This “Tom Cruise Cake,” inspired by the decadent dessert the movie star famously sends as a holiday gift, is as irresistible as it gets. The buttery sour cream pound cake features white chocolate chips and sweetened coconut flakes and is topped with a cream cheese frosting — what’s not to love?
Even better, our culinary editor extraordinaire, Nicole McLaughlin, has tested and updated this recipe just in time for the holidays. Watch her video to see how you can gift this $130 cake for a fraction of the cost!
What Is Tom Cruise Cake?
The famous “Tom Cruise Cake” is a white chocolate-coconut Bundt cake from Doan’s Bakery in California.
Every year, Tom Cruise gifts the decadent cake to his closest friends for the holidays. The cake achieved worldwide notoriety after one of those friends, a little known actor named Tom Hanks, said it’s one of his favorite foods of all time.
"This cake is so great, you can really only have it once a year,” according to Hanks. “This is just off-the-scale fantastic.”
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Tom Cruise Cake Ingredients
These are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make the famous Tom Cruise cake at home:
- For the cake: all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, white sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and coconut extracts, sour cream, sweetened flaked coconut, and white chocolate chips
- For the frosting: cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, salt, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and sweetened flaked coconut
How to Make Tom Cruise Cake
You’ll find the full, step-by-step Tom Cruise Cake recipe below — but here are a few professional tips and tricks from test kitchen experts to keep in mind:
- Finely chop the white chocolate if you don’t want caramelized chunks of chocolate in the cake.
- Double the coconut extract if you want a stronger coconut flavor.
- This $130 cake is usually shipped frozen to recipients from a bakery in LA. Refrigerate your cake overnight to help the frosting set and get a similar eating experience.
How to Store Tom Cruise Cake
Since Tom Cruise cake is topped with cream cheese frosting, it shouldn’t stay at room temperature for more than two hours. Cover the cake and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Can You Freeze Tom Cruise Cake?
You can freeze unfrosted Tom Cruise Cake for up to three months. Simply wrap the cooled cake in at least one layer of storage wrap, then at least one layer of foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight and frost according to the recipe.
Editorial contributions by Corey Williams
Ingredients
Cake:
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3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pan
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3/4 teaspoon salt
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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2 cups white sugar
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
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5 large eggs, at room temperature
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1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon coconut extract
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1 cup sour cream
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1 1/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut
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1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
Frosting:
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4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
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1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
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1/8 teaspoon salt
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2 tablespoons heavy cream
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2 cups powdered sugar
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1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
Directions
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Gather all ingredients.
![All ingredients to make a copy cat tom cruise coconut bundt cake gathered on a marble countertop.]()
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To make the coconut cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
![an overhead view looking down on a greased and floured 10 inch bundt pan.]()
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Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl; set aside.
![dry ingredients for white chocolate bundt cake whisked together in a glass mixing bowl.]()
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Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in whole eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extracts, coconut extract, and sour cream: beat until combined.
![butter, sugar, and all wet ingredients including sour cream, beat until combined in the bowl of a stand mixer.]()
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Add flour mixture and mix until just combined; fold in flaked coconut and white chocolate chips.
![flour mixed in and white chocolate and coconut folded into mixture.]()
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Pour batter into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to spread batter evenly.
![batter poured into prepared bundt pan.]()
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Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours more.
![a top down view of a golden brown bundt cake cooling on a wire rack.]()
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To make the frosting: Add cream cheese, butter, vanilla, coconut extract, and salt to a medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and slowly mix until incorporated. Add cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 or 2 minutes.
![cream added and beat until light and fluffy]()
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Frost the top and sides of the cake; lightly press coconut evenly around the outside.
![shredded coconut lightly pressed into the frosted bundt cake.]()
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From the Editor
In response to several reviews from Allrecipes community members, we've retested and updated this recipe to make it even better. We reduced the amount of flour, sugar, and coconut, and increased the baking powder and salt. Watch Nicole's video above to see the new and improved version!
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 697 | Calories |
| 34g | Fat |
| 94g | Carbs |
| 7g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 14 | |
| Calories 697 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 34g | 43% |
| Saturated Fat 21g | 107% |
| Cholesterol 133mg | 44% |
| Sodium 298mg | 13% |
| Total Carbohydrate 94g | 34% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 8% |
| Total Sugars 73g | |
| Protein 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 90mg | 7% |
| Iron 2mg | 10% |
| Potassium 186mg | 4% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
