Many people have tried this now and no one thinks of it as a gluten free cake. It’s just a delicious cake! Love the coconut + lemon + almond meal combination, and the springy, moist crumb. BONUS: Just about the fastest, easiest cake recipe I know.
Lemon coconut almond cake
This is a cake that is as delightfully easy to make as it is delicious to eat. Just put everything in a bowl and mix! There’s no need to whip softened butter or pull out your electric beater.
It’s been likened to the fan favourite orange cake in texture – springy yet with an appealing moistness about it. And the flavour! Adore, adore, adore the coconut lemon combination. Idea swiped from my local coffee shop where I’ve been eyeing lemon coconut cake bars for years. This is my copycat.
I don’t actually know if theirs is gluten-free. Mine is, because I’ve never come across a flour-based cake recipe with a crumb as moist as you can make using almond meal.
What you need for this lemon coconut almond cake
Here’s what you need to make this lovely cake:
Almond meal (aka ground almonds) – This is raw almonds that are blitzed into a fine powder. Easily found nowadays, sold in the dried fruit & nut section and health food section of grocery stores. Or make your own by blitzing raw, unpeeled, unsalted almonds in a powerful blender (I use a Vitamix) until it becomes a fine powder.
Almond flour can also be used (not as common here in Australia). It’s finer so gives the cake a slightly fluffier texture and less almond flavour. Hazelnut meal can also be substituted though you’ll have lovely hazelnut flavour instead of almond.
Butter – The fat in this recipe, gives it a beautiful buttery flavour.
Baking powder – This is what makes the cake rise.
Eggs – Make sure they are at room temperature so they incorporate more easily into the batter.
Coconut – Desiccated coconut which is finely shredded, unsweetened coconut. Standard shredded coconut (which is like fine strands) will work but you’ll get more coconut texture in the cake. I don’t think coconut flakes (shavings) will work in this cake, it’s not absorbent enough.
Sugar – Use caster / superfine sugar if you can because it is finer so it will dissolve easier. Otherwise, regular / granulated sugar can be used.
Vanilla extract – For flavour. Not to be confused with artificial vanilla essence which is…well, artificial. So not as nice!
Lemon – We are only using the zest in this cake, for beautiful lemon flavour. Because the zest is where all the lemon flavour is – the juice is mostly just sour.
Flaked almonds – for sprinkling on the surface. Adds lovely texture to the cake, looks good and protects the surface from browning too much. But you can skip it you don’t have it!
Salt – Standard inclusion in most of my sweet recipes these days. Just a touch, to bring out the flavours in this cake. Doesn’t make it salty!
How to make lemon coconut cake
Put everything in a bowl and MIX! How good would life be if all baking recipes were this easy??? (Though, my waistline begs to differ).
Melt the butter in a bowl using your microwave.
Wet ingredients – Whisk in all the other wet ingredients (eggs, vanilla, sugar – yes, sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking because it liquifies when mixed with other wet ingredients).
Dry ingredients – Whisk in the almond meal, coconut, baking powder, salt and zest.
Pour it into a 20cm/8″ lined round cake pan. DO NOT skip lining the pan! Even greasing very generously is not enough to stop it from sticking to the pan, no matter how non-stick you think your pan is. (As you might have guessed, I’m speaking from first hand experience here).
Bake 40 minutes – Sprinkle the surface with almonds then bake for 40 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool for 1 hour before cutting to serve. I was a bit impatient in early versions and found that because the cake is quite moist, it can appear undercooked if you cut it while still warm. (But it’s not undercooked, it just looks that way if you cut while still hot!).
Serve it plain!
While some cakes I recommend serving with a dollop of cream, ice cream or other such accompaniment, this is a cake that definitely stands on its own two feet. Great flavour (lemon + coconut with a hint of almond) with a very moist crumb which is virtually impossible to replicate with flour-based cakes.
So it’s a great cake for taking places – such as for a work morning tea, book club, school bake sale. Just cut and serve. And those who are gluten-intolerant can enjoy it too. Though honestly, don’t just make this because you need a gluten-free cake. Make it because it’s just a really great cake that happens to be just about one of the easiest, quickest cake recipes I know. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Easy Lemon Coconut Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 150g / 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs (55-60g/2oz each), at room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar, Note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal (ground almond, Note 1)
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup desiccated coconut (US: finely shredded unsweetened coconut)
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (1 large lemon)
- 1/4 cup flaked almonds , optional (Note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Grease a 20cm/8” round cake pan (or springform pan) with butter then line with paper.
