Coconut Lime Cake
This stunning coconut lime cake is made of soft and tender coconut cake layers, homemade lime curd filling, and a coconut-lime buttercream. It’s a crowd favorite!
Birthday cakes are my favorite thing to bake. I mean, how can they not be? They’re doubly special— the cake is usually a little fancier and put together, and it’s always made with so much love.
I baked this coconut lime cake to celebrate my husband’s birthday this past weekend, and it was perfect. A version of this cake has been on my site for many years, from another birthday of his actually, and I had a vision to make it even better. More coconut. More lime. More wow.
About this coconut lime cake
Here’s what you’ll find in this layer cake:
- Coconut cake layers from my crazy popular southern coconut cake. (Why reinvent the wheel, right?)
- A filling of homemade lime curd that’s super zesty and bright with flavor.
- Luscious coconut-lime Swiss meringue buttercream to cover the whole thing.
Swiss meringue buttercream is slightly more complicated than traditional classic buttercream, but the work is more than worth it. This frosting is so light in both flavor and texture, and not too sweet.
How to decorate this cake
You can decorate the cake however you like, but I kept mine simple with swirls of frosting on top, toasted coconut, and lime slices. The hubby definitely loved this cake, and so did the rest of us! And I’ve made it many times since.
baking tip:How to prep and store cake layers in advance
If you plan ahead and bake cake layers in advance it can make the job of assembling a layer cake easier! I usually bake all cake layers at least one day ahead of when I plan to build and serve the finished cake.
After the cake layers are baked let them cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days, or double wrap in plastic and store in the freezer for 1-2 months. Thaw frozen cake layers in their wrappings before frosting, either overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours.
Cake resources
Coconut Lime Cake
This stunning cake is made of tender coconut cake layers, lime curd filling, and a coconut-lime buttercream.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 ½ cup (360 grams) canned unsweetened coconut milk , divided
- 1 tablespoon coconut flavoring
- 3 cups (340 grams) cake flour
- 2 ⅓ cups (470 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
LIME CURD FILLING:
- ½ cup (112 grams) fresh lime juice
- Zest of 2 limes
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (56 grams) unsalted butter
- Food coloring , optional (see Notes)
COCONUT-LIME BUTTERCREAM:
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (450 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut milk or cream of coconut
- Zest of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- Approximately 1 cup toasted coconut , sweetened or unsweetened
Equipment
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two or three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper. (See Notes)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites, ½ cup of the coconut milk, and coconut flavoring.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and remaining 1 cup coconut milk and combine on low speed until moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg white mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing just long enough to incorporate between additions.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
- Cake layers can be made in advance. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for several months. Defrost before assembling.
TO MAKE THE LIME CURD:
- Add the lime juice, zest, and sugar to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
- Add egg yolks to a medium bowl. While whisking constantly, add the heated lime juice mixture in a small steady stream until completely combined.
- Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened, 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Stir in butter.
- Pass lime curd though a mesh strainer to remove zest and any egg bits. Stir in green extract if using. Chill completely.
TO MAKE THE COCONUT-LIME BUTTERCREAM:
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Place over a pot of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
- Heat egg mixture, stirring frequently, until sugar is completely melted and it's hot to the touch. For best results, insert a candy thermometer and heat mixture to 160°F.
- Transfer bowl to the stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed until cooled and egg whites have medium peaks, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium and add butter a tablespoon at a time. Egg whites will deflate a bit and may appear soupy, but will thicken and come together once all the butter has been added. If not, chill in the fridge for 15 minutes, then whip some more.
- Stir in coconut milk or cream and lime zest and beat until light and fluffy.
TO ASSEMBLE CAKE:
- Add about 1 cup of butter cream to chilled lime curd and stir until smooth.
- Remove any domed cake tops and/or split cake layers if desired (see my full tutorial). Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate.
- Pipe or frost a small "dam" of buttercream around edge of the cake layer (this will keep the curd from leaking out while you assemble.). Spread ½ or ⅓ of lime curd mixture (depending on how many layers you have) into the center. Top with another cake layer.
