Copycat Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

My new Copycat Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake is an incredibly delicious, moist, and flavorful copycat recipe of the famous Doan’s Bakery White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake Tom sends to all of his friends at Christmas. The catch? My version doesn’t cost $130 and, according to my kids, it’s better than the original! I can’t argue with that!

Be sure to check out the full video tutorial below!

The Tom Cruise Cake

Have you heard about the viral Tom Cruise cake? It’s a white chocolate coconut cake from Doan’s Bakery – a cake so delicious, Tom apparently gifts it to all of his friends at Christmas. In fact, several of those said friends have talked about it on social media and talk shows. The world of foodies hasn’t stopped talking about it, but many people aren’t trying it. Why? Because ordering the real deal has a hefty price tag on it: nearly $130.

Lucky for me, I got my hands on a few slices thanks for a friend who had it delivered for her birthday!

Doan’s Bakery White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

The original Doan’s Bakery version of this cake is described on the Goldbelly website as:

“The White Chocolate Coconut Cake is Doan’s most famous creation and for good reason. They start with a ring of moist, luxurious coconut bundt cake, mix in chunks of sweet white chocolate, layer on rich cream cheese frosting, and then dust it all over with toasted coconut flakes. The result is a delicious, pillowy cake good enough to derail the strictest Hollywood diets.”

I was eager to try this famous cake, but was unfortunately left underwhelmed. (Granted, I know the cake had been shipped, but I still had high hopes.)

My Review of the Doan’s White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

Okay, real talk – I taste tested the Doan’s cake on Instagram stories last week and had a hard time hiding my lack of excitement for this cake. Here’s why:

• The cake itself lacked coconut flavor. To me, it tasted more like a dense yellow cake.
• The description says the cake has white chocolate chunks, but I never tasted one.
• I did think the cake was fairly moist, which won it some points. (After reading the description, we can thank the sour cream for that.)
• The buttercream was super duper sweet and had a strong cream cheese flavor. I felt like it overpowered the cake.

After tasting the real deal, I wondered if I could make a more flavorful, more moist cake – one that resembles the original version, but takes it up a notch.

White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

It took me a few rounds of experiment to get the texture and flavor I wanted. In the first round, the cake was too fluffy and airy. In the second round, the cake was too dense. In the third round the texture was just right and the flavor was perfectly on point.

Here’s a look at what I did:

• For fat and flavor in the cake, I used half part coconut milk and half part buttermilk.
• I also added coconut emulsion to the cake to enhance the coconut flavor (feel free to substitute with coconut extract).
• Instead of chunks of white chocolate, I used melted chocolate, which gives the cake added richness.
• After pouring the batter into the pan, I topped the bottom of the cake with toasted coconut and then toffee pieces (instead of white chocolate chunks like the original – I liked the more caramelized flavor the toffee offers).
• In the buttercream, I used a mix of butter and cream cheese, but not too much cream cheese that it would overpower the other flavors.
• I also added coconut emulsion to the buttercream.

You can see how fluffy and smooth that cake batter is above, right? It’s so flavorful, so moist, and just so delicious! Just check out this close up below!

How Do I Store This Cake?

If you want to make this cake ahead of time, you’ll want to let the cake cool completely and then wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. Before serving, let it thaw for about 4 hours and then frost with the buttercream.

How to Make the Tom Cruise Coconut Bundt Cake: Video Tutorial

Copycat Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

4.96 from 753 votes

Moist and flavorful white chocolate coconut cake with a light and fluffy coconut cream cheese buttercream.

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Ingredients

  

FOR THE COCONUT CAKE

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• ½ cup (125 g) canned coconut milk, mixed before measuring
• ½ cup (120 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (16 g) coconut emulsion or extract
• 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature

FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1 teaspoon (5.3 g) coconut emulsion
• Pinch of salt

GARNISH

• 1 cup (95 g) sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup (95 g) toasted coconut, I buy mine pre-toasted from Orson Gygi
• 1 cup toffee baking bits

Instructions

 

FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE COCONUT CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick spray. Dust with granulated sugar. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together the coconut milk, buttermilk, and coconut emulsion. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in the melted white chocolate, followed by the eggs and egg whites, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl in between additions.
• Continue to beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture gets smooth in texture and slightly bigger in volume.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 the coconut mixture, another 1/3 of the flour, the second 1/2 of the coconut mixture, and then the remaining flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake (which turns into the bottom) with the toasted coconut and then cover with the toffee bits (the coconut flakes need to go first so you can cover them with the toffee to help prevent the flakes from browning too much). Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Remove from oven and place the bundt pan on a cooling rack to cool completely. Allow the cake to cool for about an hour, until it’s room temperature, before inverting the cake on a cake stand. Allowing the cake to cool completely in the pan helps the cake to release from the sides cleanly when it’s time to take the cake out.

FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• Stir in the coconut emulsion and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. The buttercream will become lighter in color and texture.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread or pipe the buttercream on top of the cake. Cover with shredded coconut.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cake

Keyword: Bundt Cake, Coconut, Coconut Bundt Cake, Coconut Buttercream, Coconut Cake, White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake