Here it is folks – the softest, best coconut lemon pound cake you ever imagined! If you love lemon, this will be your new favorite for 2021! The lemon glaze on top really brings this dessert over the top with a big punch of lemony goodness.
Best news of all – you can make it in a bundt pan or make several small cakes for gifts. It’s versatile and totally delightful. Who doesn’t love a good lemon cake with a cup of tea on a chilly January afternoon?
This fabulous cake is the inspiration of Martha Giddens Nesbit of Savannah, the former food editor for the Savannah Morning News. I have made this cake for nearly every special occasion since I discovered it! It is easy and delicious beyond description! Yes, it is the Best Coconut Lemon Pound Cake ever! www.marthagiddensnesbit.com
This cake is so fabulous am thinking of growing a lemon tree in the yard. If you think citrus cannot grow in South Carolina, think again. They absolutely thrive!!
What to Do Before You Start to Make this Cake:
1.Take Off The Chill
Perhaps the most important thing I can tell you about making this cake is to have ALL ingredients at room temperature. This is essential! Room temperature butter is flexible, allowing it to expand with air as you cream it with sugar. Even when you take cold butter and mix it up with a paddle until creamy, it will never gain the same volume as softened butter. This volume is game-changing because, even though there is baking powder in this cake, most of the lift comes from the air whipped into the butter.
2. Temper Ingredients
My preferred way to temper the eggs and butter is to set them out the night before. Very, very important step. Now you are ready to start the cake and simply follow the instructions below.
The image below is the cake before the glaze is applied.
I apply the final glaze once the lemon cake is completely cooled down. It adds just that extra layer of rich lemon flavor that takes it totally over the top.
This is a cake you’ll be proud to take anywhere and fits just about any occasion.
This soft, velvety, tender, and lofty cake is contrasted by a crunchy crust and a crispy, classic lemon sugar glaze.
Set oven to 325 degrees and set the cake on the rack in the bottom third of the oven.
Baking time is approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes but check on the cake the last 15 minutes to see if a toothpick comes out clean.
Best Lemon Coconut Pound Cake
2 cups butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour, sifted
6 eggs, room temperature
1 7-ounce bag of flaked sweet coconut
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cut out a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan and spray the paper with non-stick spray.
Cream the butter and sugar in your mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Lower the speed to low, add 1 cup of the flour and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the remaining flour and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix. Stir in the coconut with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top of the batter, and tap the pan several times on the counter to make sure there are no air pockets in the batter. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester comes out clean.
Make the lemon glaze:
In a small bowl, sift the powdered sugar
Add lemon juice and stir until the sugar is moistened. Stir in the cream cheese.
Whisk the glaze until smooth. The mixture should drop thickly and pool for a few seconds before disappearing smoothly into the surface. If needed, add more lemon juice to thin the glaze. If too thin, add powdered sugar.
Use a teaspoon to drizzle the glaze onto the cake. Allow it to cascade down the sides.
Do not refrigerate – this will dry out the cake! Once cooled you may wrap in plastic wrap to retain moisture.
