Today I’m going to share an easy and delicious Coconut Filling that we used in our Almond Joy Cake. If you love coconut, drop everything and print off a copy of this deliciousness. It’s the best!
The BEST Coconut Filling for Cakes and Cupcakes!
We experimented with several different recipes in our search for the perfect coconut filling for our Almond Joy Cake.
This thick coconut filling has such a wonderful flavor and consistency that we knew we had a winner as soon as we tried it!
There is a surprise ingredient in this recipe: marshmallows!
The marshmallow flavor is not noticeable, only the delicious coconut. However, adding melted marshmallows to this recipe was the key to getting the consistency that we were looking for…much like the coconut filling of an Almond Joy or Mounds candy bar.
Homemade Coconut Filling (Our Almond Joy Cake)
How to Make a Coconut Filling for Almond Joy Cake
- In a saucepan over medium heat add the milk and sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves.
- This is a slow process because you don’t want the milk to boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the marshmallows.
- Stir constantly, when the marshmallows begin to soften, remove from the heat and whisk until the marshmallows have melted.
- Stir in the coconut and coconut extract. Allow to cool completely before spreading between the layers. It can be made in advance and refrigerated.
Love Coconut? Don’t Miss these Amazing Coconut Cakes (Including our Almond Joy Cake)!
Coconut Filling (for Almond Joy Cake)
This delicious Coconut Filling is wonderfully flavorful! We use this in our Almond Joy Cake but it would work for all sorts of recipes!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (121g) milk
- ½ cup (100g) sugar
- 2 ½ cups (220g) sweetened coconut ( I used Bakers Flake Coconut)
- ½ bag (144g) mini marshmallows or 24 large (155g) marshmallows (the large ones can be cut into small pieces for easier melting)
- 1 teaspoon (4g) coconut extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat add the milk and sugar.
- Stir until the sugar is dissolved. It is a slow process because you don't want the milk to boil.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, add the marshmallows. Stir constantly, when the marshmallows begin to soften, remove from the heat and whisk until the marshmallows have melted.
- Stir in the coconut and coconut extract. Allow to cool completely before spreading between the layers. It will thicken as it cools.
- This coconut filling can be made in advance and refrigerated.For our Almond Joy Cake, we filled our three layer cake with this filling and also spread some on top then sprinkled a bit of coconut on it.
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I made this filling for my Mom’s Birthday Cake. I weighed and measured all ingredients and followed all instructions.. It turned out very liquid, I let it sit overnight in the fridge and by morning it was thick. But as it came to room temperature it was a bit liquid. I substituted Almond extract for the coconut extract. The taste was wonderful – Mom loved it. I will definitely make it again but I will add less milk and more marshmallows. It made the cake very moist. A bit less liquid would be perfect.
Fabulous recipe – great flavour – it was a hit at our house :-)
When you made this was the amounts called for in the recipe different? You said yours came out a bit runny. Then in another comment you said you planned to use less milk and more marshmallows. You said you’d probably start at 1/2 to 3/4 cups of milk but the recipe states to use 1/2 cup of milk. At least now it does. I now have everything to make this but I need to use it on the same day (no time to refrigerate overnight) and I certainly don’t want to land out with a runny filling. Did you happen to use a full cup of milk when you 1st attempted to make this or as I asked. Has the recipe been changed? Please respond as soon as possible. Thanks for your time…
Hi Tammy- I’ll just pop in since I know it’s been 5 years since MsGF left this comment ;0) I do have a memory of updating the recipe- I would make it just as it’s written- we get lots of positive feedback on this filling as well as our Almond Joy Cake recipe that uses it. It won’t be runny- hope you enjoy it!
Thanks so much for replying. I have another question. I plan to use this as a filling for cupcakes. I’m only filling 12. Do you think I should go with the whole recipe or just do half? I’ll be making the filling tomorrow in the early afternoon. Can you please reply as soon as you can? Thanks!
Hi MsGF, I have been thinking about this recipe. I made the coconut filling in advance and refrigerated. The next day the cake was filled, frosted with ganache and more coconut filling on top. The coconut filling was probably not completely at room temperature before spreading. We cut a few pieces for ourselves, refrigerated the cake and soon afterward gave the cake to a neighborhood friend. So I may not have seen it at completely room temperature. I am going to make the filling again today and get back to you.
Thanks BeBe – it is a wonderful filling, we enjoyed it. I will make it again for sure – just with less milk – I would start with 1/2 up to 3/4 cup max and more marshmallows. I look forward to your experimenting results :-) Try it with Almond Extract – yummy!
I couldn’t remember the full details of how the filling looked or if I let it come completely to room temperature, so I made it again last night. My filling was not liquid at all, it was quite thick when completed. I refrigerated the filling overnight and it has come to room temperature today and is still very thick. I am sorry yours was too liquid, hope that won’t happen again.
