Meyer Lemon Coconut Cake for Two (Gluten Free) with The Dusty Baker

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Gluten Free Lemon Cake for Two

You won't believe this delicious Meyer Lemon Coconut cake is Gluten free! But the best part is it's just big enough for two so you won't overindulge.

Total Time: 35 minutes
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I hope you enjoy the deliciousness of this Meyer Lemon Coconut Cake as my friend The Dusty Baker shares her recipe with us.

Gluten Free Lemon Cake for Two

My blog – The Dusty Baker – is home to gluten-free and allergy-friendly recipes, made with mess, love and a bit of silliness. I’ve been gluten and mostly dairy free for about 20 years, and am so thankful and energized by the dynamic world of food and the open-mindedness of eaters out there.

I wanted to focus on one incredible ingredient: this features Meyer lemons, which are perfectly in season somewhere on the earth (certainly not here in NYC) and a sweeter, less bitter version of their cousin. They’re incredibly versatile and so much fun to play with! I’m a big fan of coconut, so I’ve added some coconut milk to the frosting to make it even more dynamic and decorated the finished cake with large chunks of dried coconut, which give it a delightful crunch.

The result is a cake that’s dense and bright, buttery and rich and ridiculously yummy. The Meyer lemons give it an incredible zing that balances out the butter and sugar so well. After a bite, my roommate started “mmmmmm-ing” with her eyebrows cocked and asked which bakery I had bought it at. Score.

Gluten Free Lemon cake for Two

Now, here are my “notes”:

 This is a great recipe for someone in the early stages of baking gluten-free. I used my favorite three flours in my general proportions for this cake – brown rice as a healthful base, tapioca for texture and binding and millet for sweetness –  which I find to be both impossible to detect in regards to the cake tasting gluten-free. If you’re thinking of baking gluten-free more often, these are the three big guns I recommend having on hand. Xanthan gum is an expensive initial purchase, but it lasts forever. You won’t be able to tell that there’s no gluten in this recipe, cross my heart. It’s spot on in taste and texture. You can try the equivalent measurements with regular all-purpose wheat flour or an all-purpose gluten-free mix and the recipe should hold strong.

Basic cake-making rules: warm ingredients, incorporate air into the eggs before adding flour, pour and put straight into hot oven. Grease lightly so there’s little holding the cake back from rising fully.

Confession: I’m not a huge frosting fan, in general, preferring naked cakes with fruits and nuts so that I can eat more cake without guilt!!!  So if you’re on my team I recommend brushing the cake with either more lemon juice, some melted jam or some Limoncello liqueur and sprinkling with ground nuts. My roommate, however, loved the frosting, so go to if that’s your preference. It chills well and will harden a bit to give the cake an almost fondant look.

Gluten Free Coconut Lemon Cake for Two

If you’re looking for another delicious gluten-free dessert check out this Gluten Free Blueberry Lemon Cake recipe.

If you’ve tried this Meyer Lemon Coconut Cake recipe or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME  on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels,  Twitter and Facebook.

4.54 from 15 votes
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Gluten Free Meyer Lemon Coconut Cake

You won't believe this delicious Meyer Lemon Coconut cake is Gluten free! But the best part is it's just big enough for two so you won't overindulge.

