As kids, we used to go to my Tata’s house every Friday. It was an absolute must. She used to make a bunch of different things for dinner and set up two tables, one for the adults and one for the kids. Of course, the adult table had all the yummy food in my opinion. There would be Rice, Meat, Salad, and if I was really lucky Shushbarak. The kids’ table would always consist of Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets and French Fries because my cousins were super picky eaters. I would always fill my plate from the adult table. Of course, the best part of the night was dessert. My grandma would love to make this Coconut Hareesa Cake because it was one of the few desserts we all loved.
The recipe here is enough for an 8×8 pan but my grandma would always double it and put it in a 9×13 pan. The cake itself is super light and fluffy with the perfect amount of coconut. Once it comes out of the oven you soak it in warm simple syrup and it gets super moist and sweet. The nice thing about this Hareesa is that it literally takes 5 minutes to throw together. What takes the most time is letting it rest for 20 minutes before baking and then the actual baking time. If you’re looking for a similar recipe that’s a little faster check out my Semolina Hareesa Cake. I love to give you all options because as an Arab, I know that each family has their way of making a certain dish. I myself typically check other sites. I usually find myself heading towards Chef in Disguise for some inspiration!
Anyways! Anytime I’m in a rush to go somewhere and don’t know what to take with me I make this Hareesa. It’s always a crowd pleaser and people typically go for seconds. It also stays really moist because of all the simple syrup it’s soaked in. This cake brings back many fond memories for me and it’s one of my favorite things to bake, especially in the winter. I’ll definitely share this recipe with my daughter when she’s older and continues to make it for my family over the years to come.
One of the things about it that stuck to me most is that I never used to make it because my grandma always did. As she got older and stopped baking as much I began to call her and ask for the recipe. After I moved away to Dallas, those calls just kept becoming more and more often. If there’s one thing about me that is awful is that I don’t memorize recipes to save my life. So every time I need a recipe I need to get it again and I write it somewhere random and lose it before the next time I need it. I finally bought a recipe box to put all my recipes in and I was so excited about it but that’s a post on its own. Because I have yet to even touch it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do!
Coconut Hareesa Cake – Super Moist and Super Simple
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Desserts
Ingredients
2/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Flour
1 cup Coconut
1/2 TBSP Baking Powder
1/4 cup Milk
SIMPLE SYRUP
2/3 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Water
Instructions
Beat the sugar and oil until combined.
Add the 2 eggs and beat well.
Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the coconut and milk. Mix well.
Pour into a buttered and floured 8×8 pan and allow the batter to rest on the counter for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and once the batter has rested bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake should be a nice golden brown.
While the cake is baking make the simple syrup by boiling the water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour the syrup evenly over the cake (Make sure the syrup is room temperature). Cut and Serve. (I find that a disposable plastic knife cuts through sticky desserts better and with less cake sticking to the knife.)
Tuqa
Love love this recipe. It comes together so easily and just hits the spot with a cup of tea! I’m making it tonight for Ramadan dessert 🙂
Nur Ashour
It’s one of my absolute faves! I’m so glad you love it so much!
Najlaa
Hi,
What’s the chemistry behind resting the batter for 20 mins? Curious to know. Interesting tip.
Would this work with any cake recipe?
Thank you
Nur Ashour
It allows the cake to rise better!
Carmen
One of my favorite! And it’s easy to make
Sarah
Such a moist, delight cake! It’s the perfect consistency and right amount of sweetness! Thanks so much for sharing Nur
Samar
I was craving hareesa while fasting, and decided to give this recipe a try. I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. I couldn’t believe how moist and light it was. So delicious and so easy to make. Nur is right, I’ll want to make this everyday!! It’s that good.
Nur Ashour
Thank you so much!
Alia A
This is so good! I’m a huge fan of hareesa and this recipe hits the spot! I like to bake it in a larger sheet pan because I like the hareesa to be thin and it always comes out perfect!
Nur Ashour
That’s a great idea!
Katie
I have made this many times! It is one of my favorite recipes. I have to stop myself from eating the whole thing! Thank you for sharing!!!
Farah
I’m not a fan of making desserts or baking, but this recipe is so simple and so delicious it has become my go to dessert if I have people coming over or to take to someone’s house! I cannot begin to describe how tasty this cake is, do yourself a favor and make it asap!
Nur Ashour
It’s one of my faves for that reason!
Samar
Seriously the most delicious coconut cake! So easy and so practical to make. It’s so hard not to eat the whole thing. It’s that good!
Nur Ashour
Haha yes it is! Make a duaa for grandmother when you make it. It’s one of her recipes!
Noha
Probably the quickest dessert I’ve ever made and it is so light and just perfectly simple! I used 1/2 cup coconut sugar in the cake and the simple syrup, and it worked out great. It was darker in color, but still moist and sweet! It’s a crowd pleaser so this will be my go to for a quick dessert to serve!
Nur Ashour
Thank you so much. It’s always my go to!
Lesley
what weight is a cup please ? as my cup is 250ml
Nur Ashour
I’m sorry but I did not use weight for this recipe!