Thanks BeBe. I will be tweaking mine and still using it. :-) Maybe there is a product difference with me being in Canada. I also use 3.25% milk. I know your milk products are a bit different from ours. Glad yours worked out. I will make mine work too :-)
do you need to refrigerate this cake or can it be kpt room temperature
Hi Tammy, You would need to refrigerate a cake that has this filling.
I made this filling for my mother’s 80th birthday because coconut is her absolute favorite. I measured all of the ingredients and cooked it exactly as described and it turned out perfect. It was a big hit thank you so much for this recipe and keep them coming!
hi can I use fresh coconut???
Hi Carol, We have never used fresh coconut so I am not sure if you will like the outcome. I think it will not be as sweet as using shredded sweetened coconut. I use sweetened coconut as well as adding an additional 1/2 cup sugar.
Can this filling be used to make chocolate bon bons?
Hi Margot, We have not tried the filling for bon bons, but I think it should work for you.
The bon bons would need refrigeration.
Exactly what I was looking for! So excited to try it!
Hi – Can I use coconut cream instead of coconut extract ? I don’t have coconut extract, only vanilla extract.
Thanks.
Hi Alyssa, I would not want you to buy a whole can of Coconut cream to use 1 teaspoon to replace the vanilla extract. Coconut cream is very thick so I think to use that in place of the milk, you would need to thin it a bit with milk. You could also use coconut milk as a replacement for the milk. There is so much coconut in the recipe you may be fine making the filling as written without the coconut extract
Hi everyone! OMG this was a big hit as a filling. So I used this recipe as a basic guideline with what ever I had in my house. My first issue was that I only keep fat free milk in my house BUT I had half and half. I also didn’t have any coconut extract (nor would i probably buy it just to make this cake once? twice? a year) BUT I had coconut oil. I had the sweet coconut flakes and tons of the mini marshmallows (I try to stock up early for thanksgiving yams!)
So my recipe looked like this:
1/4 cup fat free milk
1/8 cup regular half and half
1/8 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut ( I used Shoprite Brand Sweetened Coconut Flakes)
1/2 of a 14 oz bag of mini marshmallows
1)I took the coconut flakes and put them in my chopper and pulsated them a couple of times so the flakes were about a little less than a quarter inch long, so people aren’t there a while trying to chew long shreds of coconut.
2) over med-low heat with a silicon spatula, I vigorously stirred the milk, half and half, coconut oil, and sugar until all the sugar was melted and the coconut oil wasn’t a thick layer on top but scattered pin point drops. I made sure NOT to bring it to a boil or even get it to the point where you see the smoke/heat rise from the inside of the pot. Constantly stirring!
3)Next I added the marshmallows a handful at a time, constantly stirring them in, and waiting for them to be about half melted before adding another hand full, until they were all incorporated.
4)I then added the coconut flakes until it made a thin layer on top of the mixture. I folded it in and made sure it was incorporated before adding another layer of coconut, and repeating this until all the coconut flakes were mixed in.
5) I put it in a plastic container and put it in the frig to be used the next day
The following day it was NOT runny and was JUST like the inside of an almond joy/mounds which meant it was difficult to spread onto a cake. So I put it in the microwave for 10 seconds, mixed it, put it in for 10 seconds, mixed it again, and once more for another 10 seconds and it was the perfect spreadable consistency.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks so much for taking the time to post how you were able to adjust the recipe and make it work for you!
Made this for my daughter I doubled the recipe, used coconut milk and lactose free milk, it was still a bit runny after cooling so I warmed it up and added 2 tspn corn starch. This made it just right.
Thank you
I plan on trying out this recipe today! One question though…how long does this filling last in the refrigerator? And can this filling be frozen?
Hi Naomi, I’m sorry but I haven’t tried freezing this filling. I think it should last a week in an airtight bowl in the refrigerator. I hope you will enjoy the recipe. Let us know what you think.
I have everything but the marshmallows to make this. I do have a 7oz jar of marshmallow fluff. Could I use that in place of the marshmallows?
I am sorry, Tammie, but I just can’t be sure about the outcome if using marshmallow fluff.
Hey, so i was making a lime coconut type of cake, and wanted to make this filling. I dont want the coconut to overpower the lime. can i use coconut milk instead of regular milk, and skip out on the coconut extract? I thought the extract would make it too coconutty lol. Also if i skip the extract do i just not put any in? Or is it necessary.
Hi Abby, I’m not sure how the coconut milk substitution would effect things, it may be fine but we just haven’t tried it. You can leave out the coconut extract if you’d like (you can always stir in a little later if you change your mind).
How long can this be left out of the fridge? Id like to use it in a fondant cake