Many people have tried this now and no one thinks of it as a gluten free cake. It’s just a delicious cake! Love the coconut + lemon + almond meal combination, and the springy, moist crumb. BONUS: Just about the fastest, easiest cake recipe I know.
Lemon coconut almond cake
This is a cake that is as delightfully easy to make as it is delicious to eat. Just put everything in a bowl and mix! There’s no need to whip softened butter or pull out your electric beater.
It’s been likened to the fan favourite orange cake in texture – springy yet with an appealing moistness about it. And the flavour! Adore, adore, adore the coconut lemon combination. Idea swiped from my local coffee shop where I’ve been eyeing lemon coconut cake bars for years. This is my copycat.
I don’t actually know if theirs is gluten-free. Mine is, because I’ve never come across a flour-based cake recipe with a crumb as moist as you can make using almond meal.
What you need for this lemon coconut almond cake
Here’s what you need to make this lovely cake:
Almond meal (aka ground almonds) – This is raw almonds that are blitzed into a fine powder. Easily found nowadays, sold in the dried fruit & nut section and health food section of grocery stores. Or make your own by blitzing raw, unpeeled, unsalted almonds in a powerful blender (I use a Vitamix) until it becomes a fine powder.
Almond flour can also be used (not as common here in Australia). It’s finer so gives the cake a slightly fluffier texture and less almond flavour. Hazelnut meal can also be substituted though you’ll have lovely hazelnut flavour instead of almond.
Butter – The fat in this recipe, gives it a beautiful buttery flavour.
Baking powder – This is what makes the cake rise.
Eggs – Make sure they are at room temperature so they incorporate more easily into the batter.
Coconut – Desiccated coconut which is finely shredded, unsweetened coconut. Standard shredded coconut (which is like fine strands) will work but you’ll get more coconut texture in the cake. I don’t think coconut flakes (shavings) will work in this cake, it’s not absorbent enough.
Sugar – Use caster / superfine sugar if you can because it is finer so it will dissolve easier. Otherwise, regular / granulated sugar can be used.
Vanilla extract – For flavour. Not to be confused with artificial vanilla essence which is…well, artificial. So not as nice!
Lemon – We are only using the zest in this cake, for beautiful lemon flavour. Because the zest is where all the lemon flavour is – the juice is mostly just sour.
Flaked almonds – for sprinkling on the surface. Adds lovely texture to the cake, looks good and protects the surface from browning too much. But you can skip it you don’t have it!
Salt – Standard inclusion in most of my sweet recipes these days. Just a touch, to bring out the flavours in this cake. Doesn’t make it salty!
How to make lemon coconut cake
Put everything in a bowl and MIX! How good would life be if all baking recipes were this easy??? (Though, my waistline begs to differ).
Melt the butter in a bowl using your microwave.
Wet ingredients – Whisk in all the other wet ingredients (eggs, vanilla, sugar – yes, sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking because it liquifies when mixed with other wet ingredients).
Dry ingredients – Whisk in the almond meal, coconut, baking powder, salt and zest.
Pour it into a 20cm/8″ lined round cake pan. DO NOT skip lining the pan! Even greasing very generously is not enough to stop it from sticking to the pan, no matter how non-stick you think your pan is. (As you might have guessed, I’m speaking from first hand experience here).
Bake 40 minutes – Sprinkle the surface with almonds then bake for 40 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool for 1 hour before cutting to serve. I was a bit impatient in early versions and found that because the cake is quite moist, it can appear undercooked if you cut it while still warm. (But it’s not undercooked, it just looks that way if you cut while still hot!).
Serve it plain!
While some cakes I recommend serving with a dollop of cream, ice cream or other such accompaniment, this is a cake that definitely stands on its own two feet. Great flavour (lemon + coconut with a hint of almond) with a very moist crumb which is virtually impossible to replicate with flour-based cakes.
So it’s a great cake for taking places – such as for a work morning tea, book club, school bake sale. Just cut and serve. And those who are gluten-intolerant can enjoy it too. Though honestly, don’t just make this because you need a gluten-free cake. Make it because it’s just a really great cake that happens to be just about one of the easiest, quickest cake recipes I know. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Easy Lemon Coconut Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 150g / 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs (55-60g/2oz each), at room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar, Note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal (ground almond, Note 1)
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup desiccated coconut (US: finely shredded unsweetened coconut)
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (1 large lemon)
- 1/4 cup flaked almonds , optional (Note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Grease a 20cm/8” round cake pan (or springform pan) with butter then line with paper.
