coconut milk substitute
for baking.

Whole milk at 3.5 percent fat leaves cakes less tender than coconut milk's richer profile. Stir in 2 tablespoons coconut oil per cup and 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract. Acidify with 1 teaspoon apple-cider vinegar per cup to mimic slight coconut-milk tang at batter temperature near 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heavy cream delivers 36 percent fat, almost double coconut milk, so thin with 1/4 cup water per cup before mixing. Dial sugar down 1 tablespoon; cakes over-brown because lactose caramelizes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit while coconut milk browns near 325. Tent foil after 20 minutes in the oven.

Goat milk runs 4 percent fat with grassy capric acid notes that clash with vanilla at high ratios. Use 3/4 cup goat milk plus 1/4 cup coconut cream per cup and add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to mask the tang. Bake at the recipe's original temperature; crumb sets within 2 minutes of target time.

Evaporated milk is 60 percent concentrated, roughly matching coconut milk body, but lactose caramelizes faster. Dilute 3/4 cup evaporated with 1/4 cup water per cup of coconut milk and drop oven temperature by 15 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent crust burn past 20 minutes of bake time.

Half-and-half sits at 12 percent fat versus coconut milk's 20, so fold 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil per cup and 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract. Batter viscosity stays comparable at 70 degrees Fahrenheit; bake time holds, but rotate pan at 15 minutes for even browning along the perimeter.