You’re going to fall in love with this buttery, moist, tangy lemon and coconut old-fashioned pound cake. It’s super easy to make and addictively delicious!

Coconut cake recipe loaf cut into slices

The Best Lemon Coconut Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I LOVE baking with lemon and coconut! Just check out my recipes for coconut cake with cream cheese frosting, coconut tres leches cake, lemon and berry coffee cake, the best party cake, and lemon poppyseed cake.

And while I love all these cakes, this simple lemon and coconut pound cake might be my new favorite! The recipe is based on a traditional coconut loaf cake. But I’ve swapped out the milk in the recipe and used coconut cream instead to amp up the yummy coconut flavor. And I’ve added a sweet and tangy lemon glaze and topped the cake with lots of shredded sweetened coconut.

This beauty is a perfect, no-fuss pound cake for all your springtime celebrations like Easter and Mother’s Day.

old fashioned pound cake

The Ingredients You’ll Need

This old-fashioned recipe is super simple. No fancy techniques or ingredients are required. Here’s what you’ll need.

  • ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
  • SUGAR: I used granulated for the cake and confectioners’ for the glaze.
  • EGGS
  • UNSALTED BUTTER
  • SWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT
  • FFRESH LEMON JUICE & ZEST: The zest goes into the cake and the juice is used in the glaze.
  • PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
  • COCONUT CREAM: I used unsweetened coconut cream in the recipe. Not coconut milk or water. For more details, see the note below
  • BAKING POWDER
  • SALT

SHOP THE POST

lemon coconut cake

How to Make this Lemon Coconut Pound Cake

Ready to start baking? Here’s the plan for making this old-fashioned pound cake (get the full recipe in the recipe card below).

  • PREP: Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Make sure to leave an overhang of a few inches of parchment paper on each side so you can easily lift the baked cake from the pan.
  • CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR: Using a stand or electric mixer at medium speed, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy and light yellow in color.
  • ADD THE EGGS: Slowly mix in the eggs one at a time and beat until just combined.
  • MIX IN COCONUT CREAM, VANILLA, AND ZEST: Next, add the coconut cream, the vanilla extract, and the lemon zest.
  • COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients.
  • SPOON IN THE COCONUT: Fold in the shredded coconut. I used sweetened coconut but you can use unsweetened if you prefer.
  • BAKE: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is cooked through and starting to pulling away from the edges of the pan, about 55-65 minutes.
  • COOL, GLAZE, AND SERVE: Let the lemon coconut pound cake cool completely before adding the glaze. If you don’t, the warm cake will absorb your glaze.
Lemon Coconut old fashioned pound Cake Loaf Sliced

A Few More Recipe Tips:

Here are a few more ways to ensure your old-fashioned pound cake turns out perfect every time!

  • COCONUT CREAM: If you’ve never baked with coconut cream before, here’s the deal. Coconut cream is a thicker, richer version of coconut milk (not to be confused with coconut water). You can buy canned unsweetened coconut cream at most grocery stores. Or you can also scoop it out of a can of coconut milk — it’s the semi-solid cream that’s separated from the watery milk.
  • THE COCONUT: I used shredded, sweetened coconut. Also, when measuring, I gently spooned the coconut into a measuring cup. You don’t need to pack it in like brown sugar.
  • THE GLAZE: Just a reminder to make sure your cake is fully cooled before adding the glaze. If not, the glaze will melt and it will either slide off the cake or be absorbed by it. Also, give the glazed cake about 30 minutes to set before slicing.
  • STORAGE: You can store any leftover cake (if you have any!) in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. You can also freeze an unfrosted loaf for up to 3 months. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and seal it in a plastic bag. When ready to eat, defrost the cake in the refrigerator overnight or unwrap it and allow it to sit at room temperature until it’s defrosted and ready to serve.

If you like all things coconut, try these recipes too!

COCONUT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
THE PERFECT PARTY CAKE {WITH LEMON AND COCONUT}
COCONUT TRES LECHES CAKE WITH RUM WHIPPED CREAM
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Lemon Coconut Cake

Lemon Coconut Old-Fashioned Pound Cake

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5 from 2 reviews

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Description

You’re going to fall in love with this buttery, tangy lemon and coconut old-fashioned pound cake. It’s super easy to make and addictively delicious! Perfect for a spring celebration like Easter and Mother’s Day.

