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.
That’s soo delicious 100%
Hi Nagi. Your recipes are wonderful. Do you think I could substitute the sugar with a Natvia sugar replacement? I’m trying really hard to eat low carb.
I have not tried yet but cannot wait to give it a go. I really hate to ask about the coconut but I have so much sweetened coconut on hand since Christmas candy production would it be okay to add less sugar and use the sweetened coconut? If not I can certainly purchase the unsweetened kind. Just trying to use up what’s in my pantry. Love all your recipes and don’t really want to change anything. 🙂
So quick and easy and absolutely bloody DELICIOUS!!!
Right?? Isn’t it bizarrely easy!!! So glad you enjoyed it – N x
Hi Nagi, love your recipes!
Would I be able to substitute honey for the 3/4 C sugar in this recipe. If so do I half the honey or 1:1 ratio?
Hi Kathy! I haven’t tried but I am confident it will work, you may need to bake a little longer so check the middle with a skewer. I would use 1:1 because honey is not as sweet as sugar, by volume (but don’t use more because it will make the batter too thin, I think) – N x
Thank you Nagi. Honey as a substitute for sugar worked just fine and required no extra time to bake. Lovely and moist😁
Can I use a plant-based “butter?” My husband cannot have dairy.
Hi Farial! I haven’t tried but am very sure it will work as this recipe is based on one made with olive oil instead of butter 🙂 N x
This is sssoooooo good! Who would be lieve that something that tastes that good would be this easy to make!! Thanks Nagi! Really appreciate your detailed instructions instructions for all your recipes.
Yummy!
Easy, quick, scrumptious- amazingly simple to put together with all the taste of a high-end torte!
Jo! Speaking of torte – what do you think of turning this sponge into a layered special occasion cake?? Whether towards a hazelnut torte or stick with coconut and spread with coconut frosting, coat sides with toasted coconut flakes??? Hmmmmm….the possibilities. I feel like this sponge can hold up to layers! N x
Hi Nagi. Would limes work instead of lemons for this recipe?
Absolutely! I actually considered using limes instead of lemon 🙂 Lime + coconut is fab! I would increase the lime to 2 or 2 1/2 tsp of zest though, I find it doesn’t come through as much once baked. N x
I used organic orange zest and it was perfect! Must-try simple cake.
Hello Nagi
I’m wanting to make this lemon cake in a 26cm cake tin. I’m wondering if I increase the ingredients by 1/3 do you think it will work? I calculated the area of the tin is 31% bigger.
If you slide the quantity slider at the top of the recipe, you can work it out for 1/3 larger. 🙂
Made this for the first time today. Took to a 87 year olds picnic birthday celebration. All went. Excellent.
This is a fabulous recipe. Cake is super!
Nagi, I just have one question. With the eggs, is the weight with our without shells.
Just baked and devoured by my children ! So moist and perfect lemon taste. Easy no fuss cake and very presentable.
This cake is the BEST!!
So easy and quick to make.
Used a lamington pan (27 x 17cm) and only baked for 25mins. Turned out amazing
Can I bake this in cupcakes tin
Just cleaning up after putting this cake in the oven – after following the recipe very carefully.
I then saw the melted butter – having put it away to cool. Quickly took cake out of the oven – incorporated it – but wondering whether my son’s birthday cake will be OK to serve.
Maybe include butter in the wet ingredients section in the next edition?
Totally agree! I almost forgot the butter!!
Nagi love your cook book made a lot of your recipe
also the ones you email
keep up doing what your doing
Audrey
Love this recipe!
Do you think it would work in a rectangular cake pan? I’d like to make it for our Big Morning Tea, and it would cut easier in squares.
Hi Robyn! It will work, just need to do some maths to figure out what to scale the recipe up by 🙂 A 20cm/8″ round pan = 314 cm squared so if using a 20 cm square pan, the cake will be about 1/3 less thick. If using a 23 x 33cm rectangle pan (which is a fairly common pan size) that is 759 cm squared so you could either do 2 1/2 batches for around the same thickness, or do a double batch and the cake will be a bit thinner. Hope that helps! 🙂 N x
Thanks Nagi, I’ll try the double batch.
R:)
When is the lemon zest added? I think w/ the wet ingredients but need confirmation from you, pls.
Just ordered your cookbook and can’t wait to get it. I don’t cook much any more (live alone) but love your recipes and read every one you send via email (and also on your site). I appreciate your passion for food and cooking – I used to be that way.
Add zest after whisking the dry ingredients. Instruction number 4. I’m making this today as well.. 😀
And actually, I just changed it to add it in with the coconut, there’s no reason to whisk it in later! 🙂 Thanks for helping Dorothy out Joh. N xx
Can I use sweetened coconut or leave out the coconut?