Coconut & lemon curd cake

Coconut & lemon curd cake

Tangy, tasty with a hint of tropical coconut. Serve this Coconut & lemon curd cake as your next show stopping dessert.

PREP TIME 1 hour | COOK TIME 1 hour (+ refrigeration and cooling) | SERVES 16 

INGREDIENTS

LEMON CURD

• 3 lemons
• 4 egg yolks 
• ¾ cup caster sugar 
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 150 g unsalted butter, chopped

CAKE

• 250 g butter, softened 
• 1 tsp coconut essence 
• 2 cups caster sugar 
• 4 eggs 
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut 
• 3 cups self-raising flour 
• 300 ml sour cream 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 tsp icing sugar 
• Toasted coconut flakes, to serve

CREAM CHEESE FILLING 

• 375 g butter, softened 
• 375 g cream cheese, softened 
• 2 cups icing sugar

METHOD

LEMON CURD

FINELY grate the zest from the lemons; you will need 1 tbsp. Squeeze juice from lemons; you will need ⅔ cup juice. 

COMBINE egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a pot until smooth. Stir in rind and juice; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Continue to stir and eat until it just starts  to boil, then remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter until melted.

STRAIN curd into a heatproof bowl or jug. Cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold. 

CAKE

PREHEAT the oven to 170°C. Grease two deep 22cm round cake pans; line the bases and sides with baking paper. 

BEAT the butter, essence and caster sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. 

BEAT in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the coconut and sifted flour, then sour cream and milk in two batches. 

DIVIDE the mixture evenly between pans; smooth the surface with a knife. 

BAKE cakes for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean; cover cakes loosely with foil if they start to overbrown. 

LEAVE cakes in pans for 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.  

CREAM CHEESE FILLING 

BEAT the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy. 

ADD cream cheese; beat until smooth. With the motor operating, gradually beat in sifted icing sugar until well combined.

TO ASSEMBLE

TRIM tops of cakes to level, if needed. Cut cakes in half. 

PLACE one cake layer on a plate or stand. Spread cake layer with a quarter of the cream cheese filling and a quarter of the lemon curd. Repeat layering with remaining cakes, filling and curd, finishing with curd. Dust with sifted icing sugar. Top with toasted coconut.

FOOD TEAM TIP: Save the unused egg whites to make meringues or pavlova; they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. 

Print Recipe

Coconut & lemon curd cake

Serves: 16

Prep Time: 1 hour – Cooking Time: 1 hour (+ refrigeration and cooling)

Ingredients

• LEMON CURD
• 3 lemons
• 4 egg yolks 
• ¾ cup caster sugar 
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 150 g unsalted butter, chopped
• CAKE
• 250 g butter, softened 
• 1 tsp coconut essence 
• 2 cups caster sugar 
• 4 eggs 
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut 
• 3 cups self-raising flour 
• 300 ml sour cream 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 tsp icing sugar 
• Toasted coconut flakes, to serve
• CREAM CHEESE FILLING 
• 375 g butter, softened 
• 375 g cream cheese, softened 
• 2 cups icing sugar

Instructions

For the lemon curd 

1

Finely grate the zest from the lemons; you will need 1 tbsp. Squeeze juice from lemons; you will need ⅔ cup juice. 

2

Combine egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a pot until smooth. Stir in rind and juice; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Continue to stir and eat until it just starts  to boil, then remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter until melted.

3

Strain curd into a heatproof bowl or jug. Cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold. 

For the cake

4

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease two deep 22cm round cake pans; line the bases and sides with baking paper. 

5

Beat the butter, essence and caster sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. 

6

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the coconut and sifted flour, then sour cream and milk in two batches. 

7

Divide the mixture evenly between pans; smooth the surface with a knife. 

8

Bake cakes for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean; cover cakes loosely with foil if they start to overbrown. 

9

Leave cakes in pans for 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.  

For the cream cheese filling

10

Beat the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy. 

11

Add cream cheese; beat until smooth. With the motor operating, gradually beat in sifted icing sugar until well combined.

To assemble

12

Trim tops of cakes to level, if needed. Cut cakes in half. 

13

Place one cake layer on a plate or stand. Spread cake layer with a quarter of the cream cheese filling and a quarter of the lemon curd. Repeat layering with remaining cakes, filling and curd, finishing with curd. Dust with sifted icing sugar. Top with toasted coconut.

Made this tasty Coconut & lemon curd cake? Tag us @foodandhomesa #cookingwithFH on Instagram!

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Feature image: Aremedia