If you’re looking for an outrageously delicious moist cake that your friends and family will rave about, look no further. Our copycat Tom Cruise coconut cake is just what you’re looking for!
This moist, rich coconut vanilla cake is made with toasted coconut flakes, coconut milk, toffee bits, and chunks of white chocolate. Finished with a flavorful coconut buttercream frosting and more delicious shredded coconut for more texture and coconut flavor.
The original version of this decadent cake is made at Doan’s Bakery in Los Angeles, and it’s so good that Tom Cruise is known for sending it to his closest friends.
If you’re not on Tom’s Christmas list this year with the likes of Angela Bassett, Kirsten Dunst, Graham Norton, and Jimmy Fallon, don’t despair. You can still enjoy a taste of the best coconut cake you’ve ever had by making our copycat version of the legendary Tom Cruise coconut cake and keep your celebrity-approved coconut cake dreams from being a Mission Impossible!
This cake is so good that it was even mentioned in an episode of Mythical Kitchen Last Meals with Tom Hanks.
*We used bars of white chocolate to make this recipe, but you can also use white chocolate chips. You can also substitute sour cream for the buttermilk.
Ingredients to make a Tom Cruise Coconut Cake
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our Tom Cruise Coconut Cake recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
How to Make a Tom Cruise Coconut Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Butter a 12 cup bundt pan and dust it with granulated sugar. Set aside until needed.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl.
- Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Add the coconut milk, buttermilk, and coconut extract to a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or an electric mixer and a large bowl).
- Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (2 to 3 minutes).
- Chop the white chocolate into small pieces.
- Place it in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on medium power for 20-30 seconds. Stir and microwave again in 15-second bursts until melted and smooth, stirring after each interval.
- Add the melted white chocolate to the creamed butter.
- Mix to combine.
- Add the eggs and egg whites one at a time to the mixture, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl in between each addition.
- After all the eggs and egg whites have been added, beat at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes or until the mixture gets smooth and creamy and increases slightly in volume.
- With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the dry ingredients to the mixture.
- Add one-half of the wet ingredients to the mixture.
- Mix to combine, then repeat the process, ending with the final third of the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the top of the cake, and then cover the coconut with the toffee bits.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Place the bundt pan on a cooling rack for about an hour to cool to room temperature.
*When the cake has cooled, invert it onto a cake stand.
How to make a Coconut Buttercream
- Add the unsalted butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Beat for about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
- Beat until the confectioner’s sugar has been mixed in.
*Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the coconut and vanilla extracts and table salt to the buttercream.
- Beat at medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Spread the coconut buttercream on the top of the bundt cake.
- Sprinkle sweetened shredded coconut on top of the buttercream.
*Refrigerate the Tom Cruise coconut cake for 30 minutes to let the frosting and coconut set.
The result is a beautifully simplistic cake that is as lovely as it is flavorful. In fact, it’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted.
Don’t wait for the holiday season or a special occasion to make our copycat Tom Cruise cake. It would be a delicious addition to your family’s dinner table, potluck, brunch, or game day celebration.
Our Tom Cruise Cake (aka white chocolate coconut bundt cake) is guaranteed to be a huge hit with your friends and family!
This cake is dense, so a little goes a long way. Slice accordingly and serve with an ice-cold glass of milk or hot coffee.
Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap for 4-5 days. The cake can be stored frozen whole or in slices for up to two months.
Recipe FAQ’s
The cake was originally made by Karen Doan, founder of Doan’s Bakery in Woodland Hills, north of Los Angeles, Ca.
For those of us who aren’t lucky enough to live around the corner from Doan’s Bakery, shipping is the only option for getting the original cake.
It costs $130 online with dry ice delivery included, and while we’re sure it’s worth it, we’re happy to share this copycat recipe to help you enjoy the cake at a fraction of the price!
More Recipes You’ll Love!
While you are making cakes, try my delicious carrot cake recipe or some of the ones below.
Tom Cruise Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup buttermilk -room temperature
- 1 tablespoon coconut extract
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter -room temperature
- 4 ounces white chocolate chopped
- 3 large eggs -room temperature
- 2 large egg whites -room temperature
- 1 cup toasted coconut
- 1 cup toffee bits
Coconut Buttercream
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
Topping
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Butter a 12 cup bundt pan and dust it with granulated sugar. Set aside until needed.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Add the coconut milk, buttermilk, and coconut extract to a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (2 to 3 minutes).
- Chop the white chocolate into small pieces. Place it in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on medium power for 20-30 seconds.
- Stir and microwave again in 15-second bursts until melted and smooth, stirring after each interval.
- Add the melted white chocolate to creamed butter and mix to combine.
- Add the eggs and egg white one at a time to the mixture, scrapping the sides and bottom of the bowl in between each addition.
- After all the eggs and egg whites have been added, beat at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes or until the mixture gets smooth and creamy and increases slightly in volume.
- With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the dry ingredients, followed by one-half of the wet ingredients. Repeat the process until finished, ending with the final third of the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the top of the cake, and then cover the coconut with the toffee bits.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Place the bundt pan on a cooling rack for about an hour to cool to room temperature.
- Invert the cake on a cake stand.
Coconut Buttercream
- Add the unsalted butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
- Add the coconut extract, vanilla extract, and table salt to the buttercream and beat on medium-high speed and beat for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Assembly
- Spread the coconut buttercream on the top of the bundt cake.
- Sprinkle sweetened snredded coocnut on top of the buttercream.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting and coconut set.
Denise says
Since I never have had the original, I can’t assess how close it is to that. But I can assess that this is a delicious cake. The texture is both moist and light. Two changes to note: I used toffee chips that had a bit of chocolate. Also, I had grated white chocolate to use up, I put it directly in the batter by error. Neither of these changes seemed to have any bad effect. I did have to add several minutes to the bake time. We ate it unfrosted to see what the cake was really like. Great!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my cake and about the changes you made.
patricia s potter says
I want to make this but believe there is a typo. Shouldn’t the bundt pan size be 12 cup, not 12 quart?
Chef Dennis Littley says
You are correct its 12 cups. Thanks for catching that!