Meyer Lemon Coconut Cake
This Meyer lemon coconut cake is full of wonderful spring flavors with a moist coconut lemon cake and sweet tropical coconut frosting. Perfect for all your Spring celebrations.
Happy first day of March friends! For most of you, spring is in the air. For the rest of us, it’s NOT. Not even close so I am hanging on to winter citrus like no one’s business to make my days more tolerable. Recipes like grapefruit creme brulee, blood orange chocolate Meyerle torte, and this Meyer lemon coconut cake brings on an air of spring in your kitchen while it’s still winter. Isn’t winter citrus the best? I can’t get enough and won’t stop baking until Spring arrives.
Like any avid citrus fan, I am a firm believer in sweet and tart and that lip puckering tartness that’s just too good. I am also a firm believer in coconut. It makes EVERYTHING better. It’s like the cilantro of the baking world. And as you know, I make it my JOB to explore all the coconut pairings. This Meyer lemon + coconut combination is one that you will love as it is incredible. The sweet Meyer lemon flavor with the tropical coconut blends very well together in this moist cake.
The recipe for this Meyer lemon coconut cake is adapted from this popular cupcakes recipe. I am always getting emails from readers asking how to convert these Meyer lemon coconut cupcakes into a cake. It’s usually easy with some adjustment in baking times and pan sizes but I understand that not everyone is up to experimenting when you are just looking for a great recipe for your loved ones. Well, I got you covered. The recipe was scaled for an 8-inch two-layered cake but you can double for a 9-inch layered cake or half the recipe for a 6-inch layered cake.
Meyer Lemon Coconut Cake
This Meyer lemon coconut cake is full of wonderful spring flavors with a moist coconut lemon cake and sweet tropical coconut frosting. Perfect for all your Spring celebrations.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup coconut cream (NOT coconut milk)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 Meyer lemon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
For the Frosting:
- 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Meyer lemon juice
- Zest of one Meyer lemon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
FOR CUPCAKES:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans with a baking spray and line with parchment circles. Grease the parchment.
- Whisk together half of the milk, coconut cream, egg whites, egg, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
- Sift the cake flour in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (Or a medium bowl if using a hand mixer). Combine the rest of the dry ingredients including the lemon zest and sugar. Stir together on low speed for 30 seconds.
- Add the butter one piece at a time and blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Then add the remaining milk, and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase speed to medium and mix for 1½ minute. Be careful not to overmix. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg/milk/extract mixture in 3 separate batches mixing on medium speed after each addition until combined.
- Divide batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in center of the cake.
- Let cakes cool completely for 10 minutes on a wire rack in pans. Invert cakes and let cool completely before frosting.
COCONUT LEMON BUTTERCREAM
- Whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer. The butter will become pale and creamy.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Then increase speed to medium and mix for 6 minutes until the frosting is very light, creamy and fluffy.
- Use frosting immediately or store refrigerated in an airtight container.
To Assemble
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving platter. Spread about 1 cup of frosting over the top using an offset spatula. Top with final layer of cake.
- Frost cake with a crumb coat of buttercream and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Finish frosting cake and decorate as desired
Hello! This looks like a great recipe but my question is about coconut cream – can you use Coco Lopez, which is sweetened and usually used for Pina coladas? Thanks very much.
Hi Marcia, yes you can use that. The coconut cream I used is the canned sweetened one. I will specify in the recipe above.
Question on the coconut cream… I did not know that there was cream of coconut (sweetened) and coconut cream (unsweetened). Which do you use for this recipe? I ended up using Goya’s cream of coconut because I thought it was the same thing.
I used Goya’s cream of coconut which is sweetened too. Good call, I will clarify above.
I made this recipe too and did NOT get a good rise… I followed the recipe to a T and twice…my layers were so scant that I made the recipe twice so that I can actually make it a 4 layer cake so that it will be the height of a normal two layer cake. The flavor is good though for the cake and the icing…yum
Hello Gina, I am sorry to hear you didn’t get a good rise with this recipe. Unfortunately, it is hard to pinpoint why as there are several leavening agents in this recipe. The most common issue for cakes not rising is using old baking soda or baking powder. Also having an oven that is hotter than the suggested heat in the recipe could make the cake not rise. I would check your ingredients and make sure the leaveners are good.
I can’t seem to get a good rise. I have been adding poppy seeds and using a square pan. Would that influence the rise of the cake? I have followed the recipe otherwise.
Hi Leslie, both of those changes could affect the outcome of the cake. Poppy seed could suck moisture from the batter affecting your ability to rise and a bigger pan could also affect your bake time.
What a beautiful cake! And I’m such a coconut fan, I don’t think I’d want to share!!!
Same here, it’s hard to share!!
Spring is still a pipe dream where I live (snow is in the forecast for tomorrow), but this cake will definitely make the last few weeks of winter more bearable! I love lighter flavors like these in cake. What a beautiful creation!
Same here, we just had a 14-inch snow storm. But I am ready for spring!!
You know I always love all the ways you bake with coconut. This is gorgeous!
You are my kind of people!!
That cake is so pretty, and the lemon coconut combo sounds so good 🙂
Thanks, Ashley!