This Lemon Coconut Cake is easy for any baker to make successfully! A boxed cake mix is flavored with coconut as the base and topped with lemon curd and a fluffy cream cheese frosting. It's great to make in advance and will be loved by family and friends at any celebration.
When the spring rolls around and we are planning our Easter menu, this Lemon Coconut Cake is always for dessert. It's the showstopper recipe of the whole meal and really impresses guests.
Entertaining can be daunting with all of the food prep that's involved, but this coconut lemon cake is easy to make in advance so you can be stress-free when dessert time rolls around. We bake the cake layer the day before we plan to serve it. Keep it in the fridge until it's time to slice and enjoy!
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By using a boxed mix as the base, we guarantee anyone can make this recipe successfully. My niece loves making this dessert now for entertaining too!
If you love a delicious sweet treat, be sure to also try our Zinger Cake and Mini Carrot Cakes.
Laura Ashley's Tip: We love to use a box cake mix as the base and doctor it up into a bakery-style cake. We swap the water for milk in this case. We also add different extracts and spices. In our lemon coconut cake, we are using coconut extract.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easy but decadent lemon coconut cake. We keep it simple by jazzing up a boxed white cake mix so the prep time is only 30 minutes. By topping it with rich and tangy lemon curd and a luscious creamy cheese whipped cream frosting, it will have your guests saying 'wow!'
- A great make ahead dessert. You can make it in advance and store in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy.
- Make it a layer cake. We love the ease of baking it in a sheet, especially if we are bringing it to a party. But if you want to try a different presentation, then you can transform it easily into a 2 layer cake as well.
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
Cake
- White cake mix: Boxed white cake makes this simple. Use your favorite brand, you could also use yellow cake here too.
- Milk: The liquid we use in the cake mix to make it extra rich in flavor.
- Canola or vegetable oil: The fat that adds the moisture to the cake.
- Large eggs: Binds the batter together.
- Coconut extract: Infuses every bite with bright and tropical coconut flavor.
- Lemon: We use both the zest and juice to really help that lemon flavor shine.
- Store-bought or homemade lemon curd: Adds so much brightness plus a sweet and sour taste that pairs beautifully with the coconut.
Frosting
- Cream cheese: The base of any good cream cheese frosting. It's a great combination with the lemon and coconut flavors.
- Coconut extract: We add even more in the frosting for extra coconut flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the frosting perfectly without making it gritty.
- Heavy whipping cream: Lightens the frosting for soft and and pillowy texture, rather than dense.
- Garnish Options: We love to decorate with toasted coconut, candied lemon slices, and more to make this festive for any spring or summer celebration!
Tools You'll Need
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- 13"x9" Baking Dish
How to Make Lemon Coconut Cake
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray or butter and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, blend with a hand mixer or whisk together the cake mix, eggs, milk, oil, lemon juice and zest, and coconut extract.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
- Poke holes with a fork over the entire cake. Spread a layer of lemon curd evenly over the top.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer or bowl with a hand mixer, whip cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar and coconut extract, and whip again starting on low and building to medium speed until incorporated well and smooth. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually beat in the heavy whipping cream on medium speed. After about 30 seconds to 1 minute, the mixture will begin to thicken. Once it begins to thicken, gradually increase the mixers speed to medium-high.
- When stiff peaks form (mixture holds its shape), the frosting is complete.
- Spread the frosting on the cake. Garnish as desired.
Expert Tips
- Cool the cake completely before frosting. If the lemon coconut cake is still warm, the frosting will melt and be quite messy.
- If you want to turn this into a layered cake, that's easy! You can bake the layers in two 8-inch or 9-inch rounds.
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before making the frosting. This will allow for even and consistent mixing of the ingredients so the consistency and flavor is smooth and light. If you forget, just microwave it in 15-second intervals until it's softened.
- Be sure to beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks for the frosting. 'Stiff peaks' means the whipped cream will be thick and able to hold it's shape when you lift it up with a spoon. This is extremely important to the success of this frosting, as it is what gives it a soft, melt in your mouth texture.
- Toasting Coconut: To toast coconut in the oven, preheat to 350°F, spread shredded or flaked coconut on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often until golden. For microwave toasting, place coconut in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until golden brown. Keep a close watch to prevent burning.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We don't recommend freezing since it will change the texture of the icing when it thaws.
If you want to make this dessert in advance, you can do so the day before. Refrigerate until read to serve.
FAQs
You want to make sure you have enough fat in the cake batter, this means oil or butter. Additionally, be careful not to over-bake. This will make it dry.
No. Simply avoid over-mixing the batter which can make your cake dense.
We love doing this! You can swap the water for milk or buttermilk. We also sometimes add butter as well as oil. Then we play with different extracts as well as spices to flavor the batter too!
Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and if there are only moist crumbs, it's finished.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
Lemon Coconut Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25 ounce white cake mix
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 1 lemon ½ tablespoon zest + 1 tablespoon juice
- ¾ cup store-bought or homemade lemon curd
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream
- Garnish Options: toasted coconut, candied lemon slices
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray or butter and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, blend with a hand mixer or whisk together the cake mix, eggs, milk, oil, lemon juice and zest, and coconut extract.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
- Poke holes with a fork over the entire cake. Spread a layer of lemon curd evenly over the top.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer or bowl with a hand mixer, whip cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar and coconut extract, and whip again starting on low and building to medium speed until incorporated well and smooth. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually beat in the heavy whipping cream on medium speed. After about 30 seconds to 1 minute, the mixture will begin to thicken. Once it begins to thicken, gradually increase the mixers speed to medium-high.
- When stiff peaks form (mixture holds its shape), the frosting is complete.
- Spread the frosting on the cake. Garnish as desired.
Video
Notes
-
- Cool the cake completely before frosting. If the lemon coconut cake is still warm the frosting will melt all of the cake and be quite messy.
- If you want to turn this into a layered cake, that's easy! You can bake the cake layers in two 8-inch or 9-inch cake rounds.
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before making the frosting. This will allow for even and consistent mixing of the ingredients so the consistency and flavor is smooth and light. If you forget, just microwave it in 15-second intervals until it's softened.
- Be sure to beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks for the frosting. 'Stiff peaks' means the whipped cream will be thick and able to hold it's shape when you lift it up with a spoon. This is extremely important to the success of this frosting, as it is what gives it a soft, melt in your mouth texture.
- Toasting Coconut: To toast coconut in the oven, preheat to 350°F, spread shredded or flaked coconut on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often until golden. For microwave toasting, place coconut in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until golden brown. Keep a close watch to prevent burning.
Valerie Salazar
Is there any substitutes for the lemon curd?
Laura Ashley
You could just omit the lemon curd. That's what I do when I make it for my son 🙂