The Tom Cruise coconut cake—the white chocolate coconut bundt he famously gifts from Doan’s Bakery each holiday—can be made at home. Inspired by the famous Doan’s Bakery white chocolate coconut bundt, this copycat recipe–developed by a pastry chef who purchased and tasted the original cake–matches the flavor, texture, and signature frosting.
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Meet This Copycat Tom Cruise Coconut Cake Recipe
This cake is guaranteed to impress. We’re calling this copycat Tom Cruise cake recipe “Mission: Possible!” This moist white chocolate coconut bundt tastes just like the cake from Doan’s Bakery near Los Angeles, California, but it’s better homemade (and saves you roughly $130 compared with buying the original). Moist and tender, it’s layered with shredded coconut and white chocolate chips, then frosted with fluffy cream cheese coconut icing.
Step-by-step instructions follow, along with tips for frosting, coconut coating, and storage, so you can recreate this legendary bundt cake in your own kitchen. Read on, and watch the video recipe below of how to make this moist, flavorful cake.
And if you like cake and coconut, you’ll also like these recipes for moist carrot cake and coconutty Irish potato candies. For coconut in no-bake candy form, our chocolate-covered coconut cream Easter eggs are a perfect springtime companion to this cake.
Watch: Tom Cruise Coconut Cake Recipe Video Tutorial
For a visual guide, follow along with our step-by-step video to make this iconic Tom Cruise coconut cake. From mixing the batter to frosting the bundt, you’ll see exactly how to recreate the famous Doan’s white chocolate coconut bundt in your own kitchen.
Follow along with this video recipe, as we recreate the famous Tom Cruise white chocolate coconut bundt cake from Doan’s Bakery with step-by-step instructions.
What Is the Legendary Tom Cruise Cake?
An annual holiday tradition that’s reached near-mythic status, each December Tom Cruise sends a select number of Hollywood friends and favorites a bundt cake gift. And not just any bundt cake. This is an absolutely delicious sour cream white chocolate coconut bundt cake from family-run Doan’s Bakery in Woodland Hills, California — a cake so good that Tom Hanks said he’d have it for his last meal.
What Does the Tom Cruise Cake Taste Like?
This white chocolate coconut bundt cake, a.k.a. the Tom Cruise coconut cake, is a moist, dense coconut cake folded with a layer of white chocolate in the batter to produce a white chocolate ridge. More white chocolate chips and shredded coconut are sprinkled on top before baking. Once cooled, the cake gets spread all over with fluffy cream cheese frosting, then covered in sweet shredded coconut flakes.
It’s a deliciously moist cake, with definite coconut flavor inside and out. The white chocolate chip flavor adds an almost caramelized butteriness to the flavor. And best of all? This dupe recipe is even better.
Why This Copycat Recipe Is the Most Accurate One
To make this copycat Tom Cruise coconut cake, I bought the original Doan’s white chocolate coconut bundt that Tom Cruise famously sends each holiday, then spent several test bakes getting it just right. As a professional pastry chef, I focused on the details that make this cake iconic: moist, tender crumb, a generous white chocolate ridge, and sweet and fluffy coconut frosting coating. I tweaked frosting thickness, batter flavor and texture, white chocolate distribution, and assembly to stay faithful to the original, but practical for home bakers.
The result? A cake that delivers all the original’s magic–the flavor, the texture, the presentation–without the $130 price tag. Plus: It’s a lot of fun to make yourself.
Chewy white chocolate chip cookies are a great, easy cookie for white chocolate lovers. Want something savory? Try this coconut ginger rice.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Tom Cruise Coconut Cake
This is a fairly straightforward recipe for a coconut bundt cake, layered with white chocolate chips, and frosted and covered in coconut buttercream. Follow these step-by-step instructions for a Tom Cruise coconut cake that looks and tastes like the bakery version.
The Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make the Tom Cruise copycat cake, and why. (For exact quantities, see the recipe card, below.)
