttercream and place the cake in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to firm up before your final frosting.
- To achieve the design pictured, frost the cake with a final layer of Coconut-Almond Buttercream and add almond slices around the bottom of the cake. Drip the cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache (for tips on dripping a cake read this post!). Fit a piping bag with Wilton Tip 1M and fill it with more Coconut-Almond buttercream, then pipe a rope border around the top edge. Fill in the center with shredded coconut and sprinkle some on top of the rope border, then add more almond slices to the rope border.
Notes
Did you make this Almond Joy cake? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below or feel free to tag me on Instagram. I love to see what you’re caking!
Hi! I am getting ready to make this for my birthday. Can I cut back on the powdered sugar in the buttercream to make it less sweet?
Hi Desiree! I’m excited for you to make this for your birthday! If you want to reduce the powdered sugar amount by 1/2 Cup it should still be great consistency for cake decorating and a little less sweet. Enjoy!
Hi Whitney!
I am in the process of making this cake right now. Question: do you think using some of the leftover coconut milk would do ok in the buttercream instead of whole milk? I was just thinking it could boost the coconut flavor a smidge.
Actually, I did it and it was perfect!
Hello Whitney!
I’m about to try this out only to find out I only have plain yoghurt and not cream cheese. Can I use that. There is a snow storm here, so I’m trying not to go out .
Love, love, love your red velvet recipe. I will be trying a lot more soon and also getting your book!
Hi Olu! You can use plain yogurt in place of the sour cream here, that’s the best substitute! So happy you love my red velvet cake recipe and cannot wait for you to see the book!
Hello Whitney!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! It sounds delicious. I want to make it as a birthday cake but with 3 10” layers. Would it work well if I double the recipe??
Hi Myurell! You might need closer to 2.5x the recipe for a cake of that size. Each 10″ round cake pan needs about 5.5 Cups of cake batter and this recipe makes about 7 Cups of cake batter as-is. This recipe scale calculator can help you figure out the math if you need it: https://www.inchcalculator.com/recipe-scale-conversion-calculator/ hope that helps!
Wow!! Thank you sooo much! This helps a LOT!!!
Hello! I am trying to make this cake for my dad’s birthday but three layers would leave so much leftover (I have to make my moms cake next week), what adjustments should I make to only have two layers?
Hi Kaidance! To make this recipe as a 2-layer cake, you’ll need to make 2/3 of the recipe. You can use this recipe scale calculator to scale the recipe by 2/3 and have the perfect amount of each ingredient: https://www.inchcalculator.com/recipe-scale-conversion-calculator/
I am making this cake for Christmas Eve and wonder if it needs to be refrigerated. I made the gingerbread latte cake for a party last weekend and it fabulous! Thanks Andrea
Hi Andrea! I’m so happy you loved the Gingerbread Latte Cake and I’m excited for you to make this one! It doesn’t technically need to be refrigerated but I always like to refrigerate my cakes until about an hour or two before serving, just to keep the decorations looking perfect. Enjoy!
Looking forward to making the cake.
Yay, Linda! I can’t wait for you to try it!
I have made this once before as a three layer, I was wondering what the measurements would be for 2, 8in. layers?`
Hi Monroe! So happy you love this recipe 🙂 for two 8-inch layers, I would keep the measurements as-is. Just be sure to fill the pans no more than 2/3 full and you should have just enough, maybe a little extra for a couple cupcakes.
Can it be used to make 2 7-inch layers?
Hi Shanice! Yes it can, I would just be sure to fill the tins no more than 2/3 full. You’ll have a little more than enough batter.
Can I make this recipe as cupcakes? What would I need to change?
Hi Nicki! You can absolutely make this recipe as cupcakes! Just be sure to fill the tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350F/177C for 15-18 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!
How could I adjust this for 2 8in pans?
Hi Desiree! This recipe makes enough batter for two 8-inch pans. Bake at the same oven temp and check the cake around 45-50 minutes and see if it needs more time from there. Enjoy!
Delicious! I did two 8” layers of this coconut cake and a middle layer of my favorite chocolate cake. Everyone loved it and it was beautiful!!
Yay, Kelly! That sounds delicious and I’m so happy to hear this recipe was a hit!
Hello. Whitney! Thank you so much for this recipe. My mother loves coconut and for her 85th birthday I made this beautiful and scrumptious Almond Joy Cake. She and the whole family LOVED it. Can’t wait to have a reason to make and eat it again!
Yay, Cynde! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I made for my Dad’s 80th birthday, he loves almond joy! I used 2 -8in pans instead of 3-6in. I also put in a little extra powdered sugar in icing and 1 extra tsp of almond extract. The only thing I had issues with was the canned coconut milk, it is never blended well as the coconut fat congeals at one end of the can. The cake is moist and there was plenty of icing, I had a bit leftover. Would definitely make again. Although I have to work on my ganache skills!! Lol
Yay, Pamela! So happy that this recipe was a hit for your dad’s birthday! Next time if the coconut milk is separated, you can always shake the can before opening it to blend it all together. Thanks for taking the time to let me know how tasty this cake turned out!
Hello Whitney, I made this cake over the weekend and I’ve gotten rave reviews from everyone who tried it!! I’m new to your site and already looking forward to trying a new recipe this weekend. Your photos are beautiful, your recipes are easy to follow and your tutorials are so helpful – Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise!!
That is so wonderful to hear, Susan! Thank you for the kind words. I’m so happy you loved this recipe and can’t wait for you to try more!
We had this cake for my sister’s family birthday party and everyone loved it. Even my chocolate-cake, chocolate-frosting lovers say this is their new favourite cake!
Yay!! So happy to hear that this recipe was a hit, Shellie!
Quick question! What method did you use to arrange the almonds around the bottom of the cake?
Hi Kiki! I just used slivered almonds and applied them the same way that I would sprinkles. Here’s a video on that method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSbbjYDuQI8
Did you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk. Thank you.
Hi Liz! I used unsweetened coconut milk for this recipe
If all I have is bread flour, can I use that?
Hi Sarah! Unfortunately, bread flour will make this cake super dense. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you don’t mind a dense cake.
How would this recipe be in a sheet cake size? Would it be too dense? : )
Hi Brandy! I’ve never tried baking this recipe in a sheet pan myself, but I’ve heard of others having success with it as a sheet cake. Just be sure to fill the pan no more than 1/2 full for a sheet pan and bake at 325. I would check for doneness at about 55 minutes. Let me know if you try it!
Can I make this in 3, 8 inch round pans?
Hi Kelly! I would make 1.5x the recipe to have enough batter for three 8 inch pans.
Thank you! I’m making it on Saturday 🙂
Does it make the most sense to go by the volume measurements if our metric measurements are much different than what’s listed here?
Thanks!
Hi Lu! I would go by volume measurements if the weight measurements are dramatically different for you. Although I do wonder why the weight measurements are so different?
Ooh My Gosh!!! I CANNOT WAIT to make this cake
Yay, Laura!! Let me know when you do! Excited for you to try this recipe 🙂
I can’t wait what a wonderful idea
Yay, Martha! Can’t wait for you to try this!
This looks and sounds amazing!
Thank you!! It’s one of my fave flavor combos ever and I love how this cake turned out! Hope you get the chance to try it soon 🙂
It really looks good is there a way I can go eggless on this recipe?
Hi Mel! I’ve never tried substituting the eggs in this recipe before, but feel free to experiment!