toasted coconut lemon layer cake
Sometimes the biggest messes yield the most wonderful products.
If you’ve ever baked before, you know it’s a massive shitstorm in the kitchen. Flour on the apron and spilled on the floor, exploding powdered sugar you find a week later in some unseen crevice, egg whites drizzling down the side of the bowl when the shell is cracked. There’s a kind of primal delight in destroying your surroundings, but for a purpose. Evidence that the scientific method was used, and hopefully, used well.
And of course, it’s also stressful as fuck to finish a session and realize you have ALL THESE DISHES EVERYWHERE OH MY GOD THERE’S SO MANY.
This Toasted Coconut Lemon Layer Cake is for those who want to get their hands a little sticky and the countertops a bit frazzled. The cake and buttercream themselves create an ordinary disaster, but the layer of toasted coconut flakes around…get ready for some serious cleanup. unless, of course, you’re better at containing your maelstroms than I.
Fluffy lemon cake frosted with coconut buttercream and finished with aforementioned embellishment. It’s a stunning piece and equally delicious. I’m quite tempted to grab a slice myself this afternoon with the excuse that my sinus headache is giving me a sweet tooth.
Not that you need an excuse for cake. Never.
Sweet and Sour
I’ve a bevy of lemon desserts on FMG, and one tip I use in all of them is to sift the lemon zest with the sugar before creaming with butter. Doing so will distribute the sharp bits of lemon more evenly in your batter.
To do so, just pour your sugar into your mixing bowl with the zest and toss together. Throw in your butter and beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla extract, lemon juice, and Greek yogurt. The liquid will curdle and look awful weird, but don’t worry, this is a normal reaction with the acids in your batter.
Mix in your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the beater running on low, pour in your buttermilk until a thick batter forms, but do not overmix. Some lumps are okay.
Divide the batter between two greased 9 inch cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a butter knife and flip onto a wire rack to cool completely.
CocoNUTSO
This coconut buttercream is divine. It might be one of my favorite iterations for the warmer weather seasons: it just tastes so light, yet rich, with a soft and silky texture to boot.
To make the frosting, whip butter, vanilla, and coconut extracts on low speed until relatively mixed. Add 4 cups of flour and 1/3 cup heavy cream and beat until combined, then TURN UP (the beater, I mean, not your disposition) and whip until smooth. I usually add up to 1/2 cup more sugar and a couple more tablespoons of heavy cream to get the right amount and the right spreadability I want.
Set your cake stand or plate onto a big ole sheet of parchment. Think like16-18 inches or so long. Place one layer atop and frost to coat, then add the second layer and continue frosting all the way around until thoroughly coated.
Smooth out the buttercream as best you can with an offset spatula or a bench scraper. Grab your toasted coconut flakes (I used these!) and, working with scant palmfuls at a time, press into the cake as best you can. Yes, lots of the chips will fall, and yes, it will annoy the living and dead shit out of you. Take your time, scoop up the fallen flakes, and do your best. The result is utterly worth the rage.
Slice and serve this beaut immediately, or cover and store for later. Lasts up to a week in the fridge and freezes beautifully for up to a month or so. If you keep it at room temperature, bear in mind that any humidity might soften the coconut flakes more quickly.
Enjoy the weekend, pal-ios!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Lemon law:
toasted coconut lemon layer cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
coconut buttercream
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups toasted coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans with butter or oil.
- Sift the lemon zest with the sugar. In a large bowl, cream the butter and lemon sugar until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Whip in the vanilla, lemon juice, and Greek yogurt – the liquid will curdle, this is normal. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, slowly stream in the buttermilk. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until the center is set and an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to release the layers and flip onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
- When the cakes are cooled, make the frosting. In a bowl, whip the butter, vanilla, and coconut extract on low speed until combined. Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1/3 cup cream and mix to combine, then increase the speed to medium high and whip until very light and fluffy. If needed, pour in more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting is soft and spreadable.
- Place a cake stand atop a very large piece of parchment paper. Set one cake layer on the stand. Frost the top generously, then add the second layer. Frost all the way around the cake until completely covered. Press the coconut flakes all over the frosting. This will get messy – embrace that shit!
Leave a Reply