Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd and Vanilla Buttercream

If you love coconut, then this cake is for you. The cake is moist, the lemon curd filling is tart and bright, and the vanilla icing is silky smooth.

This coconut cake pulls out all the stops. It is the best dessert for any special occasion.

If I learned anything from my days as a pastry chef, it is that in baking, you can often play around with timing and make most recipes work on your schedule.

This is because pastry making is all about components. At the restaurant, we made many of our building blocks throughout the week: puff pastry, pastry cream, pie dough, even buttercream, could all be made ahead at separate times and then combined in different ways depending on the particular dessert we needed to make.

The same holds for this cake. It’s a big bite to take all in one day, unless you have an entire morning for the job. Instead, spread out the tasks over a few days.

Here’s what I do: Make the cake, and while it is baking, make the lemon curd (which is pretty quick and easy). Wrap the cake in foil and pack the curd into a storage container, and refrigerate both. Now you have done the lion’s share of work!

On the following day, make the buttercream, and then fill, ice and decorate the cake. Or refrigerate the buttercream for another day (or up to three days); let it come to room temperature before decorating the cake.

Once decorated, cover the cake with a cake dome or an inverted mixing bowl, and it can sit on the counter for several hours until serving. You can also refrigerate the covered cake for a few days before serving (up to 3 days).

Before you know it, your pièce de résistance is ready for its grand entrance at the dinner party, without too much fluster!

Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd and Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

 

Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time:
Yield: 1 9-inch cake, 10 to 12 servings

The coconut oil in the ingredient list should be solid; it sometimes liquefies at room temperature. If it has liquefied, measure what you need and then let it solidify in the fridge.
Cream of coconut is different than coconut milk or coconut cream, so read labels carefully when shopping. My favorite brand is Coco Lopez. If you don’t see it in your supermarket, look for it at the liquor store since it is also a component for pina coladas.
You won't need the full can of cream of coconut. The leftover is great drizzled over morning oatmeal or made into a cocktail.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• Butter (for the cake pans)
• Flour (for the cake pans)
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (solidified, not liquidy)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canned cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Pinch of salt

For the lemon curd filling:

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small cubes

For the buttercream:

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To finish the cake:

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
• 1 cup lemon curd
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Read More: Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd and Vanilla Buttercream