Lemon Coconut Layer Cake; layers of fluffy coconut cake, spread thickly with vanilla coconut frosting and tangy lemon curd.
July in Scotland may not be the sunshine-soaked affair it is in other parts of Europe, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate sunny flavours in this summer month.
When I’m not swallowing every strawberry within a 2-mile radius, in summer time I can be found using every possible excuse to add lemon to everything. A bolt of excitement to add to your rice dishes? Lemon. A zing of flavour to avocado toast? Lemon. A fragrant addition to whipped cream? Lemon. A wee injection of zestiness to a bowl of vanilla ice cream? Lemon. Lemon Lemon Lemon.
They are so cheap and accessible, and yet so utterly unmatched in their uses in the kitchen. You could confidently ditch some of your fanciest seasonings in favour of a wee bit of lemon. Whether you squeeze out every last drop of the superbly sour juice, or aggressively grate the citrus-scented zest, you’re guaranteed an easy uplift in flavour for any dish.
It only felt right, after sharing the recipe for my new favourite Tangy Vanilla Lemon Curd a few weeks ago, to squeeze another lemon-laced recipe onto the blog this week! If you haven’t whipped up a jar or two of the curd yet, I’d urge you to try. It’s a deliciously sweet and sour lemon curd you can make it minutes to dress up any dessert, scone, or cake! Just as it does in this new Lemon Coconut Layer Cake! The recipe will make a full batch of lemon curd, meaning you can use some in this cake recipe and keep the rest for whenever you like.
Making and eating this cake was nothing short of therapy. After working consistently long hours for weeks, trying to revitalise a lockdown-stricken social life, and remembering to sleep and eat in between, I needed this. Taking time away from my phone and laptop to potter around in the kitchen on a humid cloudy day, and savouring the results for dessert (and of course, for breakfast the next day) felt like utter luxury. As you can tell from the uneven slicing, the stray crumbs, and the eager lashings of dripping curd, this wasn’t intended to be an Instagram post let alone a blog recipe. After the first forkful though, it felt cruel to keep this one all to myself.
This Lemon Coconut Layer Cake is a dreamy mess of textures and flavours. The cake is wonderfully fluffy, with the soft chew of desiccated coconut weaved throughout. If you eat it fresh, you’ll even get to enjoy the gentle crisp-ness of the cake’s edges, so often lost under a blanket of outer frosting. Meanwhile, the Tangy Vanilla Lemon Curd will wake up your tastebuds, offering both super sweet and tinglingly sour at the same time. That’s all while allowing the creamy coconut vanilla frosting to mellow all the flavours together into a perfect summer dessert.
You can eat this cold from the fridge to refresh yourself, or keep it out on your worktop, ready for a greedy forkful to be stolen at any moment. Enjoy!
Want to save this Lemon Coconut Layer Cake for later? You can pin the image below:
To make this Lemon Coconut Layer Cake, simply follow the recipe below!
Ingredients
For the vanilla lemon curd:
- 3 lemons
- 200g (1 cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 100g (6 ½ tbsp) salted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
For the coconut cake:
- 200g (13 tbsp) softened salted butter/margarine
- 200g (1 cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 200g (1 ½ cups) self-raising flour
- 50g (½ cup) desiccated or shredded coconut
For the vanilla coconut frosting:
- 250g (16 tbsp) softened salted butter
- 400g (2 cups) icing sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 25g (¼ cup) desiccated or shredded coconut
Instructions
For the vanilla lemon curd:
- Grate your lemon zest and squeeze your lemon juice into a large heatproof bowl along with your sugar.
- Add your butter and vanilla.
- Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and allow the ingredients to gently melt together, whisking occasionally.
- Crack your eggs into a separate bowl and beat them together.
- Gradually pour the eggs into the bowl of lemon mixture, whisking constantly.
- Continue whisking for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has warmed and thickened to the texture of custard.
- Pour your cooked lemon curd into a heatproof jug, before pouring into sealable containers.
- Allow to cool, then refrigerate until ready to use.
For the coconut cake:
- Preheat your oven – 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / gas mark 4 – and grease/line two 6-8 inch sandwich cake tins.
- Place your butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with a mixer or by hand until light and fluffy.
- Add your eggs one at a time, beating between each addition until fully combined. Don’t worry if it looks a little curdled, once you add the flour it will sort itself out!
- Tip your flour and coconut into the bowl and mix gently until everything is smooth and combined.
- Scoop all the batter into the two prepared cake tins and smooth out the top as best you can.
- Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, or until firm, and a skewer inserted into the centre can be pulled out cleanly.
- Allow the cakes to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing them from the tin to cool completely.
- When cooled, you can use a sharp or serrated knife to carefully cut each cake in half, giving you 4 cake layers in total (or you can leave them whole, whichever you prefer!)
For the vanilla coconut frosting:
- Beat together the butter, the vanilla, and half the icing sugar until combined.
- Add the remaining sugar and the coconut and beat vigorously until fully incorporated, light and pale in colour.
- Place one of your 4 cake layers onto your serving plate.
- Slather the top with a layer of your chilled lemon curd.
- Spread the layer of lemon curd with a layer of your frosting.
- Sandwich it with another cake layer, and repeat the process until you have a lovely 4-layer cake. (You may have some frosting or curd leftover!)
- Dust the cake with icing sugar to serve, or chill the cake until ready to eat.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: why not stir some fresh raspberries through the cake batter before baking to add extra sweet-tangy flavour?
This Lemon Coconut Layer Cake will keep well for up to 4 days. No need to refrigerate, unless the weather if very warm or you prefer cold cake!
