Tender Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd
This light and tender coconut cake with lemon curd is packed with intense flavors from three kinds of coconut: Coconut milk, coconut extract, and shredded coconut. The lemon curd filling and rich cream cheese frosting make this cake even more special.
About this Tender Coconut Cake
I adore coconut. Coconut cream pie, coconut cake, coconut milk anything. This cake recipe is based off a very old Southern Living recipe I have been making for years. I now add coconut milk instead of regular milk to amp up the coconut flavor.
It takes “kind of all day” to make the is cake, so enjoy the process and relax. It’s a beautiful cake- just bake with love- the most important ingredient of all.
The lemon curd is the Old Seelbach House sauce ( before it was a Hilton Hotel) used in many of their cakes and desserts. It’s good enough to eat alone or spread it on a croissant, over plain pound cake or toast. Stir the sauce in you tea or try it shaken in your vodka for a fun cocktail. The frosting is based off Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Ingredients in Tender Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd
- one pint of Lemon Curd- see the recipe HERE
- butter
- cream cheese
- granulated and powdered sugar
- cake flour, sifted. Do not use all-purpose flour. It makes for a too dense cake.
- baking powder- make certain it is fresh
- kosher
- canned full-fat coconut milk
- coconut extract
- lemon extract
- 2-4 large lemons- for zest, juice and garnish
- egg whites
- cream of tartar- make certain it is fresh
- flaked coconut- I prefer Baker’s brand- often generic store brands are too stringy. Baker’s is well chopped.
How to make this coconut cake with lemon curd recipe:
- Make the lemon curd. I highly recommend making this lemon curd instead of buying jarred. I make it at least 1 day before I am serving the cake. Store the curd in the fridge up to two weeks.
- Gather all your ingredients. Make certain the eggs, butter, cream cheese and milk are at room temperature.
- Prep your cake pans– butter and flour liberally and line with a round of parchment to ensure they release from the pan.
- Pre-heat the oven.
- Make the batter by combining butter and sugar. lemon zest. Combine the dry ingredients- flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Whip the egg whites and fold into the batter.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cool the coconut cakes on wire racks while you make your coconut cream cheese buttercream frosting.
- Make the frosting.
- Assemble the cake.
Other show-stopper cakes to try:
Pro-tips for a perfect coconut cake with lemon curd bake:
- Measure your extracts carefully– do not just eye-ball the amounts. Coconut and lemon extract are very strong and too much can make the cake taste ” artificial”.
- Use a clear glass bowl to crack the egg whites so you can check for pieces of broken shells.
- Do not leave the cakes in the cake pans for very long after they bake. As soon as they are cool, wrap them up in plastic and pop in the freezer. It is so much easier to frost a cold cake.
- Pull the eggs, butter and cream cheese out of the fridge the night before baking. This way they are at perfect room temperature. If you live in Texas and bake this cake in the summer- do not do this.
- Set a timer for the cakes while they bake. If your oven has hot spots, the cakes can bake too quickly. If necessary, bake the cakes one at a time and not all at once.
- While assembling, secure the cake with bamboo skewers so it sits perfectly straight.
- Chef’s Notes- Look for full-fat canned coconut milk in the International/Asian section of your grocery store. Shake the can well before using.
- Cake flour is key to a fluffy cake.
Equipment Needed for this recipe:
- two large bowls
- parchment paper- buy my favorite brand HERE
- stand mixer or hand mixer- Budget friendly option for under $80.00 HERE
- Three 8″ or 9″ cake pans
- wire rack
- off-set spatula- buy my favorite for $15 here
- silicone scraper
- sieve or flour sifter
- cake plate
- measuring cups and spoons
Now that you’ve baked it, how to store this tender coconut cake with lemon curd:
Once the cake is fully frosted and decorated, I keep the cake in the fridge for up to five days.
Set the cake out at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ¾ cup sugar
- 3 ¼ cups cake flour sifted
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup canned coconut milk at room temperature
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
- 6 unit egg whites at room temperature
- ¾ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 TBSP lemon zest
- 1 cup flaked coconut- finely chopped
For the frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz block of cream cheese room temperature
- 5 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 2 TBSP canned full-fat coconut milk
- ½ tsp coconut extract
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut- for decorating the cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour 3- 9u0022 cake pans.
- Cream butter gradually adding in sugar and beat until well combined and sugar granules have dissolved. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the the butter and sugar mixture to the flour alternating with the coconut milk. Gently stir in coconut extract, lemon juice, lemon zest and chopped coconut flakes. Mix so that the batter is well combined.
- Beat room-temperature egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer at high speed until foamy. Add in the cream of tartar and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. With care, fold the egg white mixture into the flour mixture one- third at a time.
- Pour batter into prepared 9” cake pans and bake at 350 for 17-19 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then release cakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks until time to assemble the cake. I prefer to freeze the cakes and then frost them when they are about half way thawedYou can freeze these can freeze these cakes for up to three months before frosting.
- For the Coconut Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well combined. About 6-7 minutes. The butter should be room temperature but not too soft- about 68-72 degrees. Add in confectioner’s sugar, coconut milk, vanilla, and salt at low speed and increase to medium speed after the sugar is fully incorporated. Beat for 2-3 minutes more. Do not whip. If the frosting is too loose, set the bowl of frosting in the fridge to chill for 15-30 minutes.
To Assemble the Cake
- With a large serrated knife, trim off any domes on the cakes so that you have a flat surface for your frosting and fillings.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand. Tuck strips of parchment under the cake to protect the cake stand from icing. Smooth half the lemon curd onto the bottom layer of the cake leaving a 1 inch gap around the cake. Top with second layer and remaining lemon curd.
- Top the cake with the third layer and secure the cake with long bamboo skewers if needed to keep the cake straight. Frost the cake using an offset spatula with a thin crumb coat of the icing. Chill for 10 minutes. Then frost the sides and top with the coconut cream cheese frosting all over. Sprinkle with flaked sweetened coconut. Top with lemon peels or sliced lemons or if serving at Christmas, decorate with ground up peppermint candies around the edge.
- Remove the parchment strips and chill the cake. This cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before serving.
