A reader favorite recipe, lemon coconut cake features deliciously moist coconut cake layers, homemade lemon curd, toasted coconut, and cream cheese frosting. It’s buttery, moist, and tender—the cake of your dreams!
Today’s lemon coconut cake recipe combines everything we love about lemon cake and coconut cake in one. Sandwiched between three deliciously moist and buttery coconut cake layers is homemade lemon curd and tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s sweet, bright with citrus, indulgent, and a must make for any occasion.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Coconut Cake
What I love about this lemon coconut cake, besides the flavor, is the dense and fluffy texture. It’s much lighter than my lemon coconut Easter cake, but there is A LOT of dense flavor in each buttery bite. And readers all around the world agree—giving this cake rave reviews.
Here’s why you’ll love it, too:
- Not just for spring—this cake brightens up cold and gloomy winter days
- Great for all occasions
- Mega flavorful
- Extra buttery
- Moist and soft
- Simple yet impressive
- Completely from scratch
- Filled with lemon curd
- Topped with cream cheese frosting
- Garnished with toasted coconut
How to Make Lemon Coconut Cake
- Make lemon curd. We use 1 full batch for this cake. Let it cool while you make the cake.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Combine the milks. Set aside.
- Cream the wet ingredients together.
- Add the milk and dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Alternate additions.
- Fold in the coconut. The batter will be lumpy– don’t be alarmed by this.
- Pour the batter evenly into 3 prepared cake pans.
- Bake. About 22-25 minutes.
- Make the frosting.
- Assemble and frost.
- Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. This ensures the cake will stay intact as you cut it.
- Slice, serve, enjoy!
Lemon Curd Filling is the Best
You’ll find homemade lemon curd between each layer of this elegant spring dessert. It’s light, fresh, citrus-y, pairs wonderfully with coconut, and adds so much delicious flavor. Made with only 5 simple ingredients, homemade lemon curd is best and incredibly easy to make. No crazy ingredients either—you likely have them in your kitchen already. There is no flavor comparison between homemade and store-bought!
Lemon curd is too liquid-y to use by itself, so we pair it with a layer of cream cheese frosting. But not just any cream cheese frosting, coconut cream cheese frosting. Let’s add coconut milk and heavy cream to make it extra thick and creamy, and a drop of coconut extract (optional) to kick it up a notch. You’ll never want to use regular cream cheese frosting again!
4 Lemon Coconut Cake Success Tips
For the best results, follow my tips for success.
- Use cake flour. Cake flour is key to this cake’s soft and light crumb. Do not use all-purpose flour in this recipe unless you’re making this cake flour substitute.
- Use coconut milk and buttermilk. Why both? For the best possible texture and flavor. I use canned coconut milk—it’s super thick. Buttermilk is used for moisture, as well as in conjunction with the baking soda. (More about baking soda vs. baking powder here.)
- Use brick-style cream cheese. To make cream cheese frosting, you must use full-fat brick-style cream cheese. The kind that is sold in a little box—not the kind sold in a tub that you spread on your bagels.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Your coconut milk, buttermilk, butter, eggs, and cream cheese should all be at room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients truly make a difference—there is science and legitimate reason behind it!
In short, no ingredient substitutions. For 3 moist, soft, and flavorful coconut cake layers, make the recipe using the ingredients listed. I don’t recommend substituting any of these—the cake’s wonderful texture and flavor will change.
More Favorite Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Iced Lemon Pound Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
If you simply can’t get enough of this flavor combination, try these lemon coconut shortbread cookies next!
Print
Lemon Coconut Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 12-14
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Lemon coconut cake features deliciously moist coconut cake layers, homemade lemon curd, toasted coconut and cream cheese frosting. It’s a family favorite recipe! To make the best possible lemon coconut cake, make sure to read my notes in the post and below before beginning.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (315g) sifted cake flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canned coconut milk, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1 teaspoon coconut extract (I prefer the cake without it, but it’s still tasty!)
- 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut (about 2 loosely packed cups)
- 1 and 1/2 cups homemade lemon curd (full recipe)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) coconut milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- topping: toasted (or not!) sweetened shredded coconut and lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine the coconut milk and buttermilk together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes until creamed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract and the coconut extract (if using). Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. Use a whisk to rid any large lumps, if needed. The batter will be slightly thick. Finally, fold in the coconut. The batter will be lumpy. See photo above for a visual.
- Spoon/pour batter evenly into each cake pan. Bake for around 22-25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. Remember to rotate the pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon coconut milk/cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk/cream to thin out, if desired.
- Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake turntable, cake stand, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with a thin layer of frosting, then half of the lemon curd. Top with 2nd layer and evenly cover the top with a thin layer of frosting, then the remaining lemon curd. Finish with the third cake layer and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Garnish the top with coconut and/or lemon slices. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.
- Slice, serve, enjoy!
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake the next day when you are ready to serve. Frosted cake can be frozen up to 2 months if you have room in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. Honestly, it tastes much better fresh.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-Inch Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable, Cake Stand, or Serving Platter | Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Flour: Do not replace the cake flour with all-purpose flour. Your cake will be dense, solid, and heavy. In a pinch, you can use this homemade cake flour substitute which is a careful ratio of all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
- Milk: This recipe has been tested with equal parts coconut milk and buttermilk. I recommend using full fat canned coconut milk, the kind you use for cooking. If you can’t get your hands on canned coconut milk, you can use 1 cup of buttermilk instead. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- More Lemon Flavor: To increase the lemon flavor, feel free to add the zest of 1 lemon to the coconut cake batter. Keep in mind that this will take away from the cake’s coconut flavor. Also optional for more lemon flavor: beat zest from 1 lemon into the cream cheese frosting.
- More Coconut Flavor: To increase the coconut flavor, feel free to use the optional coconut extract listed. And/or you can add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract to the frosting.
- Sheet Cake: The batter makes a perfect sheet cake! Simply spread into a 12×17 inch half sheet/jelly roll pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. It also fits nicely into a 9×13 inch cake pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until cooked through.
I am an experienced baker, but I found assembling this cake to be a bit of a nightmare. The cake is quite delicate and crumbly, so after slicing the top off one layer, I left the other two as is. Even so, there was a ton of crumb in my frosting layer. I also had to add additional confectioner’s sugar to keep the frosting from slumping, even with no added liquid. I made the thicker lemon curd and chilled as indicated, and did not spread all the way to the edges of the cake. Even so, the cake layers slid wildly and the curd oozed out. The final product was a mess. All of the components tasted delicious, but the presentation was awful and I couldn’t possibly serve it at my dinner party — had to make another dessert last minute. I think the only way to make this cake work would be to refrigerate between every step. If I try it again, I think I’d do a 9×13 pan, slice in half, put the filling in the middle and only frost the top. I LOVE Sally’s recipes (her triple chocolate cake is a legend) but this one was a miss for me.
Tracy, thank you so much for your feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to leave it. Apologies the assembly was such a mess!
I did this recipe in a bundt pan for Easter and it was amazing. Although I admit that I did do 2 substitutions — I used lime instead of lemon everything and I substituted heavy cream for some of the buttermilk (because that’s what I happened to have). The cake tasted amazing and was also just beautiful, especially with brightly foil wrapped chocolate eggs in the middle of the “nest.”
I tried this as a 9×13. It took twice as long to bake as suggested and the middle was sunken down. Any ideas what to do differently next time? Great cake. I’ll be making it again.
Hi GS, I’m just seeing your question now. Over or under-mixing can cause a cake to collapse in the center. Or, it’s possible, the cake just needed longer in the oven. If the top is getting too brown, you can tent it with foil, which will help the center bake a little more evenly with the edges.
The flavor was amazing! I did leave out the coconut extract because I forgot to buy it. I followed everything else perfectly. My only issues were that the very crumbly when i cut it and I had some issues with sliding. I was able to coat the cake with frosting, then coconut and wrap it in a clear acetate cake collar to hold it together while it chilled overnight and you would never know! I do with I could find out what I did wrong for it to turn out crumbly, but the flavor was so good, I will definitely be trying again!
I love all of Sally’s recipes, I’ve never been disappointed with one of them. This is the BEST cake I’ve had so far though, and I’ve had quite a few . 😉 The whole thing together is delicious, but the cake itself is just out of this world. Best coconut cake I’ve ever had. 10/10
Hi Sally, super excited to make this cake! I’ll be decorating it for a babtism, so was planning on using your White Chocolate Buttercream recipe for the outside of the cake. I don’t want to lose the coconut cream cheese flavours though, can I use the coconut cream cheese filling in the cake layers, and use the white chocolate buttercream for the outside of the cake? Or will these different flavours/textures not work well together? Desperate to make this cake flavour but just not sure how to execute to be able to decorate as I would a buttercream frosted cake!