Author: Chef Dennis Littley
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Meyer Lemon Coconut Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 376 Calories from Fat 819
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 91g 140%
Saturated Fat 58g 290%
Cholesterol 120mg 40%
Sodium 21mg 1%
Potassium 68mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 227g 76%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 120g
Protein 19g 38%
Vitamin A 87.6%
Vitamin C 34.4%
Calcium 21.5%
Iron 41.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gliten free dessert, gluten free cake
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Servings: 2
Calories: 376 kcal
Gluten Free Lemon Cake for Two
Ingredients
Cake
  • 2 medium eggs 3oz.
  • 6 Tbsp rounded sugar 3oz.
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 Tbsp brown rice flour 1.6oz
  • 4 Tbsp tapioca flour/starch 1.2oz
  • 2 Tbsp millet flour .6oz
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 7 Tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled a bit (3oz.)
  • 2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice (about juice of 1 lemon)
  • zest of one Meyer lemon
Frosting
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter soft
  • 3 cups powered sugar
  • ½ cup coconut milk full fat
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • zest of 1 Meyer lemon
  • unsweetened coconut chips to decorate available at health food stores
Instructions
Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease cake pans and set on a baking sheet.
  2. Combine the flours, gum and baking powder in a small bowl and sift twice.
  3. Place a small pot of water on to simmer. In a bowl that will fit on top of the simmering water, whisk eggs, sugar and salt. When the water begins to simmer, turn off heat and put egg mixture on top. Whisk until just slightly warm, about 10-15 seconds (do not cook egg).
  4. Pour mixture into bowl of standing mixer fit with whisk attachment and beat until it triples in size and becomes light and creamy, about 4 minutes (or beat by hand on high speed).
  5. Fold in sifted flour mixture.
  6. Add lemon juice to butter and fold in.
  7. Fold in zest.
  8. Pour equally in to pans and bake for 18 minutes or until springy to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans and inverting onto cooling rack.
Frosting
  1. Beat butter until light and fluffy.
  2. Add sugar and coconut milk, alternating wet with dry, and beating thoroughly in between.
  3. Slowly add lemon juice and ½ zest and beat to combine. Continue beating until light and fluffy.
  4. If desired, chill before frosting to thicken a bit.
  5. Layer frosting between cakes and decorate with remaining zest and unsweetened coconut chips.
Recipe Notes

Special Equipment: Two 4-inch round springform cake pans

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About Chef Dennis

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Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. Dennis has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for his creative, delicious recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

Comments

  3. Joan says

    Hi Dennis,

    The Myer Lemon Coconut cake sounds amazing! I’m hosting a party and many of my guests are GF.
    Can I make this cake in a 9×13 pan?
    If so, would I double it?

    Many thanks!

    Reply

  4. Libby says

    Thanks for this recipe! I’d like to make it for a birthday cake – what would be the best way to make this on a larger scale – would I double or triple the recipe? (cake for 12 people). Thanks!

    Reply

    • Jacqueline - The Dusty Baker says

      In general I just use the ratio of 1-1-1 (fat, sugar, flour). So in weighing out the ingredients, you’d want a close approximation of that. I don’t have this recipe in a full-scale, but size-wise tripling it should work. Please let me know how it comes out!

      Reply

    • Chef D says

      hi Christina,

      sorry it took, so long I finally got a hold of the author of the recipe, she said out of those three that brown rice was the best choice.

      DEnnis

      Reply

  6. kara says

    This is awesome…the opposite of dry gritty gluten free baking. Instead it’s a perfectly bright and moist little delicacy. I used 4inch tart pans because that’s what I had and I can’t do dairy so I substituted coconut oil for the butter, which worked without a hitch. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  8. Amalia says

    Holy cow! This looks amazing! I would be asking which bakery you got this from too, I mean it just looks so moist and perfect! The color is beautiful and the zest is a nice final touch. I love this, great job Dust Baker, you did it again 🙂

    Reply

  15. EA-The Spicy RD says

    So, I’m a little upset I read this post today, because now I MUST make this fabulous cake {and I hadn’t scheduled cake making in to today’s plans}! I have all the ingredients on hand, including ripe Meyer’s lemons on my tree, so I have absolutely no excuses not to make this. Headin cover to The Dusty Baker to check out her blog now. Thanks for the introduction!

    Reply

  16. FreeSpiritEater says

    How exciting to see you here Jx!! Chef Dennis, she is truly a unique and beautiful person. Her writing style is friendly, funny and most of all lures you in to keep coming back for more! This gorgeous lemon coconut cake has all of my favorite flavors. I’ve never been a huge fan of cake, but coconut always gets my attention. Congratulations on such a great guest post. Have a great weekend you two! =]

    Reply

  24. Emily @ Life on Food says

    I love the idea of a 4 inch cake. Super cute! Once I have a house I am intrigued with the idea of having a Meyer Lemon tree. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to pick some whenever you want right from your own home?

