Coconut Soaked Lime Cake
This incredibly fluffy Coconut Soaked Lime Cake is saturated in sweetened coconut milk and topped with a homemade coconut whipped cream. Imagine a cross between a tres leches cake and a poke cake, where it’s not as soaked as tres leches but still achieves the perfect texture! This cake is light and not overly sweet, making it the perfect easy dessert for summer!
When the warmer weather rolls in, I love making desserts that highlight the light freshness of summer. Using citrus fruits and tropical coconut flavors is a great way to get that summer feel, and I was inspired to make a cake using those flavors with an indulgent texture and taste.
I came up with a delicious cross between a tres leches cake and a traditional Midwestern poke cake, where it’s not as moist as tres leches but the coconut soak still gives the light and fluffy sponge cake a decadent texture and mouth feel. Even with the soaked cake, it still stays light and refreshing with the help of a creamy coconut whipped cream finish that makes each bite feel like a tropical escape!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Refreshing Flavor: The combination of lime zest, juice, and coconut milk gives the cake a bright, tropical taste that’s perfect for summer.
- Easy to Make: Simple ingredients and straightforward instructions mean you can whip up this cake quickly and easily.
- Perfect Texture: The coconut soak makes the cake moist without becoming soggy, giving it a balance of tenderness and fluffiness.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can prepare the cake a day ahead making it ideal for summer parties or events.
Limes vs Key Limes
When it comes to adding fresh lime flavor to desserts, you first want to make sure you’re not using a bottled lime juice. Those tend to contain other preservatives that throw off the taste. Your options for lime flavor are using fresh limes or key limes. BOTH can be used for this cake, but they do have slight differences in taste!
Limes:
- Larger than key limes
- Thick, bright green skin
- More acidic with a slightly bitter flavor
- Widely available and generally more affordable
Key Limes:
- Smaller in size with a thinner, yellowish-green skin
- More aromatic and floral
- Has a sweeter, more tart flavor compared to regular limes
- Often used in classic key lime pie recipes
- Harder to find
You can choose based on your personal preference or what you have available!
Whether it’s a backyard barbecue, pool party, or family picnic, this cake’s refreshing, zesty flavor pairs with fresh fruit like berries or pineapple, it’s a great companion to a scoop of mango sorbet or a dollop of coconut ice cream, or serve with a tropical fruit salad. This key lime cake also goes well with a poolside Spicy Passion Fruit Margarita, Raspberry Smash Paloma, or a glass of Bourbon Peach Sweet Tea!
Lime Cake Baking Tips
- Use full-fat coconut milk to make sure the cake stays moist and flavorful. Light versions can result in a less rich texture.
- Allow eggs, butter, and coconut milk to come to room temperature before mixing for a smoother batter and even texture.
- Rub the lime zest into the sugar with your fingers to release essential oils which helps maximize the natural lime flavor.
- Mix butter and sugar until fluffy to incorporate air, which will help create a light and tender crumb.
- Add dry ingredients alternately with wet ingredients to prevent overmixing and create a consistent batter.
- At 30 minutes, begin checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, the cake is ready.
- Use a chopstick, skewer, or fork to prick holes gently and evenly across the warm cake to allow the soak to permeate.
- Make sure the cake is completely cool before topping it with the whipped cream to prevent melting off.
- Whip the heavy cream just to soft peaks before adding the condensed milk and coconut extract to avoid over whipping.
- Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least one hour before serving to let the flavors come together and to make slicing easier.
Coconut Soaked Lime Cake FAQs
Yes, you can substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Make sure the blend contains xanthan gum to help bind the ingredients better.
While lime and coconut are a great combination, you can swap the lime juice and zest for lemon, orange, or grapefruit to experiment with different citrus flavors.
You could mix the lime juice and zest with lemon or orange for a bright, tangy twist on this tropical cake. For a slightly tangy contrast to the lime and coconut flavors, replace the whipped cream topping with cream cheese frosting. Add a splash of rum or coconut liqueur to the coconut soak for an extra layer of flavor and a boozy kick.
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Cover it well to keep the whipped cream topping fresh.
Freeze the unfrosted and unsoaked cake by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and storing it in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before adding the coconut soak and whipped cream topping.
