Nonna’s Birthday Cake.

She no longer likes chocolate – go figure – but still really like coconut, so here we go!

Lemon Coconut Cake

  • 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup plain yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour a 10″ tube pan.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir in the coconut and lemon zest.

Cream butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice.  Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the yogurt and mix briefly on low speed until incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix on medium speed until the batter is smooth.

Scrape into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.

For glaze:

Combine 1/44 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Boil one minute. Remove from heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Place the cake pan on a rack. Poke all over with a skewer and pour syrup over.

Cool and serve.

This is a really simple and really tender cake. Have fun with it!