This gluten-free coconut cake recipe is made using coconut cream, which creates a fabulously soft and moist cake. Anyone on a gluten-free diet will swoon over this decadent dessert!
This cake is based on my “Chocolate Present Cake” recipe in my upcoming book, Gluten-free Baking at Christmas. As I had already made this cake twice for my book (testing and photographing), I wanted to find a way to change it up a little so I could try something new. In my gluten-eating days, I once made a really yummy coconut cake (from the Magnolia bakery cookbook), but it didn’t really have ENOUGH coconut in it for my liking. So I adapted the recipe to contain coconut cream, so the cake would have a great coconutty flavour as well. Since everyone knows you put the lime in the coconut, lime flavoured icing was a no-brainer.
I used Amy Ruth’s baking mix (sadly now discontinued), as I still had plenty leftover from the other day, but you can use 225g of any flour blend (e.g. Dove’s Farm). Due to what the baking mix contains (chia or flax) which soak up a little more liquid, I used slightly less flour than normal, which is why the quantities are different.
If you use a dairy-free butter alternative, this cake is also dairy and lactose free! I used “I can’t believe it’s not butter”.
Gluten-free coconut-lime layer cake
By Published: November 16, 2012
A soft and light coconut cake recipe with just a hint of lime. Can be made dairy-free by using dairy-free spread instead of butter.
Ingredients
- 225 g caster sugar
- 225 g butter
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 4 eggs
- 225 g gluten-free flour find a brand without any extra binding agents
- 160 ml coconut cream NB - This is different from creamed coconut!
- 2 tsp baking powder Check for a gluten-free brand
- 2 tbsp dessicated coconut
- 150 g butter For the buttercream
- 350 g icing sugar For the buttercream
- 60 ml coconut cream For the buttercream
- 1 lime zested
- dessicated coconut For decoration
- 1 tbsp green food colouring optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170C
- Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each one. Add the coconut cream.
- Sift baking powder and flour into the wet mixture, stirring gently. Add the dessicated coconut and mix in.
- Divide the batter evenly between two lined cake tins and put in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Check that the cakes are done by inserting a skewer, which should come out clean.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Beat butter and icing sugar until creamy. Add coconut cream and lime zest and stir in.
- Spread some icing between the two layers of cake and sandwich them together. Cover the entire cake in a thin layer of icing. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes then add a second layer of icing. You can skip this process and just do one thick layer, but doing it this way avoids cake crumbs getting in your icing and spoiling the look of the cake.
- Sprinkle dessicated coconut over the top (can use food colouring if desired)
And the cross section, taken in a darkened bar to celebrate my birthday:
[…] of cakes using our batter mix as we were running out of samples. Sam made the cake using one of her family recipes. The cake was so delish that I could hardly believe it was made using my mix! Dairy free too, […]