- Butter: adds flavor and fat that will make this cake moist and tender
- Sugar: to add sweetness and help aerate the cake
- Eggs: for structure and richness
- Sour Cream: for tang and moisture
- Vanilla extract: to bring out the sweetness
- Lemon juice: adds acid for leavening, and lightens the flavor just a bit
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda: to leaven the cake
- Salt: to help round out the flavor
- Coconut milk: adds coconut flavor to the cake batter
- White chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- Sweetened shredded coconut: more coconut flavor, sweetness, flavor, and decoration
- Cream cheese: for tang and richness
- Powdered sugar: adds sweetness and serves as a main ingredient for the cream cheese frosting
Ingredient Substitutions
- The White Chocolate: Upon very close inspection, Doan’s white chocolate coconut bundt cake uses white chocolate chips. You can use white chocolate chips for ease and technical accuracy, but I suggest using chopped white chocolate if you want an even better result. Real white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and tastes wonderful. White chocolate chips are mainly artificial ingredients.
- The Coconut: Sweetened, shredded coconut is preferred here. However, unsweetened coconut flakes will also taste and work just fine, but the overall result will be sliiiightly less sweet.
- The Coconut Milk: Coconut milk adds more coconut flavor to the cake itself. But buttermilk makes an excellent substitute. Just eliminate the lemon juice, since buttermilk is already acidic.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Now, let’s bake the cake.
- Preheat the oven.
- Make the batter: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla until light. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the coconut milk into the batter. Add most of the shredded coconut and mix.
- Pour the batter into the bundt and bake: In a 10″ standard nonstick bundt pan, pour add 1/3 of the batter; even it out with a spatula. Layer in most of the white chocolate ship, reserving about 1/4 cup. Pour in the rest of the batter and smooth evenly. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining chocolate chips and shredded coconut.
- Bake the white chocolate coconut bundt cake for about 1 hour 25 minutes. Let the cake rest for about 40 minutes, or until still warm but cool enough to handle. Turn the cake out onto a wire cooling rack. Cool fully.
- Frost and finish: Use an offset spatula to frost the bundt cake with the buttercream. Spread shredded sweetened coconut over the entire surface. Enjoy!
Tips for the Perfect Coconut Bundt Cake
These helpful pro tips will help you achieve the best possible result for your copycat Tom Cruise cake.
Cake Storage and Freezing Tips
- Refrigeration: The Tom Cruise coconut cake is a very moist cake, and will keep covered at room temperature for about three days. I love storing a cake under a beautiful pedestal cake dome, such as this.
- Freezing: This Tom Cruise copycat cake also freezes very well, with or without the buttercream. Thaw at room temperature at least 6 hours in advance, not in the refrigerator.
How to Release the Bundt Cake to Prevent Sticking
The curse of any bundt baker is a cake that sticks to the cake pan. All of those crannies and curves, coupled with a cake’s natural tendency to stick to a cake pan, can make releasing a bundt from the cake pan feel a little nerve wracking. But don’t worry.
The first step is to grease the bundt well with a good baking spray or butter (even if it’s nonstick), then dust the inside with flour. This is the bundt pan I use. To release a bundt in a way that minimizes the risk of sticking:
- Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack while it’s still very warm. This is a big cake, so I release the cake about 35 to 40 minutes after it comes out of the oven.
- Before you turn the cake upside down onto the wire rack, run a small offset spatula or knife around the inner and outer edges of the bundt pan to help separate the cake from the sides.
F.A.Q.s: Tom Cruise Coconut Cake Copycat
This recipe closely replicates the original. Multiple test bakes matched the flavor, texture, and signature coconut coating, while making it reliable for home bakers. This was done by a professional pastry chef who purchased and sampled the original Doan’s Bakery cake (for $129.99) against each version until it matched or exceeded the original flavor.
Also, though the official Doan’s coconut cake recipe has never been published, some information is out there. Goldbelly, the service through which Doan’s ships its cakes, offers a helpful description — one straight from the bakery itself. From the Goldbelly cake description:
“This package serves 12-16 people and includes a White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake”
“Each bundt cake measures approx. 10″”
“This legendary 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.”
My first test was too dense, lacked coconut flavor, and got the structure of the white chocolate chips wrong. My second test was better. The cake tasted great, but the white chocolate and coconut elements needed more “oomph.” The third test was very close. I added coconut milk and shredded coconut to the batter, and layered the white chocolate into the batter instead of stirring in the chips. The fourth and fifth tests were mainly just perfecting what was already very good. I made final adjustments to the amount of fats, and realized that even though Doan’s uses white chocolate chips, chopped white chocolate has a much better flavor. I also made my cake a little higher, for more cake and a better look.
The final result? A glorious, deeply flavorful, moist replica white chocolate coconut bundt cake with cream cheese frosting — one Doan’s Bakery and Tom Cruise would be proud of.
