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
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.
Are butterscotch chips an OK substitute for the toffee chips? (We couldn’t find those!)
Yes! It’ll just taste a little different. Or you could break up a heath bar!
But that will have chocolate won’t it?
I added a whole box of jell-o brand coconut crème pudding to the recipe. It’s delicious and moist. I love this cake. Thank you !
Made this last new year’s and was a hit! Was wondering if I can make cupcakes instead of the one bundt cake?
Totally!
My toffee chips melted, and then formed a hard candy shell when cooled. I had to cut off all the top/bottom of the cake to be able to serve it. I have made it with the white chocolate before, and that worked just fine, so I will go back to that next time. The cake itself was good and moist.
This cake was a massive hit at work. Not a slice left.
Everyone loved the texture and amazing taste. Only had great feedback.
I couldn’t find coconut emulsion or extract (I live in country Australia) so I went to the Asian grocery store and got coconut cream powder which was wonderful.
Such an easy and delicious cake to make.
Thank you for sharing this Courtney ❤️❤️
Thank you so much!!
This cake is amazing !!! The crumb is soft and light. The flavor – beautiful. Turned out perfect , must follow the directions carefully, no substitutions .
Thank you!!!
We loved the cake, but found it to be a little dry. Going to try again, and will try the pudding suggestion from the comments.
Try baking it for a little less time when you try again to see if that helps as well 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out so good! Made it for my dad’s birthday since he’s a big coconut fan. We couldn’t stop eating it and even self proclaimed non-fans of coconut said they loved it! The toffee coconut crust was delicious and made the cake really special. Reminded us a Samoa Girl Scout cookie! Thank you!
My only comments are that it made too much batter for my bundt pan (which I think is standard size…mine overflowed a bit so next time I will leave more room and bake the extra batter as a couple cupcakes or something). I also added a touch of vanilla to the frosting to balance it all out and it was great. Such a good frosting recipe! Thank you for developing and sharing this recipe!
So happy you loved it! Did you use a 12 cup bundt pan. I find that’s the perfect size for bundt cake recipes and gives a little extra room.
I was so pleased to find this recipe. I heard heard various celebrities talk about getting it for Christmas. It is delicious. I also couldn’t find toffee bits, so used butterscotch chipits. I then discovered a recipe for making your own toffee bits. When I make it again, that is what I will do. Mine worked out well except the coconut and butterscotch chipits didn’t attach to the cake. I assume that I should have pushed them into the batter. Correct?
So happy you loved it! Yes pushing them into the batter helps.
I’d rather add the white chocolate bits unmelted. Is that Ok?
Sure
Delicious! A fabulous recipe. Love how the toffee, toasted coconut layer adds a depth of flavor and texture. Added 2 ounces of melted white chocolate and half a tsp. of vanilla to the frosting, – richer, creamier. And because we love coconut flavor so much I’ve almost doubled the coconut emulsion throughout. I’ve also tried halving the recipe and using a 6 cup bundt pan which great results. Thanks so much – excited to try some of your other recipes!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Can I make this recipe in a different pan?
Sure! Baking time will be different, but the recipe can stay the same.
Hi! Would it be okay to bake in a regular pan, and assemble as a rectangular cake? Thank you!
Sure!
This recipe was so well written that my husband made it and it was such a success that our diabetic relatives enjoyed it like everything was right in the world! Omg I can’t get enough of this cake. Moist, dense, thr frosting/glaze so coconutty and rich and the toasted coconut and toffee crumble below was just the star. Thank you for perfecting this recipe and sharing!.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Could I use coconut flavored oil instead of emulsion? I have some from a chocolate class where we added that oil to melted chocolate.
Is it the oil used for candy (not the coconut oil that’s for baking, right?). The Lorann type of coconut oil for candy can be used but you won’t need as much of it, as it’s stronger than emulsion.
I loved this recipe. If I wanted to bake the cakes in two loaf pans as opposed to a Bundt pan, how do the cooking times vary?
Maybe 10 minutes shorter? Keep an eye on them!
I Iiked the recipe you shared. It inspired me to take the cake and use it for the base of a delicious coconut cake.
This is the spin I took, and how I modified it.
I cut down the coconut extract by 1 tsp. I beat the 2 egg whites to a soft peak and folded them into the batter at the end. I also added 3/4 cup of shredded sweet coconut to the batter before I panned them. I divided my batter into 3 separate 9″ rounds, with the sprinkled toffee bits only. I baked the layers for about 40 min, or until it was tender and done at 325F. When it came out of the oven, I used coconut cream and completely saturated the warm cake surface still in the pan, to let the coconut cream soak in. I spread a thin layer of homemade chocolate ganache to the top of each 9″ round. Then I made homemade whipped cream and put it over the genache, and sprinkled more bits of toasted coconut between each layer, and on the final layer. I left the side of the layered cake exposed.
Thank you for the work you put into improving the original. It was only after your improvements that gave me the foundation I needed to turn it into a layered coconut cake.
My all-time favorite cake now!! Have made it several times since you first posted the recipe and is always well loved! Couldn’t find plain toffee bits so made my own and have continued to each time. My son in law made me one for my birthday and baked it in two 8 inch rounds and made more or the frosting and toffee. Was sooo good! Thank you always and forever!!
So happy you love it!
I’ve made this cake twice, once for a coworker and the other is about to be shipped to a friend in Washington. Both times the cake turned out great! I’m attempting to make this into individual bundt cakes. I will let you know how it turns out!
I’ve made this cake twice, once for a coworker and the other is about to be shipped to a friend in Washington. Both times the cake turned out great! I’m attempting to make this into individual bundt cakes. I will let you know how it turns out!
Made it this weekend and got lovely compliments! At 55 minutes the cake was still very wet – baked for another 25 minutes and tooth picked came out clean – but I did find the cake a bit dry so maybe over baked! Cake popped out easily after 20 minutes. Beat buttercream icing and it would not thickened to desired consistency – adding some more icing sugar helped – not sure what happened there. Really great flavors!