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4.57 from 16 votes

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!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time28 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 48 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 ½ Cups Cake Flour
  • 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon 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 tablespoon Heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon 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