Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake – creamy coconut cake layers with lemon curd, raspberry cream filling and coconut buttercream.
Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
Are you officially ready for summer? With school out in just a couple weeks, summer is the only thing on our mind over here! I love the pool days, the BBQs and all the summer-inspired cake flavors. Another one to add to your summer must-make list: my new Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake. This one is made up of tender and fluffy coconut cake layers, a tart lemon curd, a sweet raspberry filling and a silky, smooth coconut buttercream. These flavors together are truly magical!
Coconut Cake
The coconut cake layers aren’t new to the blog but are definitely worth keeping in your cake arsenal. They are so tender and moist and pair so well with so many different flavors.
More Coconut Cakes
It’s important to note that these cake layers only rise to about one to one and a quarter inches tall. If you want really thick cake layers, you have a few options:
- 1.5x the cake batter
- Use two 8-inch cake pans, instead of three
- Use three 6-inch cake pans
Lemon Curd
I love making homemade lemon curd! The flavor is 100x better than store bought and the homemade version is so simple. Plan on making the curd a day or two before you assemble your cake so it has time to set in the refrigerator.
Raspberry Filling
This whipped raspberry filling only has three ingredients and is super easy to make. It’s best done in the food processor, but can also be made in a blender. You want the high-speed to help whip the cream.
Coconut Buttercream
I love this coconut buttercream so much! It’s incredibly creamy and smooth, and the flavor is just out of this world. Make sure to refer to the ingredient list below to get the link for the specific cream of coconut to use in the buttercream.
Ingredients You Need for This Cake
- Canned coconut milk – I like Thai Kitchen brand – just be sure to mix the cream and liquid first, then measure
- Cream of coconut – this is different from the canned coconut we use in the cake. Look for the Coco Real brand.
- Cake flour
- Eggs
- Butter
- Coconut emulsion or extract
- Lemons
- Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Freeze-dried raspberries – I usually find these at Target, Walmart, Trader Joe’s or Amazon
- Heavy whipping cream (fat % above 35) – my favorite brand is Darigold 40% from Costco
- Baking powder
- Salt
How to Pipe Buttercream
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM
To get a light and fluffy, silky smooth buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM
- Sift your powdered sugar
- Use slightly cold butter
- Use heavy whipping cream
- Beat for 5 minutes
- Stir by hand
You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step.
CAKE MAKING TIPS
Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:
- Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
- Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
- Use room temperature wet ingredients.
- Use fresh baking powder.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it
How to Assemble a Cake
I’ve included assembly instructions for how to assemble this cake below, but be sure to watch this quick video for extra help.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you’re looking for some baking equipment to make your life easier, here are some of my favorites!
Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE COCONUT CAKE
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 egg whites at room temperature
- 2 whole eggs at room temperature
- 1 tbsp (16 g) coconut emulsion
- 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
- 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
- 1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
- 1 cup (231 g) canned coconut milk the canned coconut milk usually separates, so be sure to mix the cream and the liquid really well before measuring.
FOR THE LEMON CURD
- 1 cup (230 g) lemon juice I used fresh
- zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter
FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
- 1/4 cup (57.7 g) cream of coconut this is from the bottle, not the can
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
- 1 tbsp (16 g) coconut emulsion
- pinch of salt
- *This buttercream recipe will make enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you'll want to make an extra ¼ to ½ batch
FOR THE WHIPPED RASPERRY FILLING
- 1/2 cup (15 g) freeze dried raspberries
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (455 g) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
FOR THE COCONUT CAKE
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together on medium-high speed for three minutes. The mixture should be light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Gradually add the egg whites and whole eggs, making sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl between additions. Mix on medium-high for another 2 to 3 minutes after all the eggs are added and the mixture is light and fluffy. You'll notice the volume increase too!
- Add the coconut emulsion and vanilla extract.
- Turn the mixer on low speed and alternately add the flour mixture and the coconut milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
- Evenly distribute the batter in your pans.
- Bake for about 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Remember, the cake continues to bake in the pan for about 5 minutes while it's cooling.
- Let cool in pans for 15 minutes and then invert onto cooling racks to cool completely.NOTE: these cake layers rise to 1 – 1.25-inches tall. If you want thicker layers, you can do 1.5x the recipe.
FOR THE LEMON CURD
- The curd is best made a day ahead of time.
- Whisk the sugar, the lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
- Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.
FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream of coconut. Beat on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the coconut emulsion and pinch of salt.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir out air bubbles.
FOR THE WHIPPED RASPBERRY FILLING
- In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they resemble powder.
- Add the sugar and the cream and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to incorporate the freeze dried fruit.
