Lemon Coconut Vanilla Sheet Cake

Written by on in Desserts

I cannot believe this is my one-hundredth post on my food blog! To celebrate the occasion, I decided to throw a dinner party and cook this cake. I know I know. It is a risky move to serve something you have never tried at an event, but I read the title of this one and knew I had to make it.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have been supportive of this hobby and the best taste testers!

This recipe is from the Half Baked Harvest Blog.

 

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 cup melted Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 3 large Eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
  • 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
  • 2/3 cup Milk
  • 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Coconut Lemon Topping

  • 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
  • 1/3 cup Honey
  • 1 1/2 cups Toasted Coconut

Frosting

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 sticks Salted Butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2-3 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 ounces Freeze-Dried Strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
    • I chose Strawberries

 

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, sour cream, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, then slowly beat in the milk until fully combined
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool.
  4. To make the topping. In a small saucepan bring the lemon juice and honey to a boil over high heat. Boil 1-2 minutes, until just slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut. Evenly spoon the syrup over the cake, then let cool.
  5. To make the frosting: In a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese until whipped. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Frost the cake all over. If you want to decorate it, read below! I just topped it all with the icing.

 

Notes:

Decorating:  If desired, you can pulse the freeze-dried berries into a fine powder, then divide the frosting between 2-3 bowls and stir in the dried berries to create lighter and darker shades of pink. Frost the cake all over with both shades, or spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I use a 1M Wilton tip), then frost.