You've had lemon cake, but have you tried lime cake? Sweet and tart, the lime flavor in these little cakes takes center stage, complemented by coconut!

June 23, 2020 Updated May 5, 2021 Jump to Recipe
You've had lemon cake, but have you tried lime cake? Sweet and tart, the lime flavor in these little cakes takes center stage, complemented by coconut!
You’ve had lemon cake before, but have you ever tried a lime cake?
How about a lime coconut cake?
I certainly never had. That is, until I developed this Lime in the Coconut Cake recipe.
(How could I possibly call it anything else??? 😄)
I’ve always been a fan of lemon desserts. (Try my Doris Day Lemon Cake or White Chocolate Lemon Blondies!)
But last year, I really started getting into lime as a secondary dessert flavor, like in my Pear Pie.
I decided to experiment with a dessert where that crisp, sweet, yet tart lime flavor would be more prominent. The coconut in these cakes adds a delicious, unique texture, but the lime flavor really takes center stage.
And it’s heavenly.
There’s nothing that disappoints me more than a lemon-flavored dessert that doesn’t taste all that lemony. And that was definitely something I wanted to avoid with these lime cakes!
My secret to getting an intense lime flavor here is three-fold.
Lime Juice
Lime Zest
Lime Extract
Yep, lime extract. Did you know that existed?
It was a new discovery for me, and now I can’t get enough! You can find my favorite lime extract here on Amazon [aff. link]. Using lime extract in these cakes really brings out the natural lime flavor of the lime juice and zest. And the thing that I love most about this particular lime extract is that it’s completely natural tasting itself. This lime extract really is the ultimate reason why these perfectly moist little cakes are also so perfectly sweet and tart.
You may remember how much I love baking with desiccated coconut from my Boy Meets World Cookies. Desiccated coconut is shredded coconut that has been dried. So there’s no moisture in desiccated coconut, unlike most shredded or flaked coconut you find at the grocery store. I use desiccated coconut again here, and it adds a great textural note to the smooth and moist crumb of these cakes. Desiccated coconut can be hard to find at the grocery store, so I buy favorite here on Amazon [aff. link].
And one more thing! You can certainly make this Lime in the Coconut Cake in an 8×8 inch or 9×9 inch pan. But I recommend using this gorgeous bundtlette pan from Nordic Ware [aff. link].
Can you believe how stunning this pan is?!!! I’m such a fan of all Nordic Ware products, and this bundtlette pan is definitely a favorite. You won’t believe how easy it is to get these cakes out of the pan, and a beautiful mold like this can turn any cake into a work of art.
Make these lime cakes ASAP, and I’m sure you’ll find yourself as big a fan of lime flavored desserts as I am. 😋
This Post Has 6 Comments
I love sweet + tart desserts! They are so perfect for hot summer days. I don’t think I’ve ever had a lime cake, and I certainly didn’t know about lime extract. But you’ve got my attention with this recipe! This sounds like a tropical paradise with the coconut + lime in there. And excellent choice on making these into mini-bundtlettes (that’s a new word to me). Individually-sized desserts are always so much fun!
Oh I totally agree David! Why is cake better when we get our own little mini cake?!! 😆. It always is that way for me and I can’t explain it. Isn’t lime extract intriguing? I am addicted to the stuff now! So much fun, definitely give it a try!
These are so cute, Shannon! I love lemon and lime but don’t seem to bake many lime cakes or cookies as the kids don’t appreciate those flavours just yet. I just imagine the coconut and lime flavour combo is heavenly though. I had no idea there was such a thing as lime extract, so thank you for that information – I need to check it out. And yes, I couldn’t agree more – Nordic Ware is the bees knees!!
Thanks Katerina! I was so intrigued by the lime extract as well! Definitely one of my new favorite ingredients to cook with. And yes, Nordic Ware is so amazing! Love all their beautiful pans. ♥️
No, I haven’t had a lime cake, let alone one with coconut. But I’d sure love to! Your bundtletttes are so tempting! The recipe looks super interesting. All that juice, zest, and even extract – I’ll bet these are delicious.
Thanks Jeff! Definitely my new favorite cake, such a unique combo that somehow makes sense haha. I’m all about lime these days!