I Tried Ina Garten’s Famous $120 Coconut Cake Recipe—and Now I’m Never Buying Dessert Again

Published on November 6, 2025

Ina Garten’s Beatty’s Chocolate Cake is one of the very few recipes you can buy already baked and assembled by the little elves behind Barefoot Contessa, and have it shipped to your doorstep via Goldbelly. Admittedly, it was tempting to say, “store-bought is fine,” and order the cocoa-based creation. But once I saw the $120 price tag, I was quickly convinced that DIY was definitely the best option. 

After success with that chocolate layer cake, I turned my attention to another one of Ina’s best bakery goodies; also available for the same price for delivery. Lucky for me, the exact recipe also appears in her 2006 cookbook, Barefoot Contessa at Home. Ina later shared it on the “All Aboard” nautical-themed episode of her Food Network show, so I had all of the intel I needed to go nuts.

How to Make Ina Garten's Coconut Cake

To make Ina’s Coconut Cake:

1. Make the batter. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then mix in pure vanilla extract and almond extract. (It’s okay if it looks a bit clumpy at this point.) In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, sprinkle in some of the dry ingredients, then add ¼ cup milk. Repeat, alternating dry ingredients and milk, until the batter is just mixed. Fold in sweetened shredded coconut.
2. Bake the cakes. Pour even amounts of the batter into two greased 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the center of the cakes pass the toothpick test. Allow the cake layers to cool on a wire rack.
3. Mix the frosting. Using a mixer on low, blend together room temp cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth—being careful not to whip.
4. Assemble. Place a layer on a cake stand or plate, top-side down. Coat in frosting, top with the second layer, top-side up, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle sweetened coconut across the top and press the rest into the sides.

Tips for Making Coconut Cake

Layer cakes can be intimidating for hobby bakers. (I’m right there with you!) But Ina’s Coconut Cake is actually a cake walk if you keep these pointers in mind…

• Mix with care. Ina’s incredibly helpful directions offer cues that alert us that “the mixture might look curdled; don’t be concerned,” regarding the wet ingredients in the cake batter and “mix until just smooth (don’t whip!),” when coaching us through the cream cheese frosting. Take these to heart, as overmixing can detract from the rich texture.
• Add more coconut flavor. Craving even more tropical vibes? Replace the cow’s milk with coconut milk or coconut cream in the cake batter.
• Adapt the eggs. Because she views them as a better value, Ina always uses—and calls for—extra-large eggs in her recipes. It’s certainly possible to make this homemade cake recipe with other sizes. Feel free to use 5 medium eggs or 6 large eggs instead.
• Jump the gun. While I couldn’t resist sampling a slice as soon as the cake had cooled and I had a chance to frost it, another Ina fan confirms, “it tastes even better the next day.” Keep this in mind the next time you’re in need of a make-ahead dessert recipe.
• Try it as a fruit cake. To transform each slice into a restaurant-style dessert, Ina suggests spooning a raspberry sauce onto a plate (Easy Refrigerator Jam featuring raspberries would be perfect!). Place a slice of Coconut Cake on top, then garnish with fresh raspberries.

The Verdict on Ina Garten's Coconut Cake Recipe

I confess that I’m not the world’s biggest coconut fan. But I’m finding that I grow more fond of the flavor with each passing year, so I couldn’t resist giving Ina’s signature cake recipes a try. I knew it was a must after I spotted fan reviews like “I have been making this coconut cake for many years for special occasions—everyone asks that I make it for their birthday,” and “if you’re looking for an easy dessert to impress your guests, this is it! This dessert is simple and people will think you slaved for hours in the kitchen to make it.”

Those sentiments are spot on. Ina’s Coconut Cake looks and tastes far more fancy and finicky than it is to recreate, and the coconut lends just tropical flair without being overpowering. 

This is probably because the key ingredient is not coconut, according to Ina in her conversation with Goldbelly. It’s almond extract, which accentuates the sweet and nutty flavor in both the cake and the frosting. 

In the future, I look forward to sharing this with loved ones who are craving an island vacation; perhaps blending sliced almonds with the sweetened shredded coconut to shine a spotlight more on the subtle star of the show. And when Girl Scouts cookies are out of season, I’m excited to try this same coconut cake with a caramel filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting for a supersized spin on Caramel deLites. Options abound, and for far less than $120 per cake. (Although I'm sure Ina's version is next level!)