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It’s finally starting to get a little bit warmer, and my gluten free lime and coconut cake is the ultimate spring/summer bake.
Packed with tangy lime and desiccated coconut, with a sweet lime icing, this is a really simple gluten free bake and one which will have you coming back for more!
It’s also easily made dairy free as well – so perfect for everyone to enjoy.
A totally tropical gluten free loaf cake which will transport you to warmer climes with a bite.
I absolutely love the flavours of lemon, lime and orange when baking.
Better than a lemon drizzle cake!
Some of my favourite cakes are my gluten free citrus drizzle cake recipe and my gluten free lemon and pistachio cake recipes.
So it seemed like creating a gluten free lime and coconut cake was the perfect next step.
I wanted a similar cake to a lemon drizzle cake, but with a more interesting texture and a sweet icing topping.
And when it comes to flavour combinations, can it get much better than lime and coconut?
The two are like the perfect marriage, and it makes this a great cake for summer.
This is the kind of gluten free cake which is a real crowd-pleaser.
You could serve it up for a tea party or make it as part of an afternoon tea platter or picnic.
Whichever mode of presentation you choose, I don’t think it’ll last long!
Gluten free lime and coconut cake
There are three parts to this gluten free lime and coconut cake: the baking, the drizzle, and the icing.
The cake itself is baked with lime zest and desiccated coconut, giving it a lovely texture and a subtle flavour.
Once the cake is cooked, you prick it all over and drizzle over the lime syrup.
This helps to keep the cake really moist, and gives it a lovely lime-y punch.
The lime-flavoured icing is the real finisher.
Sprinkle with some extra desiccated coconut and lime zest for a beautiful-looking treat.
A super easy gluten free bake
And the best thing about this cake? It’s SO easy to make!
Just chuck everything in to the baking mix, and the icing and syrup are super simple.
Most of the ingredients are simple store cupboard items too.
We always have lemons and limes in our house (I use them a lot for cooking) and gluten free flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs and milk are always well stocked too.
And if you haven’t tried xanthan gum, I’d recommend it – it helps to keep a nice texture to your bake.
A little bit goes a long way so one small tub will last you for ages.
What ingredients do I need?
There’s a full printable recipe card below, but for the shopping list you’ll need the following ingredients for my gluten free lime and coconut cake:
- 175 g caster sugar (+ 50g for the drizzle)
- 175 g unsalted butter, (softened)
- 3 limes
- 3 large eggs
- 125 g gluten free self raising flour
- 75 g desiccated coconut (+ extra to decorate)
- Pinch salt
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 225g icing sugar
If you wanted to make this recipe dairy free, you’d simply need to substitute the butter for something like Stork baking block, and it would work just as well.
And if you don’t have any self raising flour you can just use a plain gluten free flour.
If you do this, make sure you add 2 tsp of baking powder stirred in, before adding it to the main cake mixture.
My gluten free lime and coconut cake recipe
Ok, you’ve waited long enough – here is one of my new favourite gluten free cakes!
I’ve decided can see myself making this gluten free lime and coconut cake recipe a lot.
I just couldn’t believe how (dare I say it) moist the cake kept. Even after 3-4 days it tasted freshly baked!
Store this in an airtight container and it’ll definitely keep… if you can resist for that long anyway.
I’ve also got a handy recipe video here to show you just how easy this lime and coconut cake it to make:
If you give it a go, please let me know – on Instagram just tag me @GFBlogger or use #theglutenfreeblogger so I can see your bakes!
Gluten free lime and coconut cake
A gluten free lime and coconut cake with lime drizzle and a lime icing, topped with lime zest and desiccated coconut. Bakes in a 2lb loaf tin and keeps for 3-5 days.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 175 g caster sugar
- 175 g unsalted butter, (softened)
- Zest of 3 limes
- 3 large eggs
- 125 g gluten free self raising flour
- 75 g desiccated coconut
- Pinch salt
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
For the syrup:
- Juice of 2 limes
- 50 g caster sugar
For the icing:
- 225 g icing sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
- Lime zest, (to sprinkle on top)
- Desiccated coconut, (to sprinkle on top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Marl 4 and grease and line a 2lb pound loaf tin. Mix the butter, sugar and lime zest in a large mixing bowl using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and milk and mix again until combined.
