01
Olive Oil
10.0best for cake1 cup : 1 cup
Adds slight coconut flavor, good for sauteing
10.0
coconut oil substitute
in cake.
Coconut-oil bakes a cake with a tender, slightly denser crumb than butter — its 100% fat content (vs butter's 85%) trims water and lets a creaming-method batter trap air at 65°F.
top substitutes
adjustment for this dish
Swap Olive Oil 1:1 by volume but skip the creaming step — Olive Oil stays liquid at all kitchen temps, so whisk it directly into the wet ingredients. Add 1/4 teaspoon extra baking powder to recover the air the creaming would have built, and bake 35 minutes at 350°F for a moist tender crumb.
02
Almond Oil
10.0best for cake1 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Refined type is neutral; unrefined adds flavor
10.0
adjustment for this dish
Swap Almond Oil 1:1 by volume — its mild nutty flavor pairs well with cake batters. Like olive, Almond Oil is liquid at room temperature, so whisk into wet ingredients and add 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; bake 33 minutes at 350°F for a tender moist crumb.
03
Palm Oil
7.5best for cake1 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Solid at room temp, similar texture
7.5
show 12 more substitutes
04
Avocado Oil
6.71 cup : 1 cup
Good for high-heat cooking, neutral taste
6.7
05
Shortening
6.71 cup : 1 cup
Same solid texture, works well in baking
6.7
06
Margarine
6.71 cup : 1 cup
Dairy-free, solid at room temp, slight coconut taste
6.7
07
Grapeseed Oil
6.71 cup : 1 cup
Light flavor, high smoke point, good for baking
6.7
08
Peanut Oil
6.71 cup : 1 cup
Use refined for neutral taste at high heat
6.7
09
Lard
5.01 cup : 1 cup
Solid at room temp, dairy-free option for baking
5.0
10
Butter
6.71 cup : 1 cup
Similar solid-at-room-temp texture, adds richness
6.7
11
Butter Oil
6.71 tbsp : 1 tbsp
High heat stable, slightly sweet
6.7
12
Ghee
6.71 cup : 1 cup
High smoke point, adds nutty richness to baking
6.7
13
Whipped Butter
6.71 cup : 3/4 cup
Whip softened coconut oil; solid at room temp
6.7
14
Vegetable Oil
3.31 cup : 1 cup
Use melted coconut oil amount, neutral flavor
3.3
15
Sunflower Oil
3.31 cup : 1 cup
Neutral flavor, works for frying and sauteing
3.3
technique for cake
technique
Soften 3/4 cup refined coconut-oil to a creamy 70°F (it should hold a finger imprint without melting), then beat with 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed for 5 minutes until pale. Coconut-oil traps air well at 65-72°F but gives up the structure at 78°F, so warm bowls are the enemy.
Add 3 eggs one at a time on low speed, then alternate 2 1/4 cups sifted cake-flour with 1 cup whole milk in 3 dry / 2 wet folds — every fold preserves the rise, and the batter will look slightly thinner than a butter version because there's no 15% water from the dairy fat. Pour into a 9-inch pan, smooth the top, and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes; pull when a toothpick has one moist crumb.
Cool 10 minutes in the pan before turning out so the moist tender crumb sets without splitting.
pitfalls to avoid
watch out
Don't cream the coconut-oil above 75°F — once it crosses into fully liquid, the creaming traps no air and the cake bakes flat instead of rising tender.
watch out
Sift the cake-flour 3 times before measuring; coconut-oil batter has less moisture than butter, so unsifted flour packs dense and the moist crumb turns dry.
watch out
Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes — pulling at 28 minutes leaves the center gummy because the all-fat oil holds heat differently than butter and needs the longer set.
watch out
Cool 10 minutes in the pan before turning out so the moist tender crumb sets; flipping a hot cake out tears the bottom against the still-soft fat layer.