I designed this recipe as a sort of counterpart to my Coconut Lemon Sugar Cookies, which by the way,  happen to be one of my favorite cookies that I make.  I love both coconut and lemon, so combining the two is always a no-brainer for me.  

This recipe uses canola oil instead of butter, which gives the cake a great texture (see how I avoided the "m" word there ) and I think pairs well with the lemon. If you have regular (not extra virgin) olive oil, that works well too.

Light and bright, this cake is not overly sweet and the lime glaze gives it a nice clean finish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 C.  Flour (I use unbleached, All Purpose)
• 1 tsp. Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 C + 2 T. Sugar (granulated)
• 1/3 C. Canola oil
• 1/2 C. Coconut cream (unsweetened)
• 2 T. Coconut butter (not oil)
• 1/2 C. Coconut milk (I use culinary style, which is thicker, but you can use any plant milk- room temp.)
• 1 tsp. Coconut extract
• 1 tsp. Lemon extract
• 1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 C. Lemon juice (freshly squeezed, about 2 Lemons)
• 3-4 tsp. Lemon zest

{ Lime Glaze }

• 3/4 - 1 1/2 C. Confectioner/powder sugar (sifted)
• 1 Lime ( zested and juiced)
• 1 T. Coconut milk (can sub almond or soy)
• Pinch Salt
• 1/2 C. Toasted coconut ( unsweetened, for sprinkling)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°

{ Prep }

1. Zest 1-2 (4 small) lemons to yield 2-3 teaspoons. Juice lemons. 
2. Zest and juice 1 lime.  ***Spring for organic lemons and limes, if you can cut it ***
3. Sift powder sugar.
4. Spray and (lightly) flour a 9" loaf pan.  Shake out any excess flour in the sink. 

• In a medium-size bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Normally, you would sift the salt too, but my grains are bigger, so they get caught in a fine mesh sieve- I just stir it into the sifted mixture.  
•  Cream coconut butter, sugar, and oil together in a large bowl with and electric or stand mixer on medium-high, until the coconut butter has broken down and the mixture is smooth (about 2- 3 minutes).  Add in lemon juice, zest, extracts, and vinegar and continue to mix on low for 1 minute.
• Add milk and use a rubber spatula or a whisk to mix it into the sugar mixture- I find this is the easiest way to incorporate the milk and not create a total mess in the kitchen.
• Add the dry mixture to the wet in thirds  and mix with a rubber spatula until the batter is fully combined.  But please, do not over-mix, or you will activate the gluten in the flour and your cake will be tough and chewy.
• Pour the batter into your pan and lightly tap to remove any air bubbles.  Place the pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake 25- 35 minutes or until a toothpick or fork tines come out clean.

When cake is done, let it cool in the baking pan for 15-20 minutes.  Then, remove from pan and finish cooling for 20-30 minutes.  For me, the easiest way to remove a cake from a pan is to set a plate on top of it and then quickly flip it over on to the plate.  If you have done a good job prepping your pan and let it cool enough, it should come out clean and easy, with no effort. 

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze.  Add the lime juice, powdered sugar, and milk to a bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves and a glaze has formed.  Add in the zest and whisk the mixture.  If you like a thicker, creamier glaze, use less liquid or add more sugar.  If you like a lighter glaze and really lime-y, cut back on the sugar or add more liquid.  I like mine somewhere in the middle, so I used 2 tablespoons of lime juice ( 1 lime for me), 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 cup of sugar.   

Lower the temp on the oven to 250°.  Place coconut shavings on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or foil and spread out evenly.  Once oven temp has reached 250°,  place sheet on middle rack and let coconut toast to a light golden brown, about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it, it will burn on you fast!)

When the cake has cooled, pour as much or little of the glaze over the cake and let it run down all the sides- make sure you have a pan underneath the cooling rack to catch the excess glaze.  Sprinkle the coconut shavings over the top.  Lightly press the coconut in the glaze.  After setting a bit, the glaze will harden and your cake is ready to serve.

Have fun decorating your cake......

I hope you enjoy this light and citrusy cake.  If you tried it, let me know what you think in the comments below! 

{ debbie }