Yes. You can make the cake up to three days in advance and store covered at room temperature, or wrap and freeze for up to three months. The frosting will look and taste best if applied shortly before serving, though. If frozen, thaw the cake at room temperature overnight, or about 6 to 8 hours before serving.
The Tom Cruise copycat cake is extremely moist, and will keep covered at room temperature for about three days.
Love a really good cake? You’ll also love these recipes:
Tom Cruise Coconut Cake Recipe (Copycat Doan’s Coconut Bundt)
Ingredients
For the White Chocolate Coconut Cake Batter
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 2/3 cup (about 2 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut, divided
- 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate, divided
- Baking spray and a little flour to grease and dust the bundt pan
For the Cream Cheese Frosting and to Finish
- 1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 3/4 cups (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
- 2 cups (about 5 ounces) sweetened, shredded coconut
Instructions
Bake the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make the batter. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Beat until light. Scrape the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and water. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the coconut milk mixture into the batter (dry, wet, dry). Add all but two tablespoons of the shredded coconut and mix just until fully combined. Scrape the bowl. PRO TIP: Coconut milk may separate in the can. A quick whisk in a bowl will emulsify if again.
- Grease the cake pan and pour the batter. Grease a 10" standard nonstick bundt pan with cooking spray or butter. Dust lightly with flour, and tap out the excess. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into the bundt and even it out with a spatula. Sprinkle in a layer of most of the white chocolate chips, reserving about 1/4 cup. Pour the rest of the batter on top of the chips and smooth evenly. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the reserved chocolate chips and coconut. PRO TIP: I never grease a bundt pan too early. The grease will often pool at the bottom of the cake pan. But be sure to grease yours very well.
- Bake the cake. Bake for 1 hour 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Ovens can vary, so start checking around 1 hour 10 minutes and test the cake in a few spots. Cool for 35 to 40 minutes on a wire rack. The cake should still be warm, but cool enough to handle. Run a small offset spatula around the inner and outer rings of the bundt pan to help loosen the cake from the cake pan. Now the moment of truth: in one swift, meaningful motion, turn the cake upside down onto a wire cooling rack. You may need to give it a couple of taps. Remove the bundt pan and cool fully. PRO TIP: Always take a bundt cake out of the cake pan while it's still slightly warm; this helps ensure it will not stick. If you flip the cake over and it is still stuck, don't worry. Just flip it right-side up again, work it loose with the offset, and try again. If the worst happens and the dome of the cake does stick, just scrape it out and do a patch job as best you can. It gets covered in thick frosting anyway!
Frost With Cream Cheese Frosting, Decorate, and Serve
- Make the buttercream frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar on low until combined. Add the vanilla and salt and beat on medium-high for about 2 minutes, until fluffy and smooth. Scrape the bowl and beater, and beat again for 30 seconds to make sure everything is fully emulsified.
- Decorate. Use an offset spatula to frost the cake generally with the cream cheese buttercream, including the inner ring. You may not use all of the buttercream (I usually have a cup or so leftover.) Use your hand to cup and spread shredded sweetened coconut over the entire surface. Serves 10-12 people.
Video
Notes
- Always take a bundt cake out of the cake pan while it’s still a little warm; this helps ensure it will not stick
- Use a nonstick bundt pan. NordicWare bundts are very reliable.
- Run a small offset spatula around the the cake pan and down the sides, to help separate the cake from the sides before flipping it over.
- If you flip the cake over and it is still stuck, don’t worry. Just flip it right-side up again, work it loose with the offset spatula, and try again.
- If the worst happens and the dome of the cake does stick, just scrape it out and do a patch job as best you can. It gets covered in thick frosting anyway!
- The White Chocolate: Doan’s bakery uses white chocolate chips. You can use white chocolate chips for ease and accuracy, but chopped white chocolate gives a better result. Real white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and tastes wonderful. White chocolate chips are mainly artificial ingredients.
- The Coconut: Sweetened, shredded coconut is preferred here. Unsweetened coconut flakes will also taste and work just fine, but will be slightly less sweet.
- The Coconut Milk: Coconut milk adds more coconut flavor to the cake itself. But buttermilk makes an excellent substitute. If using buttermilk, eliminate the lemon juice, since buttermilk is already acidic.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
37 comments
Annabelle
I admit that this stuck to my bundt pan a little but I think I did not grease it well enough. But, it’s fine because of all the coconut frosting to cover everything. This is one of the best cakes I have ever had. I would love to compare it to the original, but it can’t be better than this. This is a WINNER! Thank you, Lisa!!
