Pumpkin Coconut Cake (Ciambella di Zucca e Cocco)

This pumpkin coconut cake is a soft, moist vegan pumpkin Bundt cake warmed with ginger and cinnamon and studded with golden toasted coconut. It's dairy-free and egg-free, inspired by the Italian ciambella (ciambella di zucca e cocco), and perfect for fall breakfasts, holiday desserts and everything in between.

If you love pumpkin baking, try my Vegan Pumpkin Bread next, or my Pumpkin Pudding Cake for a cozy spoonable dessert.

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I'll admit it: I may have eaten one too many Heath bars on Halloween night. I can't resist them. My kids have since hidden their candy stashes before I could sift through them, though I did get lucky and find a tiny pack of Swedish Fish, my second-favorite Halloween candy. This is the kind of cake I like to bake on a rainy Sunday in fall: spicy, full of pumpkin moistness, and with no need for thick frosting.

In Italy, a ciambella is a simple ring cake, and every region has its own traditional version, like my Ciambella Romagnola. Soft and moist in the middle, it's perfect for breakfast dunked in a hot caffè latte. This cake is very easy to make.

The trickiest part is toasting the coconut, so don't get distracted! It can go from perfectly golden to burnt in a matter of minutes (I learned that the hard way, the same way I did with my Toasted Coconut Mango Banana Bread). As they say in Italy, non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco: not every ring cake comes out with a hole. You win some, you lose some!

Ingredients

1. Pumpkin Coconut Cake
2. All-purpose flour: The base of the cake. A 1:1 gluten-free baking blend also works.
3. Baking powder and baking soda: Help the cake rise tall.
4. Salt
5. Ground ginger and cinnamon: A full tablespoon of ginger gives this cake its warm, spicy kick.
6. Coconut oil: Keeps the cake moist and adds a subtle coconut flavor. Any mild oil works.
7. Organic sugar
8. Flax meal and lukewarm water: The vegan egg replacer that binds the batter.
9. Coconut or almond milk with apple cider vinegar: The vinegar "sours" the milk like buttermilk and reacts with the baking soda for a tender crumb.
10. Vanilla extract
11. Pumpkin purée: One 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
12. Shredded unsweetened coconut: Toasted for a nutty, golden flavor.

How to toast coconut in the oven?

Spread the shredded unsweetened coconut in an even layer over a large baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5-8 minutes. Stop to stir every two minutes. Watch closely as it will burn quickly towards the end.

It may take a full 8 minutes. I say 5 minutes because every oven is different. I have burned coconut by not checking on it for one extra minute and let me tell you, it smells awful and is so disappointing to throw out all the coconut. Baking mishaps do happen!

We used unsweetened coconut to keep it less sweet. You could also use sweetened shredded coconut if that's all you have at home, but cake will come out sweeter.

My love for pumpkin in sweet or savory recipes is great. I will be sharing some super yummy links on a new post coming up soon…so hang tight for a PUMPKIN PARTY! I also recommend trying this stuffed pumpkin recipe; it's a unique fall recipe you should try.

In the meantime, you must try this delicious vegan pumpkin cake recipe.

How to make a pumpkin coconut bundt cake

Pumpkin Coconut Bundt Cake-Ciambella di Zucca e Cocco
yields: approx 10 servings

Instructions

1. Prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan, or spray it with baking spray (my preferred method).
2. Toast the coconut. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast 5 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until lightly golden. Watch closely, since it burns quickly at the end. Set aside.
3. Sour the milk. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the coconut or almond milk and let it sit a minute.
4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon.
5. Whisk the oil and sugar. In a large bowl, whisk the oil and sugar until fluffy.
6. Add the wet ingredients. Stir the flax meal into the lukewarm water and let it sit a minute, then whisk it into the oil mixture. Whisk in the vanilla and milk mixture, then the pumpkin.
7. Add the flour. Add the flour mixture ½ cup at a time, stirring well and scraping the bowl after each addition. Fold in the toasted coconut, saving a little for the top.
8. Bake. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a skewer in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool and serve. Cool about 30 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a rack. Dust with powdered sugar and the reserved toasted coconut if you like.
   

Recipe Tips

• Don't walk away from the coconut: No quick emails or texts! Stir it every 2 minutes and pull it as soon as it's lightly golden. Burnt coconut smells awful.
• Prep the pan well: Bundt pans have lots of nooks, so grease and flour every bit (baking spray with flour is easiest).
• Sweetened coconut works: If that's all you have, the cake will just be a little sweeter.
• Test in the center: A skewer should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Cool before slicing: A fully cooled cake slices cleanly without crumbling.
• Play with the spices: Add a pinch of nutmeg or cloves for a different twist.
• Gluten-free: Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.

Storage and Freezing

• Room temperature: Cover tightly and keep up to 3 days.
• Refrigerator: In an airtight container up to 5 days. Bring slices to room temperature before serving.
• Freezer: Wrap the cooled cake or slices well and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Serving Suggestions

Serve slices for breakfast with a caffè latte made with one of my favorite Italian coffee brands, or as an afternoon treat with a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte. For dessert, add a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream.

updated from Nov 2011 in October 2023

More Recipes Like This

• Pumpkin Challah Bread
• Italian Vegan Apple Cake
• Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
• Cranberry Bundt Cake

Originally published November 2011. Updated October 2026.

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Coconut

Pumpkin Coconut Bundt Cake is super soft and filled with warm fall spices and the lovely addition of coconut. A great dessert idea for the holidays!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bundt Cake, coconut, pumpkin, vegan

Servings: 1 cake

Calories: 5004kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

• bundt pan

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 cup coconut oil or another mild flavored oil
• ▢ 1 cup organic sugar
• ▢ 4 tbsp. flax meal
• ▢ ½ cup lukewarm water
• ▢ 1 cup coconut milk or almond milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 tsps. vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
• ▢ 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan. Or spray the pan with baking spray (my preferred method).
• Spread shredded sweetened coconut on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted. Stir the coconut around or else it will toast too much on one side. Takes about 5-8 minutes to toast. Watch closely as it will burn quickly towards the end. When lightly toasted, set the coconut aside.
• In a small bowl, add the almond milk (or regular milk)and apple cider vinegar. Let sit a minute. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar together until fluffy.
• Mix flax meal and water, let sit for one minute. Slowly add the flax seed mixture to the oil mixture. Whisk in the vanilla and and almond milk. Stir in the pumpkin puree.
• Add the flour mixture ½ cup at a time to the wet ingredients. Stir well after each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
• Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for about an hour or until wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• After cake has cooled for about ½ an hour, turn it out of the pan and dig in! Dust with confectioner's sugar and any leftover toasted coconut before serving (optional).

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

• Coconut: Unsweetened keeps the cake less sweet. Sweetened works but makes it sweeter.
• Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
• Sugar swaps: Liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or agave change the batter and haven't been tested in this recipe.
• Storage: Covered at room temperature 3 days, refrigerated 5 days, or frozen up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 5004kcal | Carbohydrates: 430g | Protein: 73g | Fat: 355g | Saturated Fat: 279g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Sodium: 5232mg | Potassium: 2998mg | Fiber: 59g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 70606IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 1391mg | Iron: 44mg

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