Yes! Bake the cake a day ahead, pour on the coconut soak, and refrigerate overnight. Add the whipped cream topping just before serving for the freshest presentation before an event.
For more tasty Summer desserts, check out my:
- Coconut Mango Cheesecake Bars
- Fresh Peach Cobbler
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- No Churn Churro Ice Cream
- Roasted Strawberry Cheesecake
- Iced Lemon Loaf Cake
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make this coconut soaked lime cake. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make this Coconut Soaked Lime Cake:
Coconut Soaked Lime Cake
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 slices
Description
This incredibly fluffy lime cake is soaked in sweetened coconut milk and topped with coconut whipped cream. Think of a cross between a tres leches cake and a poke cake, where it’s not as drenched as tres leches but the soak isn’t thick enough to produce the poke cake effect – all while producing a delicious texture. It’s also incredibly light and not too sweet, making it the perfect easy cake for Summer!
Ingredients
Lime Cake
- 2 cups (262g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 3 limes
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60g) lime juice
- 3/4 cup (180g) canned full fat coconut milk
Coconut Soak
- 1/2 cup (170g) sweetened condensed milk (from a 14 oz can)
- 1/2 cup (120g) canned full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- Zest of 2 limes
Coconut Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- Leftover sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- Unsweetened or sweetened coconut flakes, depending on your preference
- Zest of 1 lime
Instructions
Lime Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and lime zest. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar to release even more flavor.
- Now add the butter and mix to combine. It will not turn smooth and creamy – more like wet sand.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, adding in the vanilla with the last egg. Scrape down the bowl and mix again until smooth.
- Mix in the lime juice and coconut milk.
- Dump in the dry ingredients and mix. Switching to a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are well combined.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Coconut Soak
- While the cake bakes, combine all of the soak ingredients in a pourable measuring glass.
- When the cake is fresh from the oven, use a shop stick, skewer, or a fork to prick holes all throughout the cake.
- Pour over the soak and use a spoon or small offset spatula to make sure it’s evenly distributed.
- Allow the cake to cool before making the whipped cream. This can be done fully at room temperature, or allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
Coconut Whipped Cream
- Using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream just until it ever-so-slightly starts to thicken.
- Then pour in the rest of the sweetened condensed milk along with the coconut extract and whip until it reaches soft peaks.
- Spread the whipped cream over the cake and top with coconut flakes and lime zest.
- When slicing and serving the cake, the soak can make the bottom a bit sticky so I suggest using a small spatula to lift out the slides. Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Join Our Community
Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
Amazing recipe! My boyfriend and I made this together to bring to his parents house! They absolutely loved it.
Followed the review stating to cut bake time to 25 and add coconut cream (2 spoonfuls) to the whipped cream and it was perfect. Brought it to a party and everyone came up to say they loved it! Will definitely make again
Is the coconut milk sweetened or unsweetened?
This cake is so delicious, I’ve made it twice in the span of a week.
The second time around, I reduced the bake time from 30 minutes to 25 minutes and added a bit of coconut cream to the topping.
Thank you for this new family favourite!
I made this for Father’s Day and it was a huge hit. It was light and refreshing and had the best flavor. We ate it all within two days! Definitely a keeper.
I can’t wait to try this, but I’m completely devastated that the Lime and Coconut Sheet cake recipe was taken down from your blog! It has been my FAVORITE cake for years, and if you wouldn’t mind sharing with me I would be so grateful!! This also might be the same or very similar but with the added coconut soak. Have you tried this recipe without the coconut soak? Thanks
Do you have any recommendations for an egg substitute? Thanks!
Outstanding! I’m a die hard fan of anything coconut and lime. This did not disappoint!
Recipe is well written and easy to follow. I used kamut flour in place of “all purpose” which is fine because kamut can easily switched out. No issues! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and efforts with us!
Everyone loved this cake! It turned out so beautifully. I did make it ahead of time and would probably recommend that it comes to room temperature a bit before serving. But either way was great! I didn’t have coconut extract, but the coconut milk and coconut flakes provided enough flavor.
I made this for Memorial Day gathering with family. My husband continues to eat the leftovers, shaking his head and saying “this is RIDICULOUS!”