Coconut lime zucchini cake

A tropical and easy cake made with coconut, lime and zucchini

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Although Fall is here and the internet is full of recipes starring apples and pumpkin, (like our easy apple crisp and our perfectly perfect pumpkin bread), we can’t help but want to hold on to a few tropical flavours. Ingredients like zucchini, lime and coconut may give off summer vibes, but the reality is that they are available all year round – and we’re grateful they are. Sometimes you just want a dessert that tastes like sunshine and warm weather.

We think that you are going to love our coconut lime zucchini cake. Trust us when we say that we went back to the drawing board with this cake recipe until we got it just right (another reason we’re posting this summer-feel recipe in autumn!). But, we think it was worth it. One initial challenge was that our coconut lime zucchini cake didn’t taste much like lime, prompting one taste tester husband to sing the tunes to this song on repeat. We resolved that problem (the lime flavour, not the husband singing) and now our coconut lime zucchini cake has all the flavours that its name promises.

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Helpful hints

Why add zucchini to cakes?

That’s a great question, especially when we’ve been talking about flavour. The truth is, zucchini adds no flavour to cakes – but what it does do is add an incredible texture and moisture. It also adds bulk! In some recipes, like our double chocolate zucchini cake, there are 3 cups of zucchini! Added bonus, your dessert is healthier with zucchini in it!

Is lime zest bitter?

You’ll notice that we use quite a bit of lime zest in our recipe for coconut lime zucchini cake. When preparing your ingredients however, you do need to be careful not to get too much of the white pith into your cake. The green outermost layer of your lime is the zest, and this is what you want to grate. The white layer right underneath is the pith and it can be quite bitter. This is even more important to be mindful of than when you are zesting lemons; lemons tend to be sweeter than limes, and limes are typically more bitter.

Is shredded coconut the same as desiccated coconut?

Nope. We use shredded coconut in our coconut lime zucchini cake which is grated coconut that you can purchase either sweetened or unsweetened (we use unsweetened here). Shredded coconut appears in long-ish thin strands. Although shredded coconut is dried out before packaging it still retains some moisture. Desiccated coconut on the other hand is completed dried out and is finely ground coconut; despite its appearance, desiccated coconut should not be confused with coconut flour as the former still maintains its fat content.

How to store coconut lime zucchini cake

Coconut lime zucchini cake keeps well at room temperature for 2 – 4 days. Longer than that you should keep the cake in the refrigerator. For longer storage, wrap your cake tightly and place in the freezer. To serve, simply defrost at room temperature.

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Enjoyed our coconut lime zucchini cake? Looking for more delicious desserts? Check these out:

Maraschino cherry cake with cream cheese frosting

Chocolate and orange cake

Greek mountain tea cake (Κέικ με τσάι του βουνού)

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