- Pulse the food processor for 1 to 2 minutes. The texture should thicken like Greek yogurt. Keep chilled until ready to use.
ASSEMBLY
- Place your first cake layer, top-side up, on a cake plate or cake board. Cover the cake layer with about ½ cup coconut buttercream and then pipe a rim around the edge of the cake with more coconut buttercream.
- Spread about ½ cup of the raspberry cream filling over the cake layer, followed by about a ¼ cup lemon curd.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the second layer, and then place the final cake layer on top, bottom-side up.
- Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
- Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting.
I notice the lemon curd in this recipe is slightly different than in your other recipes (less sugar, more lemon juice, fewer egg yolks). Is that correct?
It’s different because I decreased the amount of lemon curd for this cake. I might change it later so it’s all the same and you have leftovers.
What is the pink frosting used on the outside? Is it just food coloring added to the coconut buttercream?
yes
If I can’t find that high of a percentage heavy whipping cream can I use 5%? What will happen?
yes. you can
Is this rediwhip coconut cream from the can. The “from the can”threw me off
No it’s a metal can.
This was very flavorful but the cake itself was very dense. It didn’t help that when measuring the cake flour, I already had more than 345g after measuring out 2.5 cups and wasn’t sure which measurement to go with. But I’m working on perfecting the fluffy cakes and will apply that secret to this recipe in the future! I love your creations.
Hello 🙂 I can’t find coconut emulsion where I live. Will I still have a good result if I leave it out? Should I replace it with something else? Thank you!
Can you find coconut extract?
Am I understanding the recipe correctly? Is the whipped raspberry filling done entirely in the food processor?
Yes.
Could this be made as a 6″ round cake by just splitting the ingredients in half?
Yes it would make 2 6-inch layers.
I have been wanting to make this cake for months but I can’t find the cream of coconut locally in Southeastern Idaho. Where do you buy it? The only option I have found is online but the shipping is pricey.
I buy mine at Walmart.
FYI, find the brand Coco Real in amongst the alcohol section in most stores, as it’s an ingredient used in mixed drinks.
Could you sub the freeze dried raspberries for freeze dried strawberries instead, to make a strawberry cream filling? Thank you!
Absolutely!
Hi! I just wanted to make sure that the measurements for the lemon curd were correct- is it really 1 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of sugar? I made it and it was very, very tart. On your lemon bar cake recipe, it has those measurements flipped, which is why I wanted to double check. BTW I’ve made a dozen of your cake recipes and people RAVE about them. Seriously, so good!
Yes they are meant to be different!
Can you put the whole cake together and then freeze it? How do you defrost it so that it doesn’t bulge out between cake layers? Thanks!
Yes! Freeze and wrap in saran. Move to the fridge the morning of and then take out a few hours before serving.
I made this recipe for a friend that loves coconut cake. Not only did it turn out beautifully it tasted sublime! I was afraid that the amount of coconut extract would overpower the frosting but it was the perfect amount. Everyone raved about it!!!
Yay I’m so glad!!
when making your cakes, is it best to follow the volume measurement (cups, tbsp, etc) or use weight measurements in grams?? i find that my volume measurements are always heavier than the weight measurements you suggest.
Volume is great
This looks delicious. Does the cake need to be refrigerated?
to store the cake for a long period (more than a day), I actually like to freeze it to keep it fresh.
If I make the cake 6 hours ahead of time can I leave it at room temperature the whole time?
Yes, if it’s not too warm in your home and you keep it covered.
Could you do this as filled cupcakes? I’d love to do this for my daughter’s first birthday party guests.
Totally!
Question: The recipe for the cake says coconut milk. In the description you link to Thai kitchen coconut cream. Just wondering if it should be the canned coconut milk or coconut cream. Thanks
Canned coconut milk
How much powder do you end up with after grinding the berries? I already have freeze dried raspberry powder that I will be using instead of whole berries so I wasn’t quite sure how much to use. Can’t wait to make this cake!!
You’ll want about 15 g
I was wondering about the whipping cream. The highest percentage I could find was 8. Our Costco didn’t carry darigold. What’s going to happen?
It will still work!
The cake turned out great but I made extra of the raspberry filling and we ate it on top of waffles. It was amazing! Definitely try it!
YUM!
Love this recipe!!!
Hi Courtney: I need to make this cake for about 30 people. Should I double it? I was thinking maybe 2 9×13 layers? I want to make sure I preserve your true recipe as much as possible – it’s perfect! Thanks so much.
Yes you could do two 9×13″ cakes – and it might be easier to just do them as two separate cakes and layer the toppings on top of each.