Coconut and Lemon Curd Snack Cake

4.34 from 3 votes

This Coconut and Lemon Curd Cake with layers of fluffy coconut cake, lemon curd, and coconut cream cheese frosting has warmer days written all over it!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Cooling curd2

Total Time3

Course: Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 693kcal

Author: Cynthia

Ingredients

LEMON CURD

Zest from 2 lemons
½ cup lemon juice from 2-3 lemons
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks save the whites for the cake
1 large egg
½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick/113 g
Pinch of salt

COCONUT CAKE

“Dry Ingredients”

¼ cup unsalted butter 57 g, cut into small cubes and softened
¼ cup vegetable oil 60 g
1 ¾ cups cake flour 224 g
¾ cup granulated sugar 150 g
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Wet Ingredients

1 cup canned coconut milk 240 g (save 2 teaspoon for the buttercream)
½ teaspoon coconut extract
3 large egg whites whipped to soft peaks

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese 113 g, softened
¼ cup unsalted butter 113 g, softened
½ teaspoon coconut extract
⅕ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon coconut milk 10 g
1 ½ cups powdered sugar 150 g

For the top

½ cup sweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

Making the lemon curd

In a small saucepan, whisk together your egg yolks, egg, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and a pinch of kosher salt until well combined.
Place pan over medium low heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken. Continue to cook until the mixture coats the back of your spoon and running your finger through leaves a nice clean trail, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and drop in your butter piece by piece, waiting for each bit to melt before adding the next one.
Transfer the curd into a bowl, using a small strainer. Press the curd through the strainer with a rubber spatula to remove the zest and any possible cooked egg or shell bits. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and refrigerate at least two hours. After making the cake, any leftover curd can be stored in the refrigerator up to two weeks.

Let’s make some Coconut Cake!

Preheat oven to 350° F
Spray an 8 inch square pan with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer, mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder for about a minute to combine. Add your softened butter and oil and mix on low speed until it’s the texture of wet sand.
Add coconut milk and coconut extract into the mixed dry ingredients and combine on medium speed for about one minute. There will still be some lumps in the batter, but that’s fine. They will incorporate while baking.
If you haven’t already done so, whip your 3 reserved egg whites in a bowl with a hand mixer until you get nice soft peaks. You should be able to (but don’t) hold the bowl upside down over your head without egg white falling on you (really, don't). Add about ⅓ of the whipped whites into your batter and mix in well. This will “loosen” your batter a bit, so you can better fold in the rest of the whites. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold gently until fully incorporated. If there are a few small white streaks left, that’s fine.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula and bake in a 350° oven for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool on a rack.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Combine with a handheld mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add coconut extract, salt, and 2 teaspoons of coconut milk and mix just until combined. Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating on low speed until just combined before adding more. After all the sugar is added, increase speed to high, and beat until smooth and fluffy. If the frosting seems too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time. If it seems too thick, add more coconut milk, one teaspoon at a time.

Coconut Cake! Assemble!

Spread lemon curd in a thin layer over the top of your cooled cake. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoons, drop dollops of frosting over the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting over the curd layer. Sprinkle with a blanket of coconut flakes. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Coconut milk note: When you open your can of coconut milk, you may, depending on the brand, see a really thick layer on the top (the coconut “cream”) and a thin white liquid underneath (the “milk”). I like to pour the contents of the can into a blender or food processor (or use a bowl and a whisk) and blend it all together, giving me a nice thick coconut milk to work with.

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