- Repeat with remaining cake layers.
- Frost entire cake with buttercream and decorated as desired. Top with toasted coconut.
- Store cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, and leftovers may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
NOTES:
- This cake can be baked in either 8 or 9-inch pans. I prefer 8-inch as it makes a taller cake, but it’s up to you. You can use 2 or 3 pans, depending on the look you’re going for: double layer (2 pans), triple layer (3 pans), or quadruple layer (2 pans, then slice each layer in half). I’ve had some comments about the batter not fitting in two 8-inch pans. My pans are 4 inches deep and can accommodate a lot of batter. If you have only 2-inch deep pans, consider using 3 pans or 9-inch pans.
- Lime curd is naturally yellow in color. If you’d like it to be green, I suggest adding a tiny bit of blue gel food coloring. You can always add more, so start small. Adding green coloring will actually make it more of a neon green color.
- To toast coconut: spread into a single layer on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 3-5 minutes. Watch closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. Let cool completely.
- For help assembling and building your cake, see my complete tutorial on how to build a layer cake.
Calories: 829kcal, Carbohydrates: 60g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 63g, Saturated Fat: 42g, Cholesterol: 214mg, Sodium: 176mg, Potassium: 372mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 1650IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 1mg
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.
Note: This recipe was originally published on Completely Delicious in January 2010.
I can’t find coconut flavoring listed in the cake batter. Can I substitute coconut extract?
Yep!
I cant find either.. what do I do?? 🙁
It kooks like and reads like a great cake, but why do people review a cake before making it? I want to know how it came out, not if your husband likes dessert.
The cake layers for this particular cake are borrowed from my southern coconut cake recipe which has lots of lots of reviews for you to browse! Hope this helps. 🙂
It looks so yum! And I love how to decorate it! Simple and elegant! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Annalise, I am truly sorry to be the grammar police, but I love your work and don’t want you to have an error on your gorgeous website. It should read “more fancy” not “more fancier” in the paragraph under the photo of that spectacular cake. I’m actually making a coconut cake for my husband’s birthday coming up on Tuesday and just baked the layers this morning and will tackle the frosting on the day of the party. I chose a recipe very similar to yours, which I just came across this afternoon. I think in the buttercream directions you mean not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. My question is, will I have trouble getting the egg whites to whip up properly given that I’m in Colorado, at a little more than 5,000 feet? When making the cake, I used about an 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar in the whites and they whipped perfectly. Maybe I should do the same for the frosting? Thanks for your help.
I am in SLC at about 5,000 ft and have never had any problems with egg whites not whipping properly. I don’t think cream of tartar will be needed. Hope this helps! 🙂
What about the Butter in THE LIME CURD ingredients?]
Oops! Add it once lime curd is cooked and before straining. I’ve corrected the instructions. 🙂
OMG this looks so divine!
I can't wait to make this cake – and the idea of making the recipe into cupcakes and fill them with the lime curd is brilliant…..!!!!
I am so torn over this. This cake looks absolutely amazing. I love the combination of coconut and lime. My husband on the other hand hates lime, and my sister (whom I share all of my baked goods with) hates coconut. I think maybe I will make these into cupcakes and fill a few of them with the lime curd…my sister can make her own goodies 😉
Food o'del Mundo, what a great idea! I'll definitely try that next time.
fluffy frosting, coconutty cake, tangy filling–this is all kinds of awesome. wonderful display!
BEAUTIFUL! BRAVO! These are some of my favorite flavors as well. I recently found coconut flavoring oil at Whole Foods I use it when coconut milk is in a recipe – because, I too sometimes feel the coconut flavor isn't enough with just the coconut milk. ~Mary
How wonderful! I love me some lime&coconut….great idea!
Beautiful cake! Fit for a birthday celebration, indeed. My husband is the opposite of yours — he "says'' he doesn't like dessert. But then, he'll eat only the sweetest ones. Go figure…. 😉
Three layers!? One intense cake, but the flavor combination sounds so good! I'll have to bookmark this, it would be perfect for a spring dinner party.
This looks amazing!!