If you're looking for the perfect Coconut Sheet Cake with Lime Drizzle, you've come to the right place. This easy coconut cake recipe is soft, moist, and packed with the bright, refreshing flavor of fresh lime and sweet coconut. Every bite tastes like a little slice of paradise, making it the perfect tropical dessert for spring and summer gatherings, potlucks, birthdays, or anytime you want to bring a bit of sunshine to the table. Since it's made as a simple sheet cake, there's no stacking layers or complicated decorating—just an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert that's as beautiful as it is delicious.
There is no one time that this cake should be served. Easter, Christmas, or a July barbecue - this Coconut Sheet Cake is the perfect finish to all of them!
If you like coconut, make sure to try my Hello Dolly Cake or my German Chocolate Cake Roll.
Jump to:
I FORGOT to toast my coconut!
Why Should You Toast Coconut
Toasting coconut before using has so many benefits!
- The Flavor Becomes Richer: Heat triggers the Maillard reaction and caramelizes the natural sugars, changing plain coconut into a deep, toasted, and buttery flavor.
- Toasting Gives a Better Texture: Untoasted coconut can be soft or chewy, but toasting dries it out, creating a light, crisp, and crunchy bite.
- The Color is More Attractive: Toasting turns the white flakes into a warm, golden-brown hue that makes a great visual garnish on baked goods and desserts.
- You'll Get a Stronger Impact: The flavor becomes more intense, meaning a small amount goes a long way when added to dishes
Make it Dairy-free
Make this Coconut Sheet Cake dairy-free by replacing the whole milk with more coconut milk and replacing the butter with vegan butter sticks. Since 'butter sticks' made with oil to make them vegan don't tend to hold their shape as well as dairy butter, this cake is the perfect time to use the vegan sticks. A layer of 'buttercream' on top of the cake doesn't need to hold a piped shape! Just spread and sprinkle on coconut!
Storage
Store this Coconut Sheet Cake at room temperature, tightly covered for 3 to 4 days.
Top Tip
Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning this recipe! That will help to create a smooth batter and even baking!
Related
Looking for other dessert recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are a few of my other delicious cake recipes:
Coconut Lime Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups cake flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large egg whites
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ cup 1½ sticks salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- Lime Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup water
- Whipped Coconut Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup 2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, coconut milk, dairy milk, vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice until combined. Whisk together until the mixture is smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the melted butter to the flour mixture a little at a time until combined. (This is the reverse creaming method. We are coating the flour with the fat (butter) to keep it from being able to create gluten strands. This gives us a very soft texture.)
- Keep the mixer on low speed and slowly add the egg/milk mixture until completely combined. Bump up the speed to medium. Mix the batter for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and spread out flat with an offset spatula. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (You should always bake to the INDICATOR, not the TIME, since all ovens are different! Use the time in any recipe as a guideline.)
To Make the Lime Soak Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, lime juice, and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Let the syrup cool slightly before using on the baked cake.
- When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and poke holes all over the cake. I like to use a chopstick for this but you can a knife for this as well. Pour the syrup all over the cake slowly. Let the soaked cake cool completely in the pan.
Make the Coconut Buttercream Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 1 minute or until smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl at least once to ensure all of the butter is smooth. Turn the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until combined. Slowly add the coconut milk. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for 1 minute.
- When the cake is cooled, spread the top of the cake in the pan with the Coconut Buttercream. Sprinkle evenly with shredded coconut. Added bonus - toast the coconut first for more flavor! You can toast the coconut on the stovetop in a dry pan or in the oven at 350°F/180°C. This will only take a couple of minutes so stay close and keep an eye on it while browning.
Leave a Reply