I am not sure which part of this Lemon Coconut Cake I love the most!
Ultra moist and fluffy coconut cake layers, the lemon custard and coconut buttercream!
Or the cutest little lemon stuffed coconut macaroons on top!
This cake should be front and center at every gathering from now on and it has never been easier!
My food processor method of making the lightest and fluffiest cakes is at it again!
This time coconut flakes are added to the coconut batter and an easy stove top lemon custard for a zingy refreshing filling!
*You actually don’t need a food processor at all it’s simply a one bowl mix up by hand with a whisk!
The coconut macaroon cookies are so simple and make the most adorable topper for each slice
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR LEMON COCONUT CAKE
No affiliation with any product or company linked below, solely for visual reference
Notes for Success:
Rarely do I use 6″ cake pans but for this cake I decided to do it!
If you only have 7″ or 8″ cake pans simply divide the batter evenly amongst 2-8″ Cake Pans OR 3-7″ cake pans
Although I call this one a food processor cake method, you don’t need afood processor at all!
Simply mix all the wet ingredients by hand in a large mixing bowl, then add the dry and fold in the coconut last!
I prefer to use unsweetened coconut flakes (desiccated coconut) so it does not add more sugar to the cake batter
If you cannot get the unsweetened variety just take out 1½ Tbs sugar from the recipe
Cornstarch is a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume/spoons measure
So while I list both measures below in the recipe for the custard, I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a kitchen scale is going to give you the best results.
Many times people have complained that their custard is like rubber and they don’t know why!
Lemon Coconut Cake
Ingredients
For the Coconut Cake Layers
- 1¾ cup Coconut Milk (414ml)
- 2 teaspoon Vinegar or Lemon Juice (10ml)
- 1½ teaspoon Coconut Extract
- 1½ cup Cake Flour Flour (180g)
- 2¼ cup All Purpose Flour (280g)
- 3 teaspoon Egg Replacer
- 1¼ cup Granulated Sugar (250g)
- 3 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1½ teaspoon Salt
- 16 Tbs Vegan Butter Melted or Vegetable Oil (237ml)
- 2 cup Unsweetened Flaked Coconut (250g)
For the Lemon Custard
- 1 cup Plant Milk (237ml)
- ½ cup Lemon Juice (118ml)
- ¾ cup Water (177ml)
- ⅛ teaspoon Tumeric *optional for color
- ¾ Sugar (150g)
- 6 Tbs Cornstarch *see notes (48g)
- 3 teaspoon Lemon Zest
For the Coconut Buttercream
- 2 cup Vegan Butter (454g)
- 4 cup Confectioners Sugar (480g)
- 2 teaspoon Coconut Extract (10ml)
- pinch Salt
for the Garnish
Instructions
- If you are making the lemon stuffed coconut macaroons prepare the macaroons according to that recipe post & you will reserve some of the lemon custard from this recipe to fill the cups (approx 3/4 cup)
- First prepare your coconut cake layers by greasing & parchment lining 4-6" cake pans, then preheat the oven to 350°F
- Place all of the cake ingredients except for the coconut into a food processor & process until smooth batter (about 20 seconds) If you do not have a food processor it is no problem to mix this entire recipe by hand in a large bowl with a whisk!
- Add the coconut flakes last mix to combine
- Pour batter evenly between the prepared cake pans & bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans until you can safely flip them onto a cooling rack to cool to cold
- Prepare the lemon custard by combining the sugar & the cornstarch together in a heavy bottom medium sauce pot add the lemon juice, lemon zest, water & plant milk & a pinch of turmeric for color if desired
- Cook over medium high heat stirring constantly to avoid scorching the bottom
- Once it comes to a full boil remove it from the heat pour into a clean bowl & let it cool in the refrigerator while you prepare the buttercream recipe
- Place the vegan butter in a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment (or with an electric hand beater) Add the salt *if using & cream on medium to high speed for about 3 minutes.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure it is evenly mixed then add the coconut extract
- Stop mixer & add the sifted confectioners sugar all at once. Mix on low speed until incorporated then scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl & mix on high speed for 3 minutes.
- Assemble the cake as shown in the video tutorial
Video
Notes
Hi
Looks divine !!! Two questions please :
1. Is one teaspoon egg replacer the equivalent of one egg?
2. Can I use potato starch in place of corn starch (for Passover )?
Thanks so much !
Stunning stunning recipes !!!
Hi There, since I do not create my recipes from non vegan recipes that had egg in them, I cannot say that the amount of egg replacer I am using is equivalent to any amount of egg. Yes to potato starch.
Hello! A couple questions: The instructions mentions oranges, am I missing something? The last ingredient says unsweetened coconut- does this mean the large shreds?
Yikes! Thank you for spotting that! LOL This coconut cake recipe is a direct copy cat from my Orange Cake recipe where I subbed the oranges for coconut!
So I did not properly copy over that instruction!
I’ll be updating that now!
Disregard the orange instruction, since it is coconut being added after the first pulsing in the food processor!
As for the coconut you can use whatever you have or like the best. If it is large flakes/shreds the food processor is going to grind it down even more.
Additionally The sweetened coconut flakes did not make a big difference in the recipe as I had expected it would, so no need to change any ingredients if you DO use sweet coconut
I have used both sweet & unsweet with great results
Thank you! One more question- it mentions adding cream in the directions for the buttercream but it’s not in the list. Is there supposed to be coconut cream? Thanks!
Hey so I think you mean at step 14?
In which case this just needs to be worded more clearly since what I mean to imply is “Add the salt and then continue CREAMING”
Not~ “add the salt and cream” I can see how this could be confusing! 🙂
Ahh I see what you mean! Thank you very much 🙂 The cake was delicious and so easy to make.
What could I use instead of Bobs egg replacer please ? Would a flax egg work ?
Since this is a higher fat recipe already I prefer not to use flax here, it can make the cake heavy & almost “raw” like
Just leave out the egg replacer altogether the cake will still be fine