Coconut Lime Poke Cake
Moist and fluffy coconut cake, homemade lime curd, creamy coconutty topping, and toasted flakes of coconut--this Coconut Lime Poke Cake is the perfect dessert to welcome spring OR summer!
Ingredients
Lime Curd:
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup lime juice
- 3 Tablespoons lime zest
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces
Coconut Cake:
- 1 (15.25 oz) box white cake mix
- 1 (3.4 oz) box instant coconut pudding mix
- 4 egg whites
- ⅔ cup milk
- ⅓ cup cream of coconut*
- ⅔ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of salt
Coconut Topping:
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup cream of coconut
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (3.4 oz) box instant coconut cream pudding mix
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
- ½ cup shredded coconut, toasted
Instructions
Make the Lime Curd:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar together until just combined. Whisk in the lime juice, zest, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 4-8 minutes minutes.
- Immediately strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium-size bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF; spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir all of the cake ingredients together until smooth; batter will be thick. Pour the batter evenly into the baking dish, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few crumbs attached. Allow to cool for 1 hour.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke even rows of holes into the cake that are about an inch apart.
- Place a third of the lime curd into a ziplock bag and cut the tip off. Fill each poked hole with the lime curd, then spread the rest of the curd evenly on top.
Make the Topping:
- In the cold bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to another bowl and return bowl to mixer.
- Switch the whisk attachment out for the paddle attachment, and beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the cream of coconut and mix until creamy. Gradually stir in the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once all milk has been added, switch to whisk attachment and add pudding mix and coconut extract. Whisk on high for 2 minutes, or until mixture is smooth and thickened.
- Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Remove bowl from mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the rest of the whipped cream into the mixture.
- Drop spoonfuls of the topping evenly over the cake, then spread with an offset spatula or butterknife. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle the entire cake with toasted coconut. Cake will stay fresh covered in the refrigerator for up to one week
Notes
*Cream of coconut is usually found near the alcoholic beverages in the grocery store. You can also substitute it for canned coconut milk, however it won't offer the sweetness of cream of coconut.