    Reply

  27. Jacqueline - The Dusty Baker says

    There are so many beautiful comments – thank you all so much and thanks again to Chef D for letting me share this recipe here! I love my world of gluten-free baking and am so happy to have been able to share with a wider audience. Please always feel free to shoot me over questions and thoughts!!

    Reply

  29. Marsha @ The Harried Cook says

    Hi Chef Dennis! I’ve missed your blog so much while I’ve been away from blogging! And when I got back a couple of weeks ago, I wondered why you were not posting, only to realize a couple of days ago that my feed for your blog wasn’t working! So I have resubscribed to your blog and I am glad it’s working! Just in time for this beautiful guest post! I love anything citrusy and this is so delicious looking! Thanks for sharing!

    Great guest post, Jacqueline! And I love that it is cake-for-two… I’ve been doing that a lot too 🙂 Will hop over to visit you now!

    Reply

  37. Anna says

    With the Valentine’s Day approaching fast, this recipe is perfect! A cake for two that looks amazing! Now, try to stop yourself from eating the whole thing 🙂

    Reply

  38. Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family says

    Oh this is gorgeous (of course this is what I would expect from Jacqueline).

    The cake indeed looks so light and moist (just like “normal” cake).

    I have been wanting to do more gluten free baking (as I am in the beginning stages), and I think I will have to put this cake on my list.

    I just love that it is made for 2 people (keeps you from over-indulging)

    Reply

  43. Kim Bee says

    This is really spectacular. I am gluten sensitive and am always afraid to delve into the GF world. But with treats like this I think I need to take the plunge. I could not find meyer lemons yesterday. Was so bummed.

    Reply

  44. Kiri W. says

    Oh wow! This looks soooo amazing! I am on a huge coconut binge, so this would fit right in 🙂 Looks glorious and indulgent, and I love the frosting recommendation, since I prefer naked cake, myself. Great guest post as always!

    Reply

  45. Jacqueline - The Dusty Baker says

    Thanks all! The cake is incredibly moist and dense while not being heavy. And nope – no trace off cardboard here! Just follow basic cakemaking steps and it’s a winner! Tested it several times so it’s pretty tight. And let me know if you have any ideas for toppings!

    Reply

  46. Maureen says

    I have never made a gluten free cake from scratch and I have a really good friend that can’t eat gluten. If this is a beginner’s cake, then it’s for me.

    It looks like normal cake. Perhaps I haven’t seen enough gluten free cakes but the ones I saw her eat looked like cardboard. I’m thrilled to try this.

    Thanks Chef Dennis for having this guest post!

    Reply

    • Jacqueline - The Dusty Baker says

      Aw, I’m sure your friend would be so touched if you made her/him something! It still means so much to me when friends make things I can have, since I never suspect it. I have several yummy cake recipes on my site too – let me know if you have any questions / thoughts!

      Reply

  48. Tina@flourtrader says

    Delicious tropical post here, glad to see the Dusty Baker guest posting here. While I do not have any dietary restrictions, I do enjoy great taste. The words gluten free in recipes does not deter me from making them. This one looks like one I need to make-yum!

    Reply

  49. Burwell General Store says

    What a great post! Two of my favorite bloggers. This takes a lot of the “otherness” out of gluten-free baking, which I love.

    Reply

  52. Regan says

    This is so lovely- and I have Meyer Lemons right now! One question, I’m allergic to tapioca, is there another flour I could substitute?

    Reply

  54. Ann says

    What a STUNNING cake! It is so light I can hardly believe it’s gluten free! Amazing….

    It looks delicious and congratulations on a terrific guest post with Chef Dennis!

    Reply

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