Lime Coconut Poppy Seeds Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Glaze
A Simple Comeback
Oh boy! What a break did I just have! What started as a little holiday break was extended by a terrible cold that began with me and ended up with my daughter when I was just getting rid of it. And to stretch it more, an earthquake hit our island, leaving us without power and with a collective fear that endure for the next several days. As you can imagine, I needed to kick-off the year with a delicious recipe that will make our hearts smile. This lime coconut poppy seeds cake was absolutely perfect for that, full of lime and coconut notes. And the whipped cream cheese frosting is soooo fluffy and sweet, it’s simple the best part of this cake!
I always like to start the year with a recipe that reflects how I’m feeling the New Year will be. If last year about the same time I was telling you about how I was seeing everything bright and sunny, this year is all about simplicity. I’m finally getting in touch with my inner Marie Kondo and I’m craving more simple, curated and intentional recipes. And that will be as far as tidying up I’m for to now. Haven’t reached that point with my props table yet, but there’s still hope for that this year : )
That’s exactly what this lime coconut loaf cake. It’s simple, lemony and with all the goodness of coconut milk and coconut oil. I really don't know if this will be better for breakfast, for a midday bite with tea or coffee or as a sweet treat to end the day.
Since we are starting the year, a time when we want to indulge in a more health-ish way, I used just coconut oil as the main source of fat, so the texture is denser that cakes made with butter or vegetable oil. The real indulgence here is the sweet and tart whipped cream cheese glaze. It’s tangy, sweet and limey. So, so good!!! And the poppy seeds add a bit of crunch on every bite too, making this cake impossible to resist.
I really hope you had a fantastic start of the year! I’m planning on bringing new things to the blog so would love to hear your thoughts. What recipes would you like to see more here? What cooking topics do you want me to talk about? Would you like to receive a newsletter to let you know there are new recipes on the blog? Please let me know on the comment section below. Would really love to hear you thought guys!!!
Recipe notes
You can easily cut this recipe by half if you want to make just one small cake. Just use ½ cup of coconut milk.
To bring your eggs to room temperature faster, put them in a bowl with very hot tap water for 5 minutes.
Lime Coconut Poppy Seeds Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
Lime Coconut Poppy Seeds Cake
◯ Coconut milk – ¾ cup
◯ Freshly squeezed lime juice – ¼ cup + ½ cup
◯ Fine lime zest - about 2 Tsp, the zest of 2 limes
◯ Unbleached flour – 3 cups
◯ Baking soda – ½ Tsp
◯ Baking powder – ½ Tsp
◯ Raw sugar – 2 ½ cup + ¾ cup
◯ Organic free-range eggs, at room temperature – 2
◯ Vegetable oil, melted – 8 oz (you may use coconut oil, but texture will be a bit denser)
◯ Organic plain Greek yogurt – 4 oz (you may use sour cream too)
◯ Poppy seeds – 2 TBSP
Whipped Cream Cheese Glaze
◯ Cream cheese, very softened – 12 oz (1½ box)
◯ Confectioner’s sugar – 1 cup
◯ Lime zest – 1 Tsp
◯ Lime juice – 1 TBSP
◯ Vanilla extract (optional) – A few drops
◯ Extra poppy seeds and lime zest to decorate
Details
Yield:
2 loaf cakes or 1 loaf cake plus 10 cupcakes
Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes
Active time:
30 minutes
Equipment:
mixer, loaf pan, a second loaf pan or cupcake pan, grater to zest limes, spatula
Steps
To make the lime coconut poppy seeds cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare you pans by either greasing with butter, spraying with baking spray or lining two 8" x 4 1/2" x 2 3/4" high loaf pan or one loaf pan and a cupcake pan.
In a large glass measuring cup or medium bowl mix the coconut milk with ¼ cup of the lime juice and lime zest.
Using a hand whisk combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and the 2 ½ cups of sugar in a large bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl to be used with a handheld electric mixer, mix in slow speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid) the eggs until foamy and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the oil and yogurt and mix just until combined, about 20 seconds. Decrease speed to the lowest and through the pouring shield lid (if using) add about ⅓ of the flour, pouring immediately about half of coconut milk mixture. Repeat this process, ending with the last ⅓ of flour. Add the poppy seeds and mix a few seconds more, just until the poppy seeds are combined. Remove bowl from stand mixer, if using, and with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula barely mix from the bottom up just to make sure all the flour is well incorporated.
Pour batter over prepared pans. Place them in the oven (if both fit) and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top looks golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean after you insert it through the center.
Take the cakes out of the oven and wait about 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Using a long toothpick poke some holes through the surface of the cake.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup of lime juice and the remaining ½ cup of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Using a spoon or pastry brush pour the lime juice syrup through the top of the cakes, making sure it’s going through the holes.
Let the cakes cool before spreading the whipped cream cheese glaze.
To make the whipped cream cheese glaze:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large glass or metal bowl to be used with a handheld mixer with the whisk attached whisk in medium speed the cream cheese until very light and fluffy, about three minutes.
Decrease speed to slow and add in increments the powdered sugar. Add lime zest, lime juice and vanilla (if using) and keep mixing for 2 minutes, increasing the speed to medium for intervals of seconds to make the glaze fluffy.
Spread glaze over cakes. Sprinkle some extra poppy seeds and lime zest on top if desired for decoration. Cake will be good for between 3 to 4 days if stored in a cool dry place.
