I have never made coconut cake before b/c I hate hate hate coconut, and I now have a request for coconut cupcakes. Is there a special frosting that goes with coconut flavored cake? Or can I use my regular buttercream frosting recipe and just use a different flavoring (coconut?)? Do I add grated coconut? It sounds so basic...but never having eaten it myself, I have no idea LOL. Thanks!

Coconut cake is a butter-cake soaked in coconut milk and topped with 7-minute frosting and flake coconut.

I have used classic buttercream recipe, and used coconut extract.

I have used toasted coconut on top, or just raw coconut, even colored to make it pop.

I agree with prterrell, that is the traditional coconut cake.
That said, I don't like traditional coconut cake!
I am making one for a good friend's son this weekend. I am cheating and using a doctored DH coconut cake mix, coconut filling, a variation of Buttercream Dream and putting shredded coconut flakes on the side.
If I had some coconut extract, I might put that into the icing too.
Birthday boy requested an 'everything coconut' cake.

Check out this post:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-615892.html

The coconut cake recipe here is awesome! Also, she says to use IMBC (Italian meringue buttercream) with coconut flavoring. I made a cake and cupcakes with her cake recipe and that frosting. I dipped the frosted cupcakes into shredded coconut. It turned out awesome!

to ma a coconut cake has a fluffy white frosting like suggested but no coconut flavoring in it it has toasted coconut on top just li9ke grandma made