Lemon Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Icing

I made this cake for hubby’s birthday this past Friday. It is a variation of my mother’s classic orange cake which I tweaked using hubby’s favourite lemon and coconut flavours. This recipe yields one 9” round cake. To make a stacked layer cake, just double the recipe. Lemon curd or blueberry purée would make a great filling in between the layers.

CAKE 

Ingredients 

8 oz Flour
2 tsp Baking powder
8 oz Butter
8 oz Sugar
Grated rind of 2 lemons
2 tsp Lemon juice
½ cup Milk
4 eggs

1. Sift together flour and baking powder in a bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs lightly with milk. 
3. Using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), cream together butter, sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice for about 3-5 mins, until well mixed and fluffy. 
4. Fold-in flour into butter and sugar mixture in thirds, alternating with egg and milk mixture, until all the ingredients are blended. Pour into a 9” diameter greased cake pan and bake in a 350º F pre-heated oven for 50 mins. 
5. Remove from the oven and let cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 mins, then slide a thin paring knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake. Cool the cake completely on a rack, with it's top facing up, before icing.

ICING 

Ingredients 

8 oz Cream cheese (at room temperature)
1½ cup icing sugar / confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 cup shredded Coconut 

1. Toast ½ cup coconut in a dry skillet until lightly golden. Spread out on a plate and set aside to cool.
2. Using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), whip together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla essence and remaining ½ cup coconut for about 5 mins, until well mixed and fluffy. 
3. Ice top and sides of cake with icing. Sprinkle toasted coconut over iced cake.