Hi Shelby, that should work just fine! Or if you’re worried about the flavors, you can use vanilla buttercream on the outside. Let us know how the cake turns out for you!
I’m planning on making this cake ahead of time, would it freeze well?
Hi Adam! This cake tastes best fresh, but see recipe Notes for our recommended make ahead & freezing instructions.
I have two 9-inch round cake pans. Can I make a two-layer cake, instead of three? I’m making this for my wife’s birthday. She loves coconut and lemon!
Hi Will! The cakes will be quite tall and take quite awhile in the oven because they’ll be super thick. Keeping that in mind, you can give it a try! Otherwise you can bake two layers, saving and baking the last third of batter when the pan is ready to use again for a total of three layers.
I have made this cake twice now and have received rave reviews, I only had 2 9 inch pans so made a 4 layer cake. I doubled the recipe for the filling.
It was amazing
I made this with two 9 inch pans. It took 30 minutes to bake and was perfectly cooked.
I will make this cake soon. We have
Great recipes. Thanks!
Hi Sally! I want to make this for Mother Day’s wknd. I am not a fan of cream cheese. Would it be possible to make the frosting as directed and omit the cream cheese or will it not be the same? If so, do you have a coconut buttercream recipe? Thanks!
Hi Noemi, you could replace the cream cheese with more butter or use our vanilla buttercream recipe instead (you can use coconut milk instead of heavy cream/milk in the vanilla recipe like in this recipe, as well as a splash of coconut extract in addition to the vanilla extract). Hope it’s a hit!
This cake is so delicious I could eat it without any frosting or lemon curd (but the finished product is over the top). I bake this in a 9 X 13 cake pan, put a thin layer of the frosting all over, top with lemon curd and then sprinkle with coconut. This method kind of separates the lemon from the coconut, making each taste more distinct, and the cake is more stable. Sally, this is an excellent recipe. Thank you.
I made this cake exactly as directed. The icing and lemon curd were outstanding. The cake had a delicious flavor too. The only problem I had was the cake was very dense and heavy. A cross between fruitcake and carrot cake. What did I do wrong?
I have made this cake 3 times, and while it’s been a hit each time, I have learned some tips to avoid tears and messy counters during assembly!
-Lemon curd: Make the thicker version, with one whole egg replacing two yolks. Chill it completely in the fridge. I make it the night before, and spread it into the cake directly out of the fridge.
-Cream cheese frosting: Don’t try to reduce the powdered sugar, you need it for structure. It’s very sweet, but necessary. Only add the minimum amount of liquid. I also make this the night before, chill in the fridge, and then let it soften just enough to be spreadable the next day. At room temperature, it can be a sad liquidy mess.
Transportation: A cake carrier is an absolute necessity. Let it chill in the fridge for as long as possible before you have to leave. I highly recommend sticking a dowel into it even if you think it’s going to hold together. I was able to fix it, but even after following all of the above tips yesterday (and transporting in an insulated bag with freezer packs), when we arrived, the top 2 layers had slid nearly completely off the bottom layer.
This is a great cake, but it’s one of the hardest to assemble and keep assembled, in my experience!
My favorite coconut cake recipe!
I was wondering if I can do a smaller cake by cutting the ingredients in half?
Hi Deedee, you could halve the ingredients to make a smaller 3 layer, 6 inch round cake. Or, see this cake pan sizes and conversions guide for other pan conversions. So glad this is a favorite for you!
Hi Sally,
I know this is an older recipe, but I wondered how it might hold up as a tier of a wedding cake – do you think it would be too moist and delicate? It’s so delicious. Thanks for always having beautiful recipes – what a gift!
Hi Jessica, this recipe should work well as a bottom or top tier of a wedding cake. We’d use the extra support of cake rounds and dowels like we do with our homemade wedding cake. Let us know if you try it!
I made this cake in a 9 x 13 pan and put the lemon curd on top and then the cream cheese frosting. It was a bit of a mess but then I read one of bakers had frosting first when baked in a 9×13 pan and the topped with lemon curd and coconut flakes on top. I will try that next time and will add coconut extract for more of that flavor . The cake was still more dense that I would have liked
The cake baked perfectly, and following some of the suggestions from others it went together perfectly and looked beautiful. I love lemon and I love coconut so I jumped on this one. When I sat down to taste it though, it just didn’t make sense to me. The smooth lovely flavor of the coconut kind of clashed in my mouth with the tang of the (wonderful) zesty lemon flavor, so it comes down to personal taste. All of the components were perfect so it still gets a 5.