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Home » Cakes Recipes » Lemon Coconut Cake

Lemon Coconut Cake

Published March 24, 2021 Last Modified March 24, 2021 By GreedyEats

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Soft and fluffy Lemon Coconut Cake made with coconut flavored cake, layered with homemade Lemon Curd, frosted with easy Cream Cheese Frosting and topped with more coconut!

Try my fluffiest Lemon Blueberry Muffins next! Find all Summer Desserts from Greedy Eats here.

Soft Lemon Curd Cake Slice filled with homemade lemon curd and topped with cream cheese frosting.

Taste and Texture:

  1. Soft and fluffy cake filled with coconut flavors
  2. Layers with sweet and tangy Lemon curd (made in microwave)
  3. Topped with creamy and sweet Cream Cheese Frosting
  4. Then the cake is covered in sweetened coconut flakes

If you love lemon cake and coconut, you have come to the right place. Coconut Cake with lemon curd is my absolute favorite Spring dessert. Bright and light, sweet and citrusy. What's not to love!!

Coconut cake layered with fresh lemon curd and topped with with cream cheese frosting.

Recipe Ingredients:

Egg Whites: We won't need egg yolks for this batter. Nope, not even one! Instead we will use them all to make fresh lemon curd at home.

Cake Flour: Cake flour produces a tender crumb cake. Do not substitute it with all purpose flour. You can use homemade cake flour though.

Baking Powder: To lift the cake while baking.

Extracts: We are using just vanilla extract in this recipe. If you like you may add a tsp of coconut extract reducing vanilla. A little almond extract in addition to vanilla also tastes wonderful here.  

Shredded Coconut: I used shredded sweetened coconut. You may also opt for unsweetened if you desire.

Process of how to assemble Coconut Cake, a spring favorite desserts!

How to make Coconut Cake:

  1. Begin by preparing the Lemon Curd so that it can cool off while the cake bakes. You will require 1 ½ cups of curd for this cake. So double this recipe.
  2. Whisk room temperature egg whites with milk and beat well till frothy and well combined. 
  3. Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Then sift in dry ingredients. And add egg whites mixture to the mix and beat it all together for about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed. Fold in coconut. 
  4. Pour in parchment lined round cake pans and bake. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Cake topped with cream cheese frosting kept on a cake stand.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Make sure to use brick style cream cheese and allow it to come to room temperature before attempting to make frosting.

Same goes with butter. If any or both of these are not at room temperature, they won't combine well together. This might result in curdled frosting!

Soft and moist Coconut Cake with Lemon Filling on a white plate.

Coconut Cake success tips:

  • Lemon curd filling can be too thin to be filled by itself (I did it anyway!) But combining the lemon filling layer with cream cheese frosting will make sure.
  • Don't sub cake flour with all purpose flour. Your cake won't have that same soft and tender crumb. 
  • Always use room temperature ingredients. Plan ahead and take them out of refrigerator at least an hour before beginning. In case you forget use hacks to warm up butter and eggs soon. 😉
  • Use brick/block style cream cheese to make frosting and not the one that is sold in tubs.

Coconut Cake with lemon curd topped with cream cheese frosting and sweetened shredded coconut.

More Cake Recipes:

Readers' Favorite Lemon Cake

Berry Coffee Crumb Cake

Moist Carrot Cake Recipe

Easy Chocolate Cake

If you liked this Recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook! 

Lemon Coconut Cake

Soft and fluffy Lemon Coconut Cake made with coconut flavored cake, layered with homemade Lemon Curd frosted with easy Cream Cheese Frosting and topped with more coconut!
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
Servings 9 Slices
Calories: 672kcal
Author: Neha

Equipment

  • Three 6 inch Baking Pans

Ingredients

  • 5 large Egg Whites (room temperature)
  • ¾ Cup Milk (room temperature)
  • ¾ Cup Butter (Unsalted, softened to room temperature)
  • 1 ¾ Cups Granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 ½ Cups Cake Flour
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • ⅛ tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Shredded Sweetened Coconut
  • 1 ½ Cup Lemon Curd

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 8 ounces (225g) Brick style Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)
  • ½ Cup Butter (Unsalted, softened to room temperature)
  • 3  Cups Confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tbsp Heavy cream
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • a pinch Salt

For Topping:

