Lemon Coconut Almond Cake
A tender, buttery almond and coconut cake brightened with lemon zest, finished with lemon icing, toasted coconut and thin lemon slices. Batch yield: 12 iced cake squares from one 18 × 24 cm tin. One serving: 1 iced square with toasted coconut and a lemon slice, approximately 85 g after baking and decorating. Allow about 3 hours 25 minutes from starting with cold butter to serving. Prep is total non-oven elapsed time: 30 minutes for butter softening and eggs tempering, 15 minutes for mixing and filling the tin, 90 minutes for complete cake cooling, 10 minutes for icing and decorating, and 20 minutes for the icing to set. Measuring, lining the tin and preheating overlap the initial softening period; the toasted coconut cools during mixing, so these are not counted again. Active preparation is approximately 35 minutes, including hands-on work during the softening period. Cook time is sequential: 5 minutes to toast the coconut, followed later by 35 minutes to bake the cake. Extra baking or cooling may be needed depending on the oven and room temperature. Appliances: Oven; Electric mixer; Refrigerator for chilled storage. Equipment: 18 × 24 cm rectangular cake tin, at least 4 cm deep; Baking parchment; Small baking tray; Digital kitchen scales; Measuring spoon; Mixing bowls; Spatula; Fine sieve; Fine grater; Citrus juicer; Wire cooling rack; Skewer; Sharp knife; Chopping board. Allergens: Contains milk from butter, eggs and almonds. Coconut is also present. Check packaged ingredients for any additional allergens or cross-contact warnings. Storage: Keep the decorated cake airtight at cool room temperature, no warmer than 20°C, for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Refrigerate immediately in warmer conditions. The fresh lemon topping may soften the icing over time. Freeze individually wrapped slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months; the lemon slices will soften after thawing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
165 min
Prep
40 min
Cook
12
Serves
349
Calories
Macros · per serving
6g protein
28g carbs
24g fat
Ingredients
For 12 servings
- 150 g Unsalted butter
- 4 eggs Large eggs
- 150 g Caster sugar
- 180 g Ground almonds
- 80 g Unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 4 g Baking powder
- 1 g Fine salt
- 5 ml Vanilla extract
- 6 g Finely grated lemon zest
- 120 g Icing sugar
- 25 ml Lemon juice
- 60 g Fresh lemon, thinly sliced
Instructions
- 1
Cut the butter into small cubes and leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until it yields easily when pressed but is not melted. Let the eggs lose their fridge chill alongside it. During this time, measure the remaining ingredients and line the base and sides of an 18 × 24 cm rectangular cake tin, at least 4 cm deep, with baking parchment, leaving lifting handles. No greasing is needed. Preheat the oven during the final 15 minutes to 170°C conventional / 340°F, or 150°C fan.
- 2
Spread 15 g of the desiccated coconut on a small, dry baking tray. Toast for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through and watching closely, until lightly golden. Remove and leave to cool while making the batter. Keep the remaining 65 g coconut untoasted. Leave the oven at the same temperature.
- 3
Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and caster sugar for 3–4 minutes until paler and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition and scraping down the bowl. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. A slightly curdled appearance at this stage is harmless.
- 4
In a separate bowl, stir together the ground almonds, remaining 65 g desiccated coconut, baking powder and salt. Fold this mixture into the butter mixture with a spatula until evenly combined. The batter should be thick, soft and spoonable.
- 5
Transfer all the batter to the lined tin and spread it evenly into the corners. Bake on the middle shelf for 35 minutes, until the top is golden, the centre springs back gently and a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs but no wet batter. If necessary, bake a little longer rather than removing an underdone cake.
- 6
Leave the cake in its tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Lift it out using the parchment, carefully remove the paper and let it cool completely on the rack for about 75 minutes more. The centre and underside must feel cool before icing.
- 7
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice until smooth. It should form a thick, spreadable icing. Spread it over the completely cold cake, stopping just short of the edges.
- 8
Arrange the 60 g lemon as 12 very thin rounds, removing any seeds and gently blotting excess surface juice. Mark the cake into a 3-by-4 grid and position one lemon round on each future square. Scatter all the cooled toasted coconut over the icing. Allow about 10 minutes for mixing the icing and decorating, then leave for 20 minutes for the icing to set.
- 9
Cut along the marked grid to make 12 approximately 6 × 6 cm squares. Use a sharp knife and wipe it between cuts for neat edges.
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