- Add the flour, desiccated coconut and xantham gum to the mixture and fold in using a wooden spoon or spatula. Once combined, pour the mixture into the baking tin and smooth out.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and place (still in the tin) on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes while you make the syrup.
- Mix the caster sugar and lime juice for the syrup in a small saucepan. Heat on a low heat, stirring until the caster sugar has dissolved. While the cake is still warm, prick it with a skewer all over and then use a spoon to cover the cake in the warm syrup. Do this spoon-by-spoon to ensure an even coverage and let it all soak in.
- Leave the cake to cool completely. Once cool, make the icing by sifting the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually adding the lime juice until you get the desired consistency (I like mine nice and thick!). Pour over using a spoon (tip: start in the middle of the cake to get a lovely drip effect as it runs out and over the edges). Sprinkle with lime zest and some extra desiccated coconut, leave to set and then serve.
Notes
- This makes quite a thick icing - for a thinner icing you can add a little water (1 tsp at a time) or less icing sugar, depending on what consistency you're going for.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 387Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 207mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 45gProtein: 3g
Need some more baking inspiration?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog? Why not give some of these a try? There are plenty to choose from!
- Gluten free raspberry and white chocolate muffins
- Gluten free citrus drizzle cake
- Gluten free lemon and elderflower cake
If you do make this recipe please let me know!
I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this gluten free lime and coconut cake recipe?
Make sure you pin this recipe card below for later!
Although the basic idea is a good one..coconut and lime are a good pairing. The amount of lime in the cake gets lost….and the coconut dominates. Not enough lime….
Have you actually tried the cake though Janet? Because with the lime drizzle and lime icing, it definitely packs a lime punch
Have made my own version of this cake for some years.
I much prefer more lime or the coconut tends to dominate.
I also toast a little coconut in a frying pan, to give more colour contrast. Be careful with this as the pan retains heat, and the coconut may become a little too brown.
Made cake twice, did not rise, why?
Did you swap anything in the recipe? If not it may be the baking powder is out of date, or that your oven temperature if off. Ovens do vary so if you find you have this problem with cakes it may be worth getting an oven thermometer to check it’s not running too hot or cold
Yes I have tried it. Disappointed. Was MD of Wellfoods…so do know a bit about baking gf…and Coeliac since 2002.
Sorry to hear you were disappointed, I thought the cake was very lime-y and everyone else who has made it has said they really liked it – but hats off for making the recipe so quickly after I posted it!
Tastes vary of course, but we loved it. I put raspberries through it and omitted the icing.
Made the cake today. So easy to make. It was light and very moist Will definitely make it again.
Made this cake yesterday and it was a HUGE hit! Didn’t need the cream cheese icing, was delicious on its own. Used plain flour with two teaspoons of baking powder. Will definitely be making it again!
Yay! So pleased you liked it!!!
Loved it! First time making this one and was worried all the limes would be too much but it was lovely and moist. Don’t know what the other person was moaning about! I’m no MD but my husband is a head chef and he loves my cakes 😆 Keep them coming Sarah x
Hey Sarah – this recipe looks great. I love any cake with coconut! Do you know if there is any way to veganfy the recipe please?
Thank you for your help.
Mandy
I made this cake yesterday and it was delicious!!! The balance of flavours was perfect and I can’t understand the above comments about the coconut overpowering the lime! I toasted my coconut but otherwise I followed it exactly. Maybe they didn’t get enough lime juice out the fruit? Anyway, I LOVED IT as did my friend and brutally honest husband 😂!
My friends thought this was the best gluten free cake they had ever eaten. I highly recommend trying it.
I would like to make this as a sandwich cake–with 2 8X8 layers. Will this recipe suffice, or do I need to double it? Thanks!
This cake is delicious….so glad I made it. This was my first try at gluten free cake (the shop ones are always so rubbish)
Well balanced and lovely and moist. I’m hoping it will freeze well so I don’t scoff it all in one go!
Can I freeze this cake?