Ingredients

Units Scale

FOR THE CAKE: 

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut cream (not coconut milk or water!)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons coconut cream, coconut milk, or whole milk
  • 1/4 cup of shredded sweetened coconut

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE: 

  1. PREP: Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Make sure to leave an overhang of a few inches of parchment paper on each side so you can easily lift the baked cake from the pan.
  2. CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGAR: Using a stand or electric mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until it is light and fluffy. 
  3. ADD THE EGGS: Mix in the eggs and beat until combined.
  4. MIX IN THE COCONUT CREAM, VANILLA, AND ZEST: Next, add the coconut cream (or milk if using), the vanilla extract, and the lemon zest.
  5. COMBINE THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix.
  6. FOLD IN THE COCONUT: Mix in the shredded coconut. I used sweetened coconut but you can use unsweetened if you prefer.
  7. BAKE: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden brown, cooked through, and starting to pulling away from the edges of the pan, about 55-65 minutes.
  8. COOL, GLAZE, AND SERVE: Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10  minutes before removing the cake by lifting it out of the pan with the parchment paper overhangs and moving it to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. When the cake is cooled, spoon the glaze over the cake and then sprinkle it with the coconut. If you try to add the glaze before the cake is cooled, it will melt and either slide off the cake or be absorbed by it. Wait at least 30 minutes after glazing the cake before serving to allow it time to set. 

FOR THE GLAZE:

  1. Mix together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and coconut cream or milk. You want a thick but pourable glaze. If you need it to be thicker, add more sugar. If you need it thinner, add more coconut milk or whole milk. You can also add a little water.

Notes

  • COCONUT CREAM: If you’ve never baked with coconut cream before, here’s the deal. Coconut cream is a thicker, richer version of coconut milk (not to be confused with coconut water). You can buy canned unsweetened coconut cream at most grocery stores. Or you can also scoop it out of a can of coconut milk  — it’s the semi-solid cream that’s separated from the watery milk. 
  • STORAGE: You can store any leftover cake (if you have any!) in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. You can also freeze an unfrosted loaf for up to 3 months. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and seal it in a plastic bag. When ready to eat, defrost the cake in the refrigerator overnight or unwrap it and allow it to sit at room temperature until it’s defrosted and ready to serve.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 444
  • Sugar: 49 g
  • Sodium: 109.5 mg
  • Fat: 17 g
  • Carbohydrates: 70.3 g
  • Fiber: 1.3 g
  • Protein: 4.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 61.7 mg

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9 Comments on Lemon Coconut Old Fashioned Pound Cake

  1. Hello all,
    I made this cake exactly as directed and it turned out really dense and hard. Tasty but not what I was looking for. Too much flour? Not enough liquid? I am going to make it again and use cake flour (much less), lemon ice and baking soda.

    Reply

    • Hi Katherine, I am so sorry to hear this cake didn’t work for you!! It is a pound cake, so it is a little denser in texture than a sponge or layer cake. But it should not have been hard!!! While I am not sure what happened, I can suggest a few things that you might consider. First, make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you make the cake. And also, that you cream the butter and sugar at a medium speed until nice and fluffy and light yellow in color. Both of these steps really help ensure you get the proper texture of your baked goods. I would also check to make sure your baking powder is fresh and still active. If you make it again, make sure to let me know how it turns out!

      Reply

  3. hi Laura,
    this cake looks so good and I have so many beautiful lemons on my tree in the garden.
    is it possible to get the recipe in the metric way?
    thanks a lot
    Nava

    Reply

    • Hi Nava,
      I haven’t tested this recipe by measuring everything (sorry!). But in general, here are the basic conversions:

      1 cup sugar = 200 g
      1 stick butter = 113 g
      1/2 cup coconut cream = 90 g
      2 cups flour = 260 g
      1 cup shredded coconut = 90 g
      2 cups icing sugar = 260 g
      1/4 cup shredded coconut = 22 g

      Let me know if you try it!

      Reply

  5. The flavor was amazing! Unfortunately I used “creamed coconut” thinking that was the same thing you were talking about, but my loaf was dry and dense (the creamed coconut was really hard, and I should have known right away it didn’t belong in this cake). I’ve since found the brand Thai Kitchen and Coco Lopez that are available at my grocery store, and will be trying this again with the right version of coconut cream. This really is absolutely delightful, and I can’t wait to make it over and over again this spring/summer 🙂



    Reply

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