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Have you heard of the viral Tom Cruise cake? This coconut cake is lusciously moist, with sweet coconut in both the batter and sprinkled on the outside of the smooth cream cheese frosting. It also has a unique chewy layer of coconut baked on top of the cake, which is one of the signature components of this special cake.
When you take that first bite, you get that crunchy toasted layer, the moist coconut cake, and that cream cheese frosting that everyone loves. Doan’s version also has chunks of white chocolate in the cake. Most people who have tasted the original cake from Doans say that they don’t taste any white chocolate. It is also referred to as “white chocolate coconut Bundt cake.” I omitted it from my recipe, but I have instructions to include it, too. This recipe is my version of the famous cake, which has become almost as famous as the star it’s named for. This dessert will change your life.
Some internet recipes start with a cake mix. If you’re a regular reader, you know I love to start with a cake mix and do so in many of my cakes. That said, I can’t tell you how amazing this made-from-scratch cake is. The texture of a cake mix simply can not compare to the texture we achieve in this recipe. It’s divine!
Are you a fan of coconut? I hope you’ll try more of my coconut favorites! I promise you all of these cakes are outrageously delicious: coconut cake, coconut pound cake, coconut cupcakes, and coconut buttermilk cake.
WHAT IS TOM CRUISE CAKE
People say Tom (can I call you Tom, Tom) gives these lovely bundt cakes to friends and family at the end of the year. Tom Hanks has been one of the happy recipients and has been heard to say that, according to the Today show, his ideal “last meal” would include this cake!
This year is no different: On Dec. 13, Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” costar Glen Powell shared a photo of the cake on his Instagram story, writing, “The Cruise Cake has arrived.” On Dec. 19, Mindy Kaling shared a photo of the cake on her Instagram story with the caption “Iykyk” (an abbreviation for the phrase “If you know, you know”). Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, Graham Norton, Rosie O’Donnell, Jimmy Fallon, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Bassett have also been gifted with this gem.
To this day, Tom orders them from a local family-owned establishment called Doan’s Bakery in Woodland Hills, California, at $129.95 a pop. It was created by Karen Doan. What are they? They’re a dense, pound cake-like coconut cake that is said to have white chocolate in it. A layer of chewy coconut at the top of the cake is then frosted with cream cheese coconut frosting and topped with a generous sprinkling of toasted coconut. Who do you want to gift this cake to?
TOM CRUISE CAKE INGREDIENTS
- Baker’s Secret Nonstick Cooking Spray: This nonstick spray really works! When applied correctly, your cake will pop out perfectly from the bundt pan.
- Granulated sugar: White sugar for a straightforward sweetness.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: Chewy, sweet, and wonderful.
- Flour: All-Purpose Flour
- Baking powder: For leavening.
- Salt: Table salt.
- Butter: I use unsalted. If you choose to use salted butter, reduce the salt you add.
- Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature.
- Sour cream: The secret to a moist cake
- Cream of coconut: Pour into a microwave-safe bowl, heat, and stir before adding. The fat will be on top when you open the can, so it needs to be heated up in order to mix it into a smooth mixture. Some recipes call for coconut milk. The coconut milk falls flat when compared to the coconut cream.
- Vanilla extract: 100% pure extract for maximum flavor
- Coconut extract: 100% pure extract, a must for this cake
- Cream cheese: For the cream cheese frosting.
- Powdered sugar: Essential for that cream cheese frosting we all love.
TIPS FOR TOM CRUISE CAKE
- Need To Be At Room Temperature! Put these items on the counter before you start: Eggs, butter, cream cheese.
- Toasted Coconut: Toast just until your coconut so it just turns light brown. It can burn easily, so don’t walk away from it.
- Timing Is Everything: Creaming the butter and sugar for the instructed amount of time is key to a light and fluffy cake.
- Bundt Pan: We use a 12 cup bundt pan. When preparing the bundt pan, thoroughly spray the pan with the nonstick Baker’s spray, dust with sugar, and firmly press the toasted coconut in the bottom of the pan.
- Cool It! I let the cake cool in the bundt pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a cake platter. Let the cake fully cool before frosting it.
- Add-Ins: You can add white chocolate to the batter, but I found it burned near the edges of the cake, and it looked off-putting. I also could not taste the chocolate in the cake, so I decided to leave it out. This cake is so wonderful, I promise you won’t miss the white chocolate at all!
- If you wish to include it, buy good-quality white chocolate bars like Lindt, break them up, and fold the pieces (1 cup) into the batter during Step 7. You can use white chocolate chips instead of the bar.
- Serve It: This cake is perfect for the holidays. I love it for Christmas and decorate it with green icing, holly leaves, and red hot as berries. It is also fabulous to serve for Thanksgiving and Easter. I love to bring it to church suppers or women’s luncheons.
