I call this Coconut Lemon Cake four layers of deliciousness. It combines two of my favorite flavors and memories from Mama’s kitchen. Mama made a Lemon Cheesecake that marries a tart lemon curd filling with her buttery, satisfying layers. And she made a Coconut Cake that would make you say, “Oh, Mama!” and cry when only the crumbs were left. I have combined these two cakes for a luscious spring and summer dessert—silky, tangy, light and fresh. Word of happy caution: It’s best to make it ahead of time, and the longer it sits in the fridge—the better it gets. Word of sad caution: The cake is so good that it usually doesn’t last that long!
For the cake:
1 box of White Cake Mix mixed according to package directions. I divided the batter into four 8” pans and baked for 18 minutes. Remove from the pans and completely cool.
For the Lemon Cheese filling:
(Don’t ask me why they called it “cheese.” It’s basically lemon curd.)
- 2 whole eggs
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup of water
- 1 cup sugar
Put these ingredients in the top of a double boiler and cook until slightly thickened.
Then add the juice of 3 lemons and 2 Tablespoons of butter and stir until mixed.
Cool this mixture. It will go between the layers.
For the Coconut Icing:
8 ounces of sour cream
1 bag of sweetened coconut
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 small container of Cool Whip or your favorite dessert topping
Stir all these ingredients together and refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
For assembling:
Spread a layer of the lemon filling on the first cake layer and follow with the coconut icing on top of that. Repeat this process for layers two and three. For the fourth layer, only spread the lemon filling on top.
Then ice the sides with the rest of the coconut icing. I like to put a curl of lemon rind on top for decoration. This cake is actually better if you make it a day or two ahead. Keep this cake refrigerated, and the longer it stays the better it is. The problem is that it doesn’t seem to last very long.
Enjoy,
Phyllis
