Lemon Coconut Cakes with Freekeh Flour
Flavoursome cakes with zesty notes and a background hit of coconut. A mix of cream and lemon curd with some grated chocolate completes the picture, making them perfect for an afternoon tea party. If you don’t add the cream or lemon curd topping, these lemon coconut cakes become dairy-free.
My metaphorical pantry is brimming with a bounty of lemons, some coconut oil and a big bag of freekeh flour. So, it wasn’t long before I thought some kind of coconutty lemon freekeh cakes were in order.
Freekeh Flour
Freekeh is a commonly eaten form of wheat in Egypt. It’s made by harvesting the grains when young and green. They are then roasted and dried in the sun. Those in the know reckon it’s particularly nutritious with a low glycemic index. It has a particularly pleasant nutty scent and flavour and a lovely golden hue to it.
I was really excited when I finally got my hands on some and couldn’t wait to try it. So far, I’ve used my stash to make healthier brownies with cashew nut butter, a grapefruit and honey almond cake and these spelt and freekeh apricot buns.
You don’t have to use the freekeh flour, but I do recommend it. It gives a lovely light texture. If you can’t get hold of any, however, swap it for wholemeal spelt flour or even ordinary wholemeal.
Lemon Coconut Cakes
I happened to have a Waitrose recipe card lying about for coconut lemon cupcakes which I was keen to adapt. This had caught my attention because it used coconut cream in the mix, something which appealed to me.
Sadly, I didn’t have any coconut cream, but I did have a block of creamed coconut, so I thought I’d give that a try instead. I also decided to use coconut oil rather than margarine, which would make these cakes dairy free.
Then I went and spoilt it with a creamy lemon curd topping. If you want to keep these lemon coconut cakes dairy free, use coconut cream for the topping instead. Needless to say, I used my own homemade lemon curd.
I also added a little cardamom into the equation by using cardamom sugar and topping the cakes with Seed and Bean’s lemon and cardamom dark chocolate. To be honest it was a bit of an odd recipe and I adapted it so completely in terms of both quantities and ingredients, it bares little resemblance to the original.
These lemon coconut cakes are amongst some of the best I’ve made. They are oh so flavoursome, with zesty citrus notes and a background hit of coconut. They also have a lovely texture, being both light and moist. The zingy lemon curd cream is delicious in itself and the lemon cardamom chocolate enhanced everything – literally the icing on the cake.
Other Coconut Recipes You Might Like
- Banana flapjacks with coconut & white chocolate
- Chocolate cornflake crunch bars
- Coconut & lime drizzle cake
- Coconut milk layer cake
- Jam coconut slice
- Tropical brownies
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these lemon coconut cakes, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Lemon Coconut Cakes. PIN IT.
Lemon Coconut Cakes with Freekeh Flour
Ingredients
- 125 g creamed coconut
- 100 g coconut oil
- 200 g golden caster sugar (I use cardamom sugar).
- 2 lemons
- 3 large eggs (I use duck eggs)
- 200 g freekeh flour or wholemeal spelt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 25 g desiccated coconut + extra for sprinkling
- 100 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 2 tbsp lemon curd (I used homemade)
- 20 g dark chocolate flaked (I used Seed and Bean lemon and cardamom chocolate.
Instructions
- Warm the creamed coconut and coconut oil to soften them, but don't let them melt – I placed mine in a bowl over the heater.125 g creamed coconut, 100 g coconut oil
- Cream them together with the sugar and the zest from one of the lemons.200 g golden caster sugar
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.3 large eggs
- Sift in the dry ingredients, then fold in together with the coconut and the juice from both lemons.200 g freekeh flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 25 g desiccated coconut
- Spoon into 12 muffin cases.
- Bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 17 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks, then fold in the lemon curd.100 ml double cream (heavy cream), 2 tbsp lemon curd
- When the cakes have cooled, make a slash down the centre and spoon in some of the lemon cream.
- Top with a sprinkling of flaked chocolate and a little desiccated coconut.20 g dark chocolate
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sending these coconut lemon cakes off to Janice at Farmersgirl Kitchen. She has a new challenge, #RecipeClippings.
They also go to Jac over at Tinned Tomatoes for Bookmarked Recipes.
Oh Choclette, these look gorgeous! Some of my favourite flavours in one little cake 🙂
Janie x
Yes and dairy free too Jane – as long as you don’t top them with cream that is 😉
Loving the combination of flavours here. That cardamom has snuck in again! Nice! I use a lot of coconut cream, but because it is difficult to get hold of, when I do see it, I always grab a few little cans to have at the ready!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen coconut cream in a tin Kate, will have to look out for it.
I have never heard of Freekah flour, sounds interesting. I love lemon and coconut, a match made in heaven. Delicious recipe Choclette x
Thanks Alida, coconut and lime is also a good one.
Never heard of Freekah flour, it sounds lovely. Loving the look of the cakes, love lemon
Thanks Alison. it’s not commonly available yet, but I’m sure it will be.
I love lemon and cardamom chocolate! This all looks like it works so well together, thanks 🙂 I wonder if you can get vegan lemon curd for the topping? Maybe i could invent it?!…
Ah, I think you have set yourself a challenge – I expect vegan lemon curd would be very popular – maybe with silken tofu???
You always have interesting bakes on your blog! I love it!! Lemon and Coconut sound like a great combination, might have to try putting them together myself sometime!! Yum!!
Lemon and coconut works really well Lisa as does lime and coconut – I’ve got a very nice recipe for that one my blog somewhere.
These look lovely little cakes. Great flavour combo. I have a feeling Freekah flour is going to be the next supergrain to use. Shame its still wheaty
Thanks Katie. Yes, it’s sadly not much good to you 🙁
It has lemon, coconut, duck eggs and freekah flour. How to whet my appetite.
I do my best Bintu 😉
sounds delicious. I love the flavour of freekeh grain and not tried it as a flour. I have done some cooking with quinoa flour and enjoy trying out different grains.
Yes, I’ve tried lots of flours too Nazima. I really like this one, but although we’ve been eating and enjoying quinoa for more years than I care to remember, I didn’t get on with the flour.
They look so very yum! Never heard of Freekah flour myself.
No, I think it’s just starting to get noticed Shazza.
This looks and sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing x
Thank you Stephanie 🙂
mmmm lemon and coconut and the fresh fruit makes a huge difference. I bet the batter for these cakes had the MOST incredible aroma. They would have reminded me of my childhood and mum baking cakes. I think I would have eaten more batter than cakes!.. Lovely! x
Haha, thanks Dom. Eating the batter is often the best bit I find 😉
I have never heard of Freekah flour so am really interested to know how it tastes.These cakes look delicious.
Thanks Nayna, it has a very fresh and slightly nutty taste. I really like it.
These sound so lovely – a perfect afternoon tea pick – me – up! Is freekah gluten free?
No Emma, it’s not gluten free. It’s still wheat, but harvested green. It’s meant to be healthier than other wheat grains with less carbs and a lower GI.
They look scrumptious! Is creamed coconut same as coconut cream?
No Angie, it’s different and it used to be much more common. It’s a solid block of compressed coconut.
They look and sound fantastic, thanks for joining me for #RecipeClippings
Thanks Janice, glad to be part of it.