HOW TO TELL WHEN THE CAKE IS DONE?
I use a bamboo skewer, and when I insert it into the center of the cake, it comes out clean. A toothpick isn’t long enough to work properly. I don’t like to use a metal cake tester. Because of the texture of the metal, it isn’t accurate.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This in The Fridge? Your Tom Cruise coconut cake will stay fresh on the counter for three days. After three days, refrigerate or freeze.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, wrap tightly in plastic, then foil and freeze for up to two months. Thaw and enjoy.
- Make-Ahead: You can make this cake a day or two ahead.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.
HOW TO MAKE TOM CRUISE CAKE RECIPE
- Lightly toast the shredded coconut in the skillet.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and.
- In the large bowl of a stand-up mixer, beat the butter until fluffy.
- Gradually add sugar, and beat until fluffy. Mix in the sour cream.
- Add eggs one at a time. Beat.
- Add flour mixture to the butter, alternating with cream of coconut. Stir in vanilla extract and coconut extract.
- Using a large spoon or spatula, fold in shredded coconut.
- Grease and flour the bundt pan. Dust with granulated sugar then sprinkle with toasted coconut.
- Pour batter into the pan and bake.
- Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting and spread it over the top of the cake. Press toasted coconut into the frosting.
- Serve.
MORE BUNDT CAKE RECIPES
- Chocolate Bundt Cake (This starts with a cake mix, and I couldn’t love it more!)
- Apple Bundt Cake
- Louisiana Crunch Cake
- Hummingbird Bundt Cake
- Sock it to Me Cake
- Crack Cake (Horrible name, delicious cake!)
- Margarita Cake (No alcohol)
- Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Tried This Recipe?
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! 💗 Kathleen
Tom Cruise Cake
Ingredients
Pan Prep:
- Baker's Secret Nonstick Cooking Spray
- granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
Cake:
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cream of coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
Instructions
Pan Prep:
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163ºC).
- Whisk together in a medium mixing bowl, flour (3 cups), baking powder (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon); set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, beat butter (1 1/2 cups) on medium speed, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes.
- Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add sour cream and mix until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until yolk disappears, after each addition.
- Add flour mixture to batter, alternating with cream of coconut, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla extract and coconut extract.
- Using a large rubber spatula, fold in shredded coconut.
- Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Dust with granulated sugar then sprinkle with toasted coconut (1 1/2 cup).
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Cover with foil and continue to bake, about 45 minutes longer, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Make Frosting:
- Add cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand-held electric mixer, cream the mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Press toasted coconut into the frosting.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Need To Be At Room Temperature! Put these items on the counter before you start: Eggs, butter, cream cheese.
- Toasted Coconut: Toast just until your coconut so it just turns light brown. It can burn easily, so don’t walk away from it.
- Timing Is Everything: Creaming the butter and sugar for the instructed amount of time is key to a light and fluffy cake.
- Bundt Pan: We use a 12 cup bundt pan. When preparing the bundt pan, thoroughly spray the pan with the nonstick Baker’s spray, dust with sugar, and firmly press the toasted coconut in the bottom of the pan.
- Cool It! I let the cake cool in the bundt pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a cake platter. Let the cake fully cool before frosting it.
- Add-Ins: You can add white chocolate to the batter, but I found it burned near the edges of the cake, and it looked off-putting. I also could not taste the chocolate in the cake, so I decided to leave it out. This cake is so wonderful, I promise you won’t miss the white chocolate at all!
- If you wish to include it, buy good-quality white chocolate bars like Lindt, break them up, and fold the pieces (1 cup) into the batter during Step 7. You can use white chocolate chips instead of the bar.
- Serve It: This cake is perfect for the holidays. I love it for Christmas and decorate it with green icing, holly leaves, and red hot as berries. It is also fabulous to serve for Thanksgiving and Easter. I love to bring it to church suppers or women’s luncheons.
Nutrition
On your phone? Check the web story here.
Okay recipe says 3/4 cups of shredded coconut to toast for pan. Then it says use 1 & 1/2 cups to line cake pan…which is it?
Hey Dominique. Thanks so much for catching that! It’s 1 1/2 cups. I hope you enjoy this yummy cake!
I tried this once… and I was hooked.
So happy to hear that Richard! I love this cake!!
This is so yummy! Can’t wait to bake this again!
Yaaay! Thanks for the positive feedback and 5-star rating 🙂
Can this be made in a 9×13 pan
Hi Carol. Yes the volume of this cake will work in a 9X13 inch baking dish.I haven’t worked out the baking time, but you’ll need to reduce it. 🙂