Lime Coconut Cake and a Giveaway!

My life has gotten crazy busy. Between my job at the farmers market, baking for the farmers market, the garden, the chickens, landscaping for my parent’s business, I haven’t had any time to bake what I wanted.

Which totally stinks because I have SO much stuff on my to-bake list. I’ve had to start scheduling my baking on a calendar. It’s crazy.



But I do enjoy the being busy, I absolutely love my new job, it’s like a dream. The people are so sweet and it’s so great to have that sense of community.



So I’m happy, just busy. Today when I got home from work, I was sweaty, tired and unmotivated, but I wanted, needed to bake. I looked through the recipes I had printed off and bookmarked to see what would be the easiest and tastiest. I decided on this key lime coconut cake from smitten kitchen. I had all the ingredients, plus I really wanted to use my new microplane grater. Sad, but true. I LOVE this thing. It’s amazing. It zests so quickly and so completely. I’ll never go back to another grater/zester.



I love it so much I want to give you one! I’m giving away 1 microplane zester to a lucky commenter that I’ll choose randomly through random.org.

What to do to enter:
Enter once by leaving a comment on this post and a way to contact you if you don't have a blog.
Enter a second time by twittering about the giveaway to @honeyandjam AND leaving a ANOTHER comment on this post.
Enter another time by posting about this giveaway on your blog AND leaving ANOTHER comment on this post.

No entires after 10 pm EST this Saturday, June 20th.

I’ll select one winner through random.org next Sunday.

Anyway, back to the cake. It was DELICIOUS. Oh my word. One of the best things I’ve made in a while. So moist and fluffy and flavorful. You should definitely make it. And soon.



Key Lime Coconut Cake
Gourmet, March 2009 via Smitten Kitchen

I didn’t have key limes, so I used regular limes and they worked perfectly.
Serves 8.

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated Key lime zest
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour (or just add 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to all purpose.)
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice, divided
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon rum (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter an 8- by 8-inch square or 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Toast coconut in a small baking pan in oven, stirring once or twice, until golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool. Leave oven on.

Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir together flour and 1/2 cup coconut (reserve remainder for topping). Stir together milk and 2 tablespoons lime juice. At low speed, mix flour and milk mixtures into egg mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour.

Spoon batter into pan and smooth top. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool to warm, then turn out of pan and discard parchment.

Whisk together confectioners sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and rum (if using, if not use milk) and pour over cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.