  • Sweetened Shredded Coconut
  • Lemon Slice

Instructions

  • Spray three 6 inch cake pans with baking spray and line them with parchment paper and set them aside. Whisk together egg whites and ¼ cup of milk in a medium bowl until slightly frothy and mixed well.
  • With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar and vanilla for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Now sift in dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder and salt) and give it a mix. Beat in egg white mixture until fully blended. Next add in remaining milk and beat for 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl as needed. Fold in the coconut.
  • Pour cake batter into prepared pans and bake in a 350 degree oven for 26-28 minutes. Remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Beat butter and cream cheese for 3-4 minutes using paddle/whisk attachment on an electric mixer. Now add in confectioners' sugar, vanilla and heavy cream. Beat for additional 3-4 minutes till the frosting gets light and fluffy.

Assembling:

  • place one layer of cake on a cake stand/plate. Add a thin layer of frosting and then spread ¾ cup lemon curd over the cake. Top with second layer of cake. Repeat with spreading the frosting and remaining lemon curd for second layer of cake. Put the last layer of cake over top. Then add frosting to entire cake. Apply coconut to the top and sides of cake. Fill hand with coconut and press gently into sides of cake. Top with a lemon slice to finish off (optional).

Notes

Coconut Cake success tips:

  • Lemon curd filling can be too thin to be filled by itself (I did it anyway!) But combining the lemon filling layer with cream cheese frosting will make sure.
  • Don't sub cake flour with all purpose flour. Your cake won't have that same soft and tender crumb. 
  • Always use room temperature ingredients. Plan ahead and take them out of refrigerator at least an hour before beginning. In case you forget use hacks to warm up butter and eggs soon. 😉
  • Use brick/block style cream cheese to make frosting and not the one that is sold in tubs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 672kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 210mg | Sugar: 51g
Tried this recipe? Pin it for later!Mention @greedyeats or tag #Greedyeats!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lily

    March 28, 2021 at 11:09 pm

    Welcome to Spring. I need this spring cake in my life!

    Reply
  2. Anosa Malanga

    March 27, 2021 at 7:52 am

    This is my first time to learn about this recipe. I am interested and yeah, taking note of the recipe so I can try for myself. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
  3. Claudia Blanton

    March 26, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    cream cheese frosting is my favorite frosting, so I will absolutely give this cake a try. Sounds easy enough to make, even for someone like me who does not bake that often. Blessings!

    Reply
  4. Mae

    March 26, 2021 at 6:02 am

    5 stars
    OMG! Lemon and coconut are two of my faves! This recipe is a match made in heaven!

    Reply
  5. Cinny

    March 25, 2021 at 9:09 pm

    Mmm, that looks delicious! I wish I was a good baker!

    Reply
  6. Cameron

    March 25, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness I cannot wait to bake this over the weekend! I love lemon desserts so this is going to be amazing!

    Reply
  7. Leah

    March 25, 2021 at 9:13 am

    OMG this cake looks so good! Can't wait to give it a try!

    Reply
  8. Laura

    March 25, 2021 at 9:09 am

    I LOVE coconut cake!! Definitely need to try this recipe.

    Reply
  9. Gervin Khan

    March 25, 2021 at 8:21 am

    This looks so cute and fluffy! I bet the taste is nice too!

    Reply
  10. Gunel Ibadova

    March 25, 2021 at 5:14 am

    Wow. It looks so appetizing. I love sweet cakes with a sour touch. I'll try this one, too 🙂

    Reply
  11. Nicole Anderson

    March 24, 2021 at 8:46 pm

    5 stars
    OMG - this just looks and sounds so divine! I love how you have presented this recipe in such an easy-to-follow way. Can't wait to give this a try in my kitchen.

    Reply
  12. lashunta

    March 24, 2021 at 6:26 pm

    5 stars
    Lemon is one of my favorite cake flavors. I definitely will need to give this recipe a try. Sounds so yummy!

    Reply
  13. Kuntala

    March 24, 2021 at 4:59 pm

    5 stars
    Everything about this cake is amazing! I love the coconut and the lemon filling between the layers. I have to make this.

    Reply

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About Neha

I'm Neha, baker, recipe developer, photographer and writer at Greedyeats.com I aim to create kitchen tested and quality recipes, accompanied by helpful process clicks and lots of tips & tricks along the way. I truly hope my recipes give you confidence to bake and cook from scratch! Read More…

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