Making a person’s birthday cake is one of the highest honors someone can ask of you. Brady Evans is up to the challenge.
By Brady Evans
Making a person’s birthday cake is one of the highest honors someone can ask of you. It is the one day of the year where your healthy habits are allowed to wane and calories in dessert, or number of pieces had, truly don’t count. 
My best friend gave me the honor of making the cake for her birthday party. I was so honored and up to the challenge. I wasn’t sure what flavor she’d love the best so I gave her three options: tequila lime, margarita, and coconut lime. I had nailed down recipes for the first two flavors. She, however, chose the third option, a combination of which I’d not found a recipe.
So I ended up adapting a coconut cake recipe and turning out a coconut cake with a hint of lime. The birthday girl loved it, as did all the guests.
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Coconut Lime Cake
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Description
A delightful coconut cake infused with lime, perfect for celebrating special occasions with a tropical twist.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 5 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) coconut milk
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 2 1/4 cups (530 mL) cake flour, sifted
- 1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- Zest of 2 limes
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp lime zest, for garnish
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and dust with flour.
- In a large measuring cup, beat the egg whites and whole egg with a fork to combine. Add coconut milk, water, vanilla extract, and coconut extract; mix well and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Add softened butter and lime zest; mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, beating on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Stir in the shredded coconut.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat the heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the lime juice.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with a third of the whipped cream. Top with the second cake layer and spread the remaining whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake.
- Garnish with lime zest and additional shredded coconut, if desired. Serve chilled.
Notes
- This cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- For a stronger lime flavor, increase the lime zest in the batter.
- Ensure the cake is completely cool before frosting to prevent the whipped cream from melting.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 180
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 55
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Perfect Lemon Cake with Lemon Syrup
- Fluffy Banana Chiffon Cake
- Spring Strawberry Cake Roll
- Sicilian Orange Cake
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this cake use 5 egg whites and only 1 whole egg?
Using mostly egg whites keeps the crumb of this coconut lime cake very light and white — the large number of yolks in a standard cake would yellow the batter and add richness that would compete with the delicate coconut and lime flavors. The 1 whole egg provides enough structure alongside the 5 whites, which are beaten together and added to the batter with the coconut milk and water.
The frosting is whipped cream — will it hold up or melt?
The notes specifically say to ensure the cake is completely cool before frosting to prevent the whipped cream from melting. The frosting is 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 2 tbsp powdered sugar until soft peaks form, then lime juice is folded in. The notes also say the finished cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days — keep it chilled right up until serving.
How strong is the lime flavor, and can I increase it?
The article describes this as a coconut cake with “a hint of lime” — the lime comes from the zest of 2 limes in the batter plus ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice folded into the whipped cream frosting. The notes say that for a stronger lime flavor, increase the lime zest in the batter.
