Tropical Key Lime Coconut Bundt

This Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake is bursting with tropical island flavors, making it a perfectly refreshing dessert for spring and summer gatherings!

This Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake isn’t just a dessert; it’s a celebration of bright, invigorating flavors that perfectly capture the essence of spring and summer. Its irresistible combination of zesty key lime and sweet, aromatic coconut offers a delightful contrast that awakens the palate. It’s ideal for festive gatherings, a refreshing end to a family meal, or simply as a special treat to brighten any day. Get ready to experience a taste of the tropics!

Why This Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake is a Must-Bake

Choosing a bundt cake for this tropical creation was no accident. Bundt cakes offer a unique combination of ease, beauty, and consistent deliciousness that makes them a favorite among home bakers.

Effortless Elegance and Perfect Texture

Bundt cakes are inherently simple to master, yet they always appear incredibly impressive. Their distinctive fluted designs eliminate the need for elaborate frosting techniques, allowing the cake’s natural beauty to shine through. With minimal effort, you achieve a dessert that looks sophisticated and professionally made.

One of the hallmarks of a great bundt cake is its perfect texture: a beautifully golden-brown crust on the outside and an incredibly moist interior. This recipe is designed to deliver exactly that. The dense yet tender crumb absorbs the flavors wonderfully, ensuring every bite is a delight.

Furthermore, the opportunity to use a new bundt pan, specifically a Nordic Ware Swirl Bundt Pan, added to the excitement. The intricate design promised to transform a simple batter into a work of art, making the baking process even more enjoyable and the final presentation truly spectacular.

A Symphony of Tropical Flavors

What truly sets this bundt cake apart is its exquisite flavor profile. It masterfully balances sweetness with the refreshing tang of key lime. The key lime flavor is pronounced enough to delight citrus lovers, yet it remains wonderfully balanced, never becoming overpowering. This bright, zesty note harmonizes perfectly with the subtle sweetness and unique texture of coconut, creating a truly memorable tropical taste sensation. It’s a dessert that not only satisfies your sweet tooth but also brightens your spirits, making it an ideal choice for any spring or summer gathering.

Key Ingredients for Your Tropical Bundt Cake Masterpiece

Creating this irresistible Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake relies on a precise combination of fresh, high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in achieving the cake’s exceptional flavor, moist texture, and delightful aroma. Understanding the purpose of each ingredient will help you bake with confidence and ensure perfect results every time.

• All-Purpose Flour: The structural backbone of our cake. Sifting the flour before mixing is an important step to ensure a light, airy crumb, preventing the cake from becoming dense.
• Baking Powder: Our primary leavening agent. It reacts with the acidic ingredients (like buttermilk) to create carbon dioxide bubbles, which gives the cake its lift and tender texture. I consistently use Clabber Girl Baking Powder for its reliable performance.
• Salt: While seemingly small, salt is indispensable. It balances the sweetness of the sugar and enhances all the other flavors, making the lime and coconut notes truly pop.
• Unsalted Butter: The foundation for richness and moisture. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the overall salt content of the cake. Ensuring it’s at room temperature is crucial for proper creaming with sugar, which incorporates air and creates a finer crumb.
• Granulated Sugar: Provides essential sweetness and contributes to the cake’s tender texture by interfering with gluten development.
• Large Eggs: Added for structure, richness, and binding the ingredients together. Like butter, eggs should be at room temperature for optimal emulsification, resulting in a smoother, more uniform batter.
• Vanilla Extract: A classic flavor enhancer that beautifully complements and rounds out the zesty lime and sweet coconut profiles.
• Lime Juice and Zest: The stars of the show! The zest, containing aromatic oils, delivers an intense, bright lime fragrance, while the juice provides that characteristic tartness. For the most authentic flavor, fresh key limes are recommended, but high-quality bottled key lime juice or even regular limes make excellent substitutes.
• Shredded Sweetened Coconut: This ingredient is key to the tropical feel. Lightly toasting the coconut before adding it to the batter intensifies its flavor and aroma, adding a wonderful chewiness that distinguishes this cake.
• Buttermilk: The secret weapon for an incredibly moist and tender cake. Its acidity works wonders with the baking powder, promoting a delicate crumb that practically melts in your mouth. (We’ll dive deeper into buttermilk’s magic below!)

