A high altitude tested, mini sized lemon coconut cake that serves just 2-4 people. This is a small batch recipe for two 4-inch layers of soft lemon cake made with fresh lemon zest and juice, frosted with fluffy coconut buttercream.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for coconut lemon bars, carrot coconut bundt cake, and toasted coconut pecan cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Small Size. High altitude bakers love my mini cake recipes, and this mini lemon coconut cake has the most delicious combination of flavors for spring or the Easter weekend. When you want to make dessert, but you don’t need too much leftover, a mini cake is a great option for any occasion, birthday or anniversary. This little cake yields four slices, so it’s just enough for a few people to share. I baked my mini lemon cake in two 4-inch cake pans, but you can also divide the batter between two 6-inch pans for thinner layers.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Lemons. One large fresh lemon will give you more than enough zest and juice to use for today’s mini lemon cake. By rubbing the freshly grated zest into the sugar before mixing the cake batter, you’ll add even more lemon flavor.
- Coconut. I almost always bake with unsweetened “natural” coconut flakes, rather than sweetened shredded coconut. It tastes so much better, with a clean, lightly sweet coconut flavor and crunchy texture, and looks prettier, too.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray the insides of two 4-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray. If you only have 6 inch pans, you can use those, but your cake layers will be thinner, and will need to bake for a shorter amount of time.
- In a bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant.
- Add the milk, lemon juice, egg, oil, sour cream and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake the cakes for about 25-28 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then turn the cakes out of the pans. Cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer (stand or hand held), beat the butter for one minute, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined. Add the extracts. Beat on medium speed for several minutes, until very light and fluffy. If the buttercream seems too stiff, you can add milk, one teaspoon at a time, to get your desired consistency.
- Stack, fill and frost the cakes with the buttercream. Don’t worry about making it too smooth or perfect, since it will be covered with coconut.
- Before the frosting crusts over, press the coconut over the top and sides of the cake.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
You can use either all purpose flour or cake flour, but the cake flour will yield a softer, fluffier cake.
If you only have 6 inch pans, you can use those, but your cake layers will be thinner, and will need to bake for a shorter amount of time
You can find out how to make dried lemon slices in this recipe for lemon cake.
You Might Also Like
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High Altitude Mini Lemon Coconut Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 4-inch Round Cake Pans (x2)
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- zest of half a large lemon (around 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest)
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup cake flour or all purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Coconut Buttercream
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp meringue powder (optional)
- small pinch salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp coconut extract
- 1 cup unsweetened "natural" coconut flakes
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray the insides of two 4-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray. If you only have 6 inch pans, you can use those, but your cake layers will be thinner, and will need to bake for a shorter amount of time.
- In a bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant.
- Add the milk, lemon juice, egg, oil, sour cream and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake the cakes for about 25-28 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then turn the cakes out of the pans. Cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer (stand or hand held), beat the butter for one minute, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined. Add the extracts. Beat on medium speed for several minutes, until very light and fluffy. If the buttercream seems too stiff, you can add milk, one teaspoon at a time, to get your desired consistency.
- Stack, fill and frost the cakes with the buttercream. Don't worry about making it too smooth or perfect, since it will be covered with coconut.
- Before the frosting crusts over, press the coconut over the top and sides of the cake.
Have you tried this recipe using lime in place of lemon? Thank you!
I haven’t, but I imagine it would work fine.