Nadia
Definitely my favourite cake recipe and also my go to potluck dessert. So so delicious!!
Sharon
I’ve made this 4 times in the last 2 weeks am officially obsessed with the decadent simplicity of the taste of this cake. Spongy, airy, moist and addictive!
I only use half of the syrup and have stored the leftover syrup in fridge to repurpose for the next time I make the cake.
do yourself a favor and just try this.
thank you for this recipe, reminds me of my childhood.
Nur Ashour
I’m so glad you love it so much! It’s always a favorite.
Megan
So simple and delicious. This is my go-to recipe to whip up. I’ve made for iftari, birthdays, to impress the in laws, you name it! Just love this.
Nur Ashour
Thanks for being here!
Yasmeen
I love this cake. I make it like once a month. Perfect coconut flavor writing this makes me want to go make it again right now lol
Yasmeen
I love this cake. I make it like once a month. Perfect coconut flavor writing this makes me want to go make it again right now
Nur Ashour
❤️
Amira
Easy recipe to put together quick. Has been my go-to for last minute gatherings.
Nur Ashour
YES! ALWAYS
Mimi
Not much of a baker here so excuse not knowing but coconut what exactly?? Shredded coconut flakes or coconut milk ?? Sweetened or unsweetened??
Nur Ashour
unsweetened coconut. You can use shredded or macerated. I do use regular milk. Some people have made with sweetened coconut but decreased sugar by 1/4 cup.
Deema
Super easy, quick and tasty!!!! You can’t go wrong with this fabulous coconut cake!!! Nur has a beautiful way of simplifying favorites and motivating you to make them!! Thank you!!!
Nur Ashour
This makes me so happy! Make a duaa for my tata allah yr7mha when you make it. ❤️
Dyala
I am not a baker/cook and was able to whip this up in less than 30 minutes. It reminded me of home (Syria) and was delicious. Thank you for sharing recipes that are simple and straight forward!
Nur Ashour
This is the best cake ever!
Zaina A
I love this recipe! So easy and soooo delicious
Nur
It will forever be one of my favorites.
Nur Ashour
I’m so glad you love it and hope you continue to make it!
Shaheda Bhabha
Salam,
I would like to bake this cake for an event for 450 guests .
is it possible to double the recipe to make a bigger batch using a larger pan .
I was also thinking of combining 3 different layers of cake like nigella cake , pistachio, cake, and orange cake with filling of honey flavored cream , cut into bars , with a pomegranate seed topping ?
I am trying to create a dessert for a fund raising dinner . can you advise me ?
Nur
Yes, if you double the recipe just make it in a 9x!3 pan. Honestly you really can’t go wrong with this recipe. I think it’ll be delicious no matter what you do! Please let me know how it turns out!
Ayesha
This was even better than I imagined! A couple of years ago when we lived in a different city, our Palestinian neighbor shared some hareesa cake with us and I was craving it this Ramadan, and I’m so glad I found this recipe. The cake was so delicate, moist and delicious!! Not too sweet, just the perfect amount and it goes perfectly with some coffee or tea. Love how easy and fast this recipe is!
Nur
Thanks for trying it out. I love how easy it is, and it’s a family favorite!
Chrissy
I have used this recipe for at least 2 years now, and it never fails. Ever! The only things I change are:
-adding some vanilla in the batter and the sugar syrup
-making only about 4 tablespoons to a 1/4 cup of syrup
This recipe yields the most moist, coconut-y cake with a nutty, caramelised bottom. It uses half the ingredients a traditional coconut cake uses AND it’s easier, faster, tastier. It has SO many pros:
-easy ingredients, no cutting and measuring butter (my arch nemesis lmao)
-customisable
-simple to make, can be in one bowl if you’d like
-lots of resting time here and there so you can actually bake it WHILE guests are home!
-everyone is always in LOVE with the cake
Now I want to talk about the customisable part.
1. I generally make this cake with what’s available in my area called “coconut powder”; it’s a lot like desiccated coconut. It turns out AMAZING every time (I sometimes do an extra sprinkle of it right across the top of the pan before baking)
2. One time I was out of the “coconut powder” and I used fresh grated coconut, oh my goodness! It was HEAVEN! The cake was EVEN more moist, and the fresh coconut really does something to it. It caramelises better too during the baking process making the flavour profile complex and interesting
3. My boyfriend is vegan and loves coconuts. I decided to make this cake vegan style over the weekend for his birthday – I subbed the eggs for 1/2 cup of vegan vanilla yoghurt (I used Alpro). And I subbed the milk with plant milk (coconut and rice milk from Bio). Oh gosh, it was SO GOOD! I can’t believe this cake works EVEN as a vegan one! He loved it so much, he wanted to take it to work. So I baked a second vegan cake and he just told me everyone loved it at his workplace too! The vegan version is even more moist to the point of almost being fudgy, but in an amazing and delicious way
What a magnificent recipe. I LOVE it so much! I think I must be this recipe’s biggest fan!
Nur
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed review! I am so glad you love it as much as we do.