The Undeniable Advantage of Buttermilk in Baking

If you’ve ever wondered what gives certain cakes their exceptionally moist and tender quality, often the answer is buttermilk. In this Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake, buttermilk is a non-negotiable ingredient, playing a pivotal role in creating its delicate crumb and rich texture.

Buttermilk’s acidity reacts with the baking powder in the batter, producing tiny air bubbles. This chemical reaction aids in leavening, giving the cake a beautiful rise while simultaneously tenderizing the crumb. The acid also helps to break down the gluten in the flour, preventing the cake from becoming tough and instead contributing to that desirable melt-in-your-mouth texture. Using buttermilk ensures your bundt cake isn’t just moist, but truly luxurious.

Complementing this incredible moistness are the lightly toasted sweetened coconut flakes. Toasting the coconut isn’t just for aesthetics; it deeply enhances its nutty flavor and creates a delightful chewiness that adds another layer of tropical complexity to every slice. This combination of tender crumb and aromatic coconut is what makes this cake truly irresistible.

The Irresistible Key Lime Glaze: A Crown of Flavor and Moisture

While the cake itself is a star, the key lime glaze is the enchanting final touch that elevates this dessert from delicious to absolutely extraordinary. This simple, tangy syrup is brushed generously over the warm, freshly baked bundt cake, creating a thin, glistening layer that does so much more than just add shine.

As the warm cake absorbs the glaze, the key lime flavor is intensified, infusing every pore and crevice with an extra burst of refreshing tartness. More importantly, this glaze locks in moisture, ensuring that each slice remains incredibly tender and juicy. It’s the crowning glory that perfectly balances the sweetness of the cake with a vibrant, zesty finish, making it the ultimate spring and summer indulgence.

So, get ready to break out your bundt pan and embark on a tropical baking adventure. This Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake is not just a recipe; it’s an experience, a delightful journey to sunnier climes that will be cherished by all who taste it. Enjoy the journey from your kitchen to a tropical paradise!

Expert Tips for Bundt Cake Perfection

Baking a bundt cake that looks as impressive as it tastes is entirely achievable with a few simple, yet crucial, techniques. Follow these expert tips to ensure your Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake emerges from the oven (and the pan!) beautifully, with a perfect texture every time.

• Mastering the Pan Prep: The absolute golden rule of bundt baking is flawless pan preparation. Nothing is more disheartening than a beautiful cake sticking to the pan. I highly recommend using a baking spray that contains flour, such as Baker’s Joy, and coating every nook and cranny generously. Alternatively, you can meticulously grease your pan with softened butter and then dust it evenly with all-purpose flour, tapping out any excess. This diligent effort will guarantee your cake releases cleanly, preserving its intricate design.
• Embrace Room Temperature Ingredients: This is a fundamental principle in baking. Ensure your butter, eggs, and buttermilk are all at room temperature before you begin. Room temperature ingredients emulsify much more effectively, meaning they combine smoothly and uniformly. This creates a more stable batter, which in turn leads to a finer crumb, a more tender texture, and a consistently moist cake. Plan ahead by taking these items out of the refrigerator at least 30-60 minutes before you start mixing.
• The Art of Mixing: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, resist the urge to overmix. Once you start adding the flour mixture, mix only until the ingredients are just combined and no streaks of dry flour remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour too much, which can result in a tough, chewy, and even dry cake. A light hand and gentle folding will preserve the delicate, tender crumb we’re striving for.
• Know Your Oven’s Personality: Oven temperatures can vary significantly, so the baking time provided is a guideline. Begin checking your cake at the earlier end of the suggested time frame (around 45 minutes for this recipe). Insert a wooden skewer or a thin cake tester into the deepest part of the cake; it should come out completely clean. Overbaking is the quickest path to a dry cake, so vigilant monitoring is key.
• The Critical Cooling Process: Patience is a virtue in bundt baking. Do not attempt to invert your cake immediately after taking it out of the oven. Allow it to cool in the bund pan on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. This crucial period allows the cake to firm up slightly and gently pull away from the sides of the pan. After this initial cooling, you can confidently invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely before applying the glaze.
• Key Lime Sourcing Alternatives: While fresh key limes offer the most authentic flavor, they aren’t always readily available. Don’t let this deter you! You can successfully substitute regular limes for both the zest and juice; the flavor will still be delicious, just slightly different. For a consistent and convenient key lime taste, high-quality bottled key lime juice, such as Nellie & Joe’s, is an excellent and widely available option.
• Optimal Storage for Freshness: To maintain its delightful moisture and flavor, store your Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake at room temperature. Ensure it’s tightly covered with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight cake dome. It will remain fresh and delicious for 3-4 days. For longer enjoyment, the cake freezes beautifully for up to two months. Wrap individual slices or the entire cake tightly in plastic wrap, then an additional layer of aluminum foil, and thaw at room temperature when ready to serve.

