Coconut + Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

A lemon and poppy seed cake is a classic, and honestly is one of my favourite cakes.

I don’t know if it’s because I just love the way it looks because of the poppy seeds, or if it’s the fluffy texture of the sponge, but I just love it! Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a huge chocolate lover, I mean, who doesn’t love a chocolate beet cake or a fudge-y brownie? But I definitely think there is room in this world for this cake. Especially with the heavenly addiction of coconut and strawberries!

Strawberry, Coconut, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Ahhh this cake.

What can I say? I’d like my pillows to made of this from now on. Imagine what amazing sleep I’d get?

That’s because this coconut and lemon poppy seed cake is deliciously moist, light and fluffy, with an amazing texture form the desiccated coconut. It’s anything I could ever want from a cake, really.

Oh and I just love the beautiful speckled look that the poppy seeds give to the cake, and their nuttiness goes perfectly with the sweet tang of the lemons. Add some fresh and freeze dried strawberries and you’ve got yourself a partaaay!

Strawberry, Coconut, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I made a whipped coconut cream to use as frosting, as I love the almost tropical flavour it brings to this cake, and just makes it that much more interesting. It just all ties together so beautifully, making this lemon poppy seed cake anything but boring – because no one, and I repeat, no one, likes a boring cake.

Strawberry, Coconut, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Did you know that baking is actually super calming? There is something so peaceful about measuring some simple ingredients and getting something beautiful and delicious out of it. It can definitely turn a simple afternoon into something special.

So come on, grab your apron, pull out the (gluten free) flours, and lets get baking!

Strawberry, Coconut, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Strawberry, Coconut, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
 
A deliciously moist and fluffy coconut and lemon poppy seed cake, frosted with a delicious coconut whipped cream and filled fresh strawberries. Quite the show-stopper cake!
Author:
Recipe type: Gluten Free, Healthy, Dessert,
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
For the Cake
  • 50g coconut flour
  • 330g almond flour
  • 90g coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 30g desiccated coconut
  • 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 3 eggs or 3 chia eggs*
  • 2 lemons, juiced and zested (I used meyer lemons)
  • 250ml nut milk (almond or coconut are best)
  • 60ml coconut yoghurt
  • 125ml melted coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
  • Pinch of pink himalayan or sea salt
For the Frosting
  • 2 cans of coconut cream or milk, refrigerated for at least 12 hours**
  • 20g freeze dried strawberries, crushed into a coarse powder
  • ½ tablespoon coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
  • Punnet fresh strawberries, to scatter
Instructions
Make the Cake
  1. Preheat your oven to 175ºC/350ºF and cut two circles out of the baking paper and line the bottom of two 218-20cm round tins and lightly grease the sides with coconut oil.
  2. Sift the flours, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl and add the desiccated coconut, coconut sugar, and poppy seeds.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and then add in the remaining ingredients. Gently pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
  4. Split the batter evenly into the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  5. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from the tin.
Make the Frosting
  1. While your cake cools, make your frosting.
  2. Open your cans of without shaking and remove the coconut cream, reserving the coconut water for later use (I love adding it to smoothies!). The coconut cream is the white hard part that should have formed on top of your can.
  3. Add to a bowl or food processor alone with the coconut sugar, vanilla, and freeze dries strawberries and beat until it resembles whipped cream and has peaks.
Assemble
  1. Add half of your whipped coconut cream on top of one of the cakes and scatter the fresh strawberries. Gently place the other cake on top and frost with the remaining coconut cream.
  2. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
*VEGAN - combine 3 tablespoons chia seeds with 180ml water and set in the fridge for 10 minutes, until it becomes a gel. This will result in a slightly denser cake, but it will still be delicious!

**Make sure your coconut cream has do additives or preservatives, as that can affect how well it separates and whips.

Keep any leftover cake in the fridge - if there is any!
Strawberry, Coconut, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

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