a deliciously sweet lime cake made with coconut flour, and topped with honey-sweetened clusters of shredded coconut.
I have returned with another sheet-style cake, but this one is a bit more lavish than the orange & breakfast sheet cake or the clementine poppyseed snack cake. And by lavish, I mean it has an actual topping (!), one that’s super sweet and crunchy.
This is the new love of my life: key lime coconut cake. I kept the recipe name simple, but just trust me, this cake is amazing. It’s a classic coconut flour sheet cake that’s lime-flavoured with a dash of vanilla extract. It’s got the most perfect (/moist) texture too, that is made all the more delicious by the crunchy toasted coconut topping that goes with it.
This crunchy coconut topping is so freaking good I swear I am going to do something with that for its own recipe (another day lol) — once you make it you’ll see what I mean, but essentially your toasting this finely shredded unsweetened coconut in a cast iron skillet with some honey, butter and lime zest, and you end up with these amazingly crunchy and cluster-y pieces of shredded coconut as well as some loose shredded coconut, all perfectly golden brown.
I was inspired to do something with both lime and coconut, not just because the limes were on sale (yeayyuhh) but because I had heard the “Coconut” song by Harry Nilsson (shout out my nemesis IG reels) and thought it would be sickkkk to use that music for a dessert that’s lime and coconut related. It’s a song that reminds me of childhood and drives in my dad’s car as we had it on heavy rotation during the cassette tape days. That being said, this cake has nothing in particular to do with my childhood lol.
Once again I used my new favourite pan, this MONFISH carbon steel pan. It’s only my new favourite because I bought it quite recently after never having a proper 9×13 rectangle-shaped pan, and I fell in love with the quality of this particular Amazon purchase immediately. This is the exact one I bought if you’re curious.
If you are not a proponent of the 9×13 pan, or perhaps you are like me and refused to buy one for 5-10 years, you can certainly make this cake into cupcakes or even into two small cakes that you layer.
This cake stays pretty moist thanks to the addition of the coconut topping and honey, and it also freezes fantastically as many coconut flour goods do– it might taste better frozen than refrigerated or room temperature to some! (ahem, me, usually).
Find the recipe for this delicious key lime coconut cake below. I would love to know if you give it a try, please drop me a comment or review below, and follow me on IG for more daily grain free inspo @grainfreee.
A few more recipes if you’re looking for some yummy cake-related inspo:
- STRAWBERRY DESSERT CAKE
- STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRUMB CAKE MUFFINS
- APPLE SHORTCAKE
- STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
- CLEMENTINE POPPYSEED CAKE
key lime coconut cake: ingredients
cake
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 limes, juiced (approx 1/4 cup of lime juice)
- 2 tsp lime zest
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 5 eggs
coconut topping
- 1 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
key lime coconut cake: how to
cake
- start by mixing your coconut flour and baking soda together in a large bowl.
- add in the wet ingredients- honey, oil, lime juice and zest and pure vanilla extract. combine.
- add in the eggs and combine well. once it’s all well mixed, allow to sit for five minutes before pouring the batter into a prepared 9×13 cake tin (line with parchment paper to avoid sticking). allow the batter to also settle/sit in the tin for another 5-10 minutes before placing in the oven.
- bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 30-35 minutes. remove from the oven and allow to cool before adding the topping.
coconut topping
- heat butter in skillet over medium heat.
- in a small bowl, mix the coconut, zest, and honey one tablespoon at a time until well combined.
- add to skillet and stir occasionally to avoid burning, until the coconut turns golden brown, approx 10-15 minute.
- once cake has cooled, warm up a bit of extra honey in a small microwave safe bowl until just liquidy (10 seconds or so) (you could also add a smidge of leftover lime zest to the honey if you have some), and using a spatula, spread it gently across the cake as you layer on top of it the toasted coconut.
- allow to sit in fridge for a bit before slicing up as it will be more delicate warm. store in airtight container in fridge or freezer, serve warm or cold. it’s good both ways!
key lime coconut cake
Ingredients
key lime coconut cake
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 limes, juiced (approx 1/4 cup of lime juice)
- 2 tsp lime zest
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 5 eggs
crunchy coconut topping
- 1 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
Instructions
key lime coconut cake
- start by mixing your coconut flour and baking soda together in a large bowl.
- add in the wet ingredients- honey, oil, lime juice and zest and pure vanilla extract. combine.
- add in the eggs and combine well. once it's all well mixed, allow to sit for five minutes before pouring the batter into a prepared 9×13 cake tin (line with parchment paper to avoid sticking). allow the batter to also settle/sit in the tin for another 5-10 minutes before placing in the oven.
- bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 30-35 minutes. remove from the oven and allow to cool before adding the topping.
crunchy coconut topping
- heat butter in skillet over medium heat.
- in a small bowl, mix the coconut, zest, and honey one tablespoon at a time until well combined.
- add to skillet and stir occasionally to avoid burning, until the coconut turns golden brown, approx 10-15 minute.
- once cake has cooled, warm up a bit of extra honey in a small microwave safe bowl until just liquidy (10 seconds or so) (you could also add a smidge of leftover lime zest to the honey if you have some), and using a spatula, spread it gently across the cake as you layer on top of it the toasted coconut.
- allow to sit in fridge for a bit before slicing up as it will be more delicate warm. store in airtight container in fridge or freezer, serve warm or cold. it's good both ways!