Gluten-Free Lime & Coconut Loaf Cake

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This Gluten-Free Lime & Coconut Loaf Cake is a beautifully moist and zesty drizzle cake with a crunchy frosted coconut adornment.

this recipe

This kind of loaf cake is pretty much why I bake. There a few things more comforting and homely than a thick slice of moist sponge, bursting with deep fresh flavour, washed down with a cup of strong tea.

I have been making this Gluten-Free Lime & Coconut Loaf Cake for a few years now, for the cake stall and for my family and every time I serve it up anew I surprise myself with how much I adore it.

This Coconut Loaf Cake is actually a perfect between the seasons cake, bridging the gap between wintry citrus flavours and the brightness of fresh sunshine. The sponge is super coconutty with a slight chew from the desiccated coconut but also ultra citrusy from the lime zest and juice.

The gluten-free element of this Coconut Drizzle Cake is easy to navigate with no hard to purchase flours, just a simple gluten-free plain flour of your choice (I used Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour) and homemade almond paste, which is no big deal as it takes a couple of minutes to whizz up in the food processor. Warm out of the oven the cake is frosted with a crunchy coconut and lime drizzle and an optional adornment of fresh lime slices.

Ingredients needed

• White sugar. Caster sugar is great here which is a fine white baking sugar, but any white sugar will work.
• Limes. Organic and unwaxed if possible.
• Butter. Unsalted and at room temperature.
• Almonds. Raw whole unblanched almonds work well here but blanched are fine too.
• Golden syrup. You can substitute for honey.
• Vanilla extract. You can use a supermarket extract here if you like as it is just a background note, not the main flavour.
• Eggs. This recipe was tested with medium sized eggs, about 60g each. You can use the eggs by weight if you can't get hold of mediums.
• Gluten-free flour. This recipe was tested with Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour but you can use your favourite brand.
• Desiccated coconut. It infuses the flavour of the sponge and is used for the drizzle topping.
• Baking powder. For rise and a tender crumb.
• Salt. This recipe uses kosher salt. You can use sea salt but not table salt.

Pro tips

• Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before you begin, including the eggs.
• Cream the butter and sugar with the lime zest until fragrant and the butter and sugar is lovely and light, it takes about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
• Once the cake is baked and is turned out onto a cooling rack then poke holes in it with a cocktail stick so that when you spoon the drizzle topping over then it really soaks into the sponge.

Shop the recipe

2lb Loaf Tin

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Digital Weighing Scales

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Make in advance

The almond paste can be made up to 3 days in advance of making the rest of the cake.

How to store

This cake is best stored at room temperature in a cool dark place in an airtight tin.

More gluten-free cakes you'll love

• Whole Lemon Thyme Cake
• Rice Flour Madeira Cake
• Gluten-Free Banana Bread with Ground Almonds
• Chocolate Coconut Banana Bread
• Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle
• Chocolate Cherry Cake

I urge you to give this Gluten-Free Lime Coconut Loaf Cake a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

Gluten-Free Lime & Coconut Loaf Cake

Georgina Hartley

A beautifully moist and zesty Lime and Coconut Loaf Cake with a crunchy frosted coconut adornment.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Cake

Cuisine British

Servings 12

Calories 475 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 225 g caster sugar
• ▢ Zest of 4 limes - plus one extra lime for decoration
• ▢ 225 g unsalted butter - room temperature
• ▢ 110 g almonds - raw, whole, unblanched
• ▢ 110 g caster sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ juice of 1 lime
• ▢ 1 egg white - medium size, 60g
• ▢ 5 eggs - medium size, 60g
• ▢ 115 g gluten-free flour
• ▢ 75 g desiccated coconut
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Drizzle

• ▢ Juice of 3 limes
• ▢ 40 g desiccated coconut
• ▢ 170 g granulated sugar

Instructions

 

• Line and grease a 9 inch loaf tin (2lb loaf tin) and pre-heat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 4.
• Mix the caster sugar with the lime zest until fragrant.
• Beat the butter into the sugar for about 5 minutes until light and creamy, using either a stand mixer or an electric beater. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
• Make the almond paste by whizzing up the almonds in a food processor with the caster sugar until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the golden syrup, vanilla extract, lime juice and egg white and whizz again until well combined and a thick paste has formed.
• Add the almond paste to the creamed butter and sugar and mix together.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Whisk together the gluten-free flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl then add to the rest of the batter. Beat well until fully combined.
• Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake for 60 minutes or until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly in the tin whilst you prepare the drizzle.
• Mix the lime juice, desiccated coconut and granulated sugar together.
• Turn the cake out of the tin and turn the right way up. Poke holes all over the surface using a cocktail stick, then pour the drizzle over.
• Cool completely before serving, slicing a fresh lime to decorate the top of the cake.

Notes

Gluten-Free Flour. You can use any brand of gluten-free flour. This recipe was tested with Doves Farm Plain Gluten-Free Flour.

Ingredient Substitutions

Golden syrup. Can be swapped out for honey

Limes. Can be switched for lemon

Make Ahead

The almond paste can be made up to 3 days in advance of making the rest of the cake.

Store

This cake is best stored at room temperature in a cool dark place in an airtight tin.

Freeze

Allow the cake to cool completely then double wrap in plastic wrap and aluminium foil to ensure no freezer spoilage. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Allow to defrost completely at room temperature before unwrapping and serving.

Ingredient measurements

Please note that the US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results.

READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups 

Nutrition Information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the cake is cut into 12 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 475kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 6gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 4gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 568IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 1mg

Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!