- Melt butter – Place the butter in a large microwavable bowl and melt in the microwave. Let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Wet ingredients – Add egg, vanilla and sugar and whisk until combined.
- Dry ingredients – Add almond meal, salt, baking powder, coconut and lemon zest. Whisk until combined.
- Bake 40 minutes – Pour into pan. Sprinkle over almonds. Bake 40 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan then carefully turn out onto cooling rack.
- Cool at least 1 hour before cutting slices to serve. Moist enough to serve plain – doesn't need cream or anything!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Eyeing end of day remnants in a glass cabinet like it’s a big juicy steak.
So good! I wanted something quick and easy and that’s exactly what I got. It turned out moist and rich and just the right amount of sweetness. I usually cut down on the sugar a lot but didn’t need to do any reductions in this recipe
Love this cake. EVERYONE loves it but I’m finding butter (nuttelex) too rich for me and wondering if I cld substitute coconut mct oil. Thanks for your wonderful recipes Nagi!!
Easy to make and just delicous!
Yummo, I was looking for a great GF bake for an upcoming event & this is a winner, will need to double the recipe as it will be gone in a flash 💗🤩
Best cake ever! Can it be frozen?
Hi Nagi,
Baked this Lemon coconut almond cake tonight for dessert, everyone loved it, very moist like you said. Made in one bowl and hassel free. Absolutely bake this again!! Thank you 👍
So easy to make; moist and delicious! Thank you!
For some reason my batter turned out dryer than shown in the video … it didn’t pour out of the mixing bowl. Added some milk til I got the right consistency, and put it in the oven hoping for the best . It came out so tasty and the consistency was great. Wished I had put more almonds on the surface … but there’s always next time ! Thanks for the recipe, Nagi!
Love this cake. Never fails
Wow! What a winner this one is. As someone else suggested, I reduced the butter to 120 grams and the sugar to 100 grams. It still tasted fabulous. I noticed that the cake was even better (moister and with more of a lemon and coconut flavour) when left overnight in the fridge..
Dear Nagi
I have made this delish cake a good few times and every time I make it the centre seems to sink a little bit while the sides rise higher than the middle. What am I doing wrong, please? Help 🙂
Best wishes,
Karmini
Just baking this as I type! Very excited. I added a layer of blueberries on the base and poured the batter mix over them. I still added the almond flakes on top.
Thanks for the recipe 🥰
Beautiful cake, my go to recipe. Am about to make it with the addition of glace cherries, tried it before and it is super scrummy.
I made the lemon cake a while ago…divine. I had a huge orange so made it with that today. Poured the batter in the pan forgetting the melted cooled butter! Tipped it out relined tin tin added butter and mixed! This recipe is foolproof turned out great 🤣
Hi Nagi, I love all of your recipes whether sweet or savoury. Both my daughter and I are disciples of your cooking! I have baked your easy lemon almond and coconut cakes many times and shared the recipe, as everyone loves it. Orange is yummy also. My question is can it be frozen? I’m going away and wish to take a cake to my 92yr old aunt and uncle. Ps I have been baking/cooking for 60 years and never tire of trying new recipes. Would love you to publish a baking cook book with all your wonderful sweet recipes. Regards Helen
I love this recipe and it has become one the ones often requested form others too!
It freezes really well – I have frozen and thawed it twice over without any negative impact on taste or texture. I wrap it very well in cell foil and put in the freezer – should be good for up to around 3 months.
I am made this several times in mini loaf tins so I can have one at a time. Had no problems freezing them
Note some very interesting/helpful question’s but I don’t see the answer eg can you freeze this cake ?
This cake should freeze and defrost perfectly. It is just a cake.
Great recipe, I’ve made this many times. It’s delicious, easy, fool proof. Always a crowd pleaser. I reduce the sugar to half cup and its perfect. Thanks
Thank you, Nagi, for another amazing cake recipe! I make this one all the time now. I have to! My family love it so much and it works great as a slice. I do it in my 9 inch pan and it works fine in that.
Thank you Nagi for the sensational recipe! I made it today for the first time and after reading the other people’s comments I chose to make it in my 20 cm brownie tin, I also reduced the butter down to 120 g and the caster sugar down to 100 g. It worked out beautifully! So delicious that I enjoyed two pieces, and the rest are going to Friends to enjoy.😊
Can’t wait to make it again!
I love this cake so much! Just wondering if it can be baked in a square cake tin?
Yes , I make it in a 21cm x 21cm square pan
I’m making this cake for the third time in a week! It’s that good. The first time for a gluten free friend and then after she raved about it, I made it for my family and I couldn’t believe how easy and how good this cake is. Delicious and simple.