- Melt butter – Place the butter in a large microwavable bowl and melt in the microwave. Let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Wet ingredients – Add egg, vanilla and sugar and whisk until combined.
- Dry ingredients – Add almond meal, salt, baking powder, coconut and lemon zest. Whisk until combined.
- Bake 40 minutes – Pour into pan. Sprinkle over almonds. Bake 40 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan then carefully turn out onto cooling rack.
- Cool at least 1 hour before cutting slices to serve. Moist enough to serve plain – doesn't need cream or anything!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Eyeing end of day remnants in a glass cabinet like it’s a big juicy steak.
This was soooo delicious!! Even though I used only 2/3 of the sugar. So moist.
Hi from 🇬🇧
LOVE this cake, I didnt realise the 2nd time I made the cake that I didn’t have enough butter so randomly used apple sauce! Plus added an extra lemon for zest and half a squeezed lemon. Love love love!!!!
I never bake cakes but bloody love the simplicity and taste of this!
Absolutely delicious!
I used maple syrup instead of the sugar and worked out perfectly. Great for my little people
Thank you so much
I added just a bit of almond extract to pump up the almond flavour, but otherwise made it as-written. I pulled it out at 35 minutes as it was golden brown all over and my skewer came out clean. I also ended up drizzling the cooled cake with the juice of the lemon mixed with a bit of honey.
This was absolutely fantastic. Swapped the lemon zest with 2 teaspoons lime zest (would double next time, it was very subtle) and the caster sugar with regular sugar. Took it into work for GF morning tea treat and it was demolished and raved about. Super easy to make. Thanks Nagi for another fabulous recipe!
This is seriously the most delicious cake ever. Thanks again Nagi!
Apparently this GF cake was lovely & moist, I didn’t get a chance to try it myself as it was all eaten! My son who is coeliac said you can make that again mum. More GF cakes/desserts please Nagi X
Easy to make and it tasted absolutely amazing!!! Will be making this again very soon.
Thank you, Nagi, for this amazing recipe. I took it to a friends house for dinner last night and everyone loved it. Took your advise and served it plain, and it was so delicious. I don’t know how it would serve 10 people, unless you served slivers. I’m making it again next week-end for guests.
A fan from Encinitas California!
This is a wonderful recipe for me as I am diabetic and can replace the sugar to a sugar substitute and it still tastes great. Virtually no carbs.
I am asking you to consider another cookbook, one that focuses on lower carbohydrate but still tasty recipes, suitable for diabetics. I really do appreciate your including nutrition information on all your recipes. You include so much information that it is so useful for people with health issues, like diabetes, renal and heart problems. Thank you so much.
Let me vote for your suggestion. There are so many of us diabetics who would love to have such a recipe book from Nagi. Nagi, please.
Ha Ha!!!!
Cannot believe I replied to my own comment. And here I am doing it again.
This is delicious and so easy to make. Going to be a go to.
Thank you very much for this recipe. Yesterday I made it for the second time. It can be frozen very succesfully. I put it in small pieces in the freezer, no need to thaw it, Thank you, I’m very happy with this recipe.
My son has made this cake twice this week….it’s so easy and SO good, as well as GF. It’s definitely better the next day if you can wait that long!
Made it😊
Followed re pie to a T
So easy😳
But guests complained it was dry
Maybe if used olive oil instead of butter it would be more moist?
Anyone tried substituting butter for olive oil?
Suggest taking it out of the oven a few minutes sooner (mine was done at 35 minutes in my electric oven). Every oven runs differently, and baking for even a few minutes longer after the cake is done can result in a dry cake. Hope this helps.
Mine was dry too and I was thinking because of the coconut flour
Delicious! I made this for my husband’s birthday last night and the whole family loved it. I will definitely make this again (and again!) Thank you!
Truly so easy to make and very delicious!! Kids and adults loved it! Will be on high rotation. Thanks Nagi!
This cake is so easy to make and whipped up in no time. Lovely and moist and looks a treat! Had it as a dessert with cream. Perfect for any occasion!
Can you use vanilla extract instead of vanilla essence ?
Absolutely delicious and I love that it’s gluten free!!! Nagi, you did it again!
This was wonderful. Only changes I made was I only had sweetened flaked coconut so I used it but chopped it up with food processor, and I added a bit more lemon zest. I did add the sliced almonds (wonderful) to top. When cool I then added a glaze made of conf. sugar and fresh lemon juice-so glad I did, Was wonderful. Hubby already wants me to make it again even though it’s only been 6 days. Thanks Nagi
I made this for a dinner with friends and it was gonna before I knew it! So tasty, so moist! I’d give 6 stars if I could!