Coconut Lime Pound Cake

Why This Recipe Works

This one’s for the coconut lovers — You love it or you hate it, I don’t feel like there’s an in between when it comes to coconut. But me, well you can probably tell I LOVE it. No matter how I try other ingredients, I keep coming back to coconut. And if you love it too, then this recipe is for YOU. 

So addicting — This was one of the first recipes I ever developed for this blog and it’s still one of my all-time favorites! It’s truly addicting. It’s a coconut lover’s paradise to begin with. Then add lime? Fughetaboutit. You will need one whole cake for yourself. 

Yogurt is the secret ingredient — Luckily, I discovered early on the magic powers of adding yogurt. A great vehicle for flavor and texture and it shaves a few calories off adding all the oils into desserts. I think it’s a great way to make a moist cake, and it offers a nice, tangy, tart undertone. 

Perfect for hot summer days — You know those days when it’s hot and you’ve maybe been working in the yard or running around with your kids all day and cake just doesn’t sound great after a long day? Well, this is definitely the exception. With such summery, fruity flavors, one bite and you’ll want this cake every night for dessert all summer long. Also? It makes a great breakfast (wink, wink).

Ingredients

• Butter — I use unsalted butter, but you can use salted if that’s what you have. Make sure it’s softened before you add it to the batter. 
• Sugar — Refined, white sugar is what you need in this recipe. 
• Plain Greek Yogurt  — I like to use plain Greek yogurt for its creaminess and slightly tart taste. But you can also substitute sour cream. 
• Eggs — Large eggs are good here. They help to bind the cake together. 
• Vanilla — I like to use real vanilla extract but you can use artificial if that’s what you have. 
• Lime zest — The fresh zest of a lime is key here! Make sure to only zest the green part of the outer layer of lime. Once you start zesting the pith it gets bitter. 
• Lime juice — Again, I love the fresh lime juice in this pound cake and glaze. If you have the lime for zesting then just use the same lime for juicing. 
• Flour — All-purpose white flour is what you’ll need in this recipe. 
• Baking soda — Baking soda helps this coconut lime loaf rise. Make sure it’s not expired before using. 
• Powdered sugar — Powdered sugar is what makes the glaze so sweet and delicious. 
• Coconut extract — Not everyone has this in their spice cabinet, I realize. If you don’t have coconut extract, don’t worry, you can skip it. It just adds a little more coconut flavor to the glaze, but it’ll taste great without it too. 
• Heavy cream  — If you don’t have heavy cream, you can substitute half-and-half, or use other milk you have on hand. If you’re using milk the glaze may not be as thick.
• Salt – not pictured, but please don’t forget it add it in! It will help offset the sweetness and also enhance all the flavors of the cake.

Here’s How You Make It

Making this coconut lime pound cake couldn’t be easier. Just mix together the wet and dry ingredients, bake, and glaze!

1. First, turn the oven on to preheat at 325 degrees. Then, line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with wax paper or nonstick foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Next, get out a large bowl and cream together the sugar and butter until it’s light and fluffy. Then, add the Greek yogurt (or sour cream if substituting), the eggs, vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice and blend until smooth.
3. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix them all together just until combined (do not over-mix!). Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and put in the oven to bake for 55-75 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 
5. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
6. When the cake is cooled off, make the glaze (or make the glaze while the cake is cooling, but refrain from pouring over till the cake has cooled all the way). Use a hand or stand mixer to mix together the powdered sugar, lime juice, coconut extract, and heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk) until it’s smooth and pourable.
7. Once it’s pourable, tip the bowl over and pour the glaze over the cooled cake, using a rubber spatula to get it out of the bowl and also to spread the glaze evenly over the pound cake. 
8. Sprinkle the wet glaze with shredded coconut if you like a little extra coconut flavor and texture.

Expert Tips & Tricks

• Recipe makes one 4×8 or 5×9 inch loaf. You could also pour the batter into muffin tins for mini coconut lime muffins. 
• Store the coconut lime pound cake in an airtight container. Keep on the counter for up to 3 days, or up to 5 in the fridge. 
• If you’re going to freeze the cake, freeze it without the glaze, then make the glaze later when you’re ready to serve it and the cake has come up to room temperature.