Pamela
Which kosher salt; Morton’s or Diamond?
What brand of wh
No rating because I have not made it yet.
Lisa Ruland
I always use Diamond Crystal, the choice of almost all chefs. I find Morton’s too salty. Great question! Hope you like the cake.
Fawn
I am so sorry I am just leaving a review for this but I have made this twice since it was first published (around Easter, I think?) and it is such a hit. This is a nice, big cake and very moist. This is my official coconut cake recipe from now on 🙂 Do you know if it can be made as a layer cake?
Lisa Ruland
Hi, Fawn! Thanks so much for the great review! In theory, yes, this can be baked as 9″ layers. The only tricky thing would be layering the white chocolate chips and coconut flakes on top of each layer since you’ll want to cut the domes off before stacking them–I’d hate to see you lose any of the good stuff. If you are baking it in layers, I suggest just folding all of the white chocolate chips and coconut flakes directly into the cake batter, instead of layering those ingredients on top of the batter. The result will be different, but I think that’s the only way to make it work. Let me know how it turns out! (And of course, your baking time will be reduced as well.)
JD
Hi how would this fare in a 9×13, you think it could work? I love the look of the bundt but don’t have a pan at the moment.
Lisa Ruland
Hi, JD. Good question. I have to give this a big…maybe.It could work. The main difference, other than the baking time, will be the layering of the white chocolate chips and coconut flakes. If you are using a 9x13x2, I would just fold the white chocolate chips and into the batter, instead of doing a layer. You can still top with the reserved sprinkle of white chocolate chips and coconut flakes. The other consideration is the amount of batter. This is a lot of batter, so I wonder if it may be too much for a 9×13. As long as you don’t fill it more than just about 1/2 way, you will be fine. You can bake the rest of the batter as cupcakes or a smaller cake. Let me know how it turns out!
JD
Thanks for the quick reply! Honestly, it sounds like it’s a good time for me to finally buy a bundt pan haha. This cake looks more than worth it, thank you!
Lisa Ruland
Haha–yes! In my world, it’s always a good day to buy a baking something or other.
CathyWI
Greetings from Wisconsin!!!! I thought this was probably the best cake I have had in such a long time. I do not have the ability to compare it to the real Tom Cruise cake, but I can say that this is a fantastic cake recipe. It took me a little longer to bake than listed, but my oven may be off. The coconut frosting is the best.
Doris Martin
Cake was under baked and fell apart 325 degree probably shb 350.
Lisa Ruland
Hi, Doris! So sorry you had a bad result! Sounds like it may have been underbaked and the cake pan was not greased enough. Bundt’s can be tricky. I hope you have a better experience next time, and thank you so much for the feedback. I will be sure to make a note about the baking time.
Olga
Hello,
Thank you for this recipe.
Just wanted to know if the chocolate/chocolate cups can be melted before adding to batter.
Thank you.
Lisa Ruland
Hi, Olga! If you would like a more white chocolate-flavored cake, you can melt the white chocolate and fold it into the cake batter. But the Tom Cruise cake from Doan’s Bakery uses them as white chocolate chips. Your call as the baker–both will be delicious. Happy baking!
Jaycee Miller
This was maybe one of the best cakes I have ever had. It’s a big cake and definitely filled up the bundt pan, which was good (even though I worried it might be too big!) The frosting is yummy, too. I will make this again at Christmas.
Jess
This cake is amazing !! It was a big cake to make but it was worth it!!
My family loved it , a classic !
Many thanks !!
GL Smith
Wow!!! The things YOU do for your job! This recipe looks Amazing! You did a wonderful job analyzing the original. I been making coconut cakes for 50 years for my family and friends and never seen this kind. It sounds wonderful and I hope to make your recipe soon. Thanks for sharing this fantastic version. Great job. Subscribed!
Lisa Ruland
Hello! Hah–yes, it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. This one was a lot of work, but it’s fun. I hope you enjoy it and thanks again. Thanks for subscribing.
Ella
If I could , I would give it 10 stars if, the cake is fantastic. I don’t know what the Doan’s /Tom Cruize cake tastes like but this cake would be very hard to beat.
Thx for the great recipe !!