More Delicious Bundt Cake Recipes to Enjoy

If you’ve fallen in love with the ease and elegance of bundt cakes, there’s a whole world of delightful recipes waiting to be explored! Here are some other favorites you might enjoy:

• Easy Twinkie Bundt Cake
• Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
• Apple Cider Doughnut Bundt Cake with Pecan Brown Sugar Ripple
• Honey Pecan Bundt Cake

Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 10 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (approx. including bake time)

This Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake is bursting with tropical island flavors, making it a perfectly refreshing dessert for spring and summer gatherings!

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 tsp. baking powder (I use Clabber Girl Baking Powder for best results)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 tsp. lime zest (from key limes or regular limes)
• ¼ cup key lime juice (freshly squeezed or Nellie & Joe’s brand)
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, lightly toasted and finely chopped
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

Glaze

• ¼ cup key lime juice
• ½ cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position an oven rack in the center. Generously spray a 10-cup bundt-style pan with nonstick cooking spray (like Baker’s Joy) and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this dry mixture aside.
3. To toast the coconut, spread it evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, stirring the coconut with a fork every few minutes to ensure even browning. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning. Once toasted, let it cool completely on the tray, then transfer it to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
4. Using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer with paddle attachment), beat the room temperature butter for 1-2 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating for another two minutes until the mixture is well combined and light.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to fully incorporate. Stir in the vanilla extract, lime zest, key lime juice, and the finely chopped toasted coconut.
6. With a spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with the room temperature buttermilk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients (flour mixture). Mix only until just combined after each addition; be careful not to overmix the batter.
7. Pour the prepared batter into your generously greased bundt pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking around 45 minutes to prevent overbaking, which can lead to a dry cake.
8. Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes.
9. While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the key lime juice and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Remove from heat.
10. Carefully invert the slightly cooled cake onto a wire rack, placed over a baking sheet (to catch excess glaze). Using a cake tester or toothpick, poke holes all over the warm cake. Generously brush the warm key lime glaze over the entire cake, allowing it to soak in. Repeat until all the glaze is absorbed.
11. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving. For an extra treat, serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

• The buttermilk in this recipe is crucial for a super moist and tender crumb, contributing to the cake’s delicate texture.
• Toasted sweetened coconut flakes add a wonderful tropical flair and a pleasant chewiness that perfectly complements the key lime.
• The tangy key lime glaze, brushed generously over the warm cake, deeply infuses it with flavor and moisture, truly putting this cake over the top.
• For a flawless release, always spray your bundt pan with Baker’s Joy or thoroughly grease and flour it. This simple step ensures your beautiful cake comes out perfectly.
• If fresh key limes are unavailable, regular limes can be used for zest and juice, or you can opt for a high-quality bottled key lime juice like Nellie & Joe’s.

Nutrition

Based on 10 servings (approximate values):

• Calories: 602 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 84g
• Protein: 8g
• Fat: 27g
• Saturated Fat: 18g
• Trans Fat: 1g
• Cholesterol: 117mg
• Sodium: 250mg
• Potassium: 271mg
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 52g
• Vitamin A: 709 IU
• Vitamin C: 4mg
• Calcium: 97mg
• Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are estimates and may vary based on specific ingredients and preparation methods.

Keywords: bundt cake recipe, coconut cake, key lime cake, tropical dessert, spring dessert, summer cake, moist cake

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Before your first bite, snap a photo and share!

If you make this irresistible Key Lime Coconut Bundt Cake, I’d absolutely love to see your creation! Be sure to follow @thebeachhousekitchen on Instagram and tag your photos using #thebeachhousekitchen! Happy baking!

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour Lemon Bliss Cake.