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Sweet, simple, and delicious, Lemon Coconut Vanilla Sheet Cake. Light and fluffy lemony vanilla cake swirled with a lemon coconut topping. Then generously frosted with creamy whipped vanilla buttercream. Make it pretty for spring and summer by swirling in freeze-dried berry powders or berry jams to create ombre shades of pink and purple. It’s a simple sheet cake that’s lemony, sweet, light, fluffy…and pretty too!

overhead photo of lemon cake cute into square pieces

Happy Friday, happy almost Easter Sunday! Hoping today’s sweet cake brings a little spring pep and cheer into your weekend! I’m currently looking at a photo of this cake with its light colors and dainty little chamomile flowers. Thankfully, it’s cheering me up on this cold and snowy day.

Which if being honest is the reason I made this cake. Ever since I returned from my almost 2-weeks of travel, it’s been windy, cold, and snowing almost every day. I’ve really needed to physically brighten my days and this cake did just that for me.

The bonus, of course, is that it’s delicious. But I made it because I wanted to create something light and colorful for spring. So happy that it turned out even better than I’d envisioned!

process photo of lemon cake batter in mixing bowl

Here are the details

When it comes to vanilla cake I like to keep my recipes pretty straightforward. I always go heavy on the vanilla, but I wanted this to have awesome lemon flavor too. So I used a mix of lemon juice and zest, which is key.

Mix the coconut oil with sour cream, eggs, sugar, all the lemon, and then that vanilla. Next add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a nice pinch of salt. Stream in a little milk and that’s it. Keep it simple.

Now pour the batter into a rectangle baker and pop it in the oven. You’ll smell the lemon as the cake bakes, it’s wonderful.

While the cake is baking, make the quick coconut topping. This is a mix of lemon juice, honey, and toasted coconut.

It’s boiled together on the stove until the lemon and honey form a glaze, then simply stir in the coconut. Just three ingredients, but wow so good. Spread the topping over the cake when it comes out of the oven, then let everything cool.

process photo of ombre colored frosting

The frosting

Cream cheese, butter, sugar, and a splash of vanilla. Beat that all together and you’ll have one of my favorite cake frostings.

No one ever knows there’s cream cheese in the frosting. But it’s what makes this frosting extra special and leaves everyone wanting more. It’s my go-to for cakes.

For decorating, I envisioned the cake to be light shades of pink and purple, but I didn’t want to use food coloring. I ended up using a combination of freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries to create different shades of pink.

close up overhead photo of lemon cake with square slices cut

For the purple shade, I used blueberry jam, but you can’t see it as much. So I wouldn’t recommend this as highly as the freeze-dried berries. I didn’t try them, but I’m sure you could also use freeze-dried blueberries for that purple shade.

To blend the dried berries into a fine powder use a food processor or blender. Then stir the powders into separate bowls of frosting to create an ombre look. Super cute and easy!

What I love most about this sheet cake is how just pretty it turns out with minimal effort. The beauty of a sheet cake is that you don’t have to cut or layer anything. Just bake, frost, and enjoy!

This will be so fun for Easter this weekend!

photo of lemon cake with slices cut

Looking for other sweet cake recipes? Here are some favorites:

Swirled Blueberry Lemon Thyme Cake

Double Strawberry Cupcakes

Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake

Swirled Blackberry Lavender Sheet Cake

Lastly, if you make this Lemon Coconut Vanilla Sheet Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

@halfbakedharvest

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Lemon Coconut Vanilla Sheet Cake

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 664 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Coconut Lemon Topping

Frosting

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
    2. In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, sour cream, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, then slowly beat in the milk until fully combined 
    3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool.
    4. To make the topping. In a small saucepan bring the lemon juice and honey to a boil over high heat. Boil 1-2 minutes, until just slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut. Evenly spoon the syrup over the cake, then let cool.
    5. To make the frosting: In a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese until whipped. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Frost the cake all over (decorating directions in notes).

Notes

Decorating:  If desired, you can pulse the freeze-dried berries into a fine powder, then divide the frosting between 2-3 bowls and stir in the dried berries to create lighter and darker shades of pink. Frost the cake all over with both shades, or spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I use a 1M Wilton tip), then frost.
  • You can also use blueberry jam to make a purple shade, just use 1-2 teaspoons of jam.
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lemon cake with slices cut

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Comments

    1. Hey Elizabeth,
      Perfect!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! Have the best week!? xT

      Reply

  2. The cake is delicious! Wondering if you have any tricks or tips for piping the frosting. I had a lot of trouble getting it to let go because of the coconut!

    Reply

    1. Hi Karen,
      Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Try not touching the coconut, you could also just spread the icing on, working quickly helps too! xx

      Reply

      1. Hey Tania,
        I left it in the pan while adding the coconut, but removed to frost. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

        Reply

    1. Hi Julia,
      Nope, you can keep in an airtight container at room temp. I hope the cake turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx

      Reply

    1. Hi Nicole,
      The milk is added in step 2. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

      Reply

    1. Hey Elizabeth,
      I used a 1M Wilton, please refer to the decorating tips above, you can really use any size tip that you like! I hope you love the recipe:) xx

      Reply

  6. I’m not an experienced baker and found my cake to be a little dense, not light and fluffy. However, very delicious! I was wondering…should the cake be a little dense? If not, what did I do wrong?

    I love your creativity and all the recipes I’ve made so far. Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hey Pam,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try!! It really shouldn’t be very dense, was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Was your baking powder and baking soda fresh? Let me know how I can help! xx

      Reply

  7. Hello, I’m curious why you are choosing coconut oil for many of your baked goods. I understand the health benefits but what does it do to the texture vs vegetable oil or butter? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi there,
      You can use any other neutral oil in place of the coconut oil, I like the flavor and texture it provides along with the health benefits. xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Google or YouTube for good options! I toast mine in the oven. No oil, just the coconut shreds @350, stirring every 2 minutes for 8 minutes total, or until desired toastiness!

      Reply

    2. Hi Deb,
      Just in a skillet over low heat until the coconut is golden:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  9. If you want more of a plain vanilla cake, can you omit the lemon juice completely or will you need to sub another liquid in its place?

    You’re recipes are always a huge hit among our family and friends. I cant wait to serve this one up!!

    Reply

    1. Hey Sara,
      Thanks so much for you kind message! You can just omit the lemon from the cake:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx

      Reply

    1. Hi Kristen,
      Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

      Reply

    1. Hi Carla,
      The recipe calls for 1 cup of melted coconut oil, so measure after it’s melted:) I like to use unsweetened coconut. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan

      Reply

          1. 4 stars
            I’m not a baker. But this cake looked so pretty, I thought I’d give it a try. The problem started with the piping on the cake. For one thing, I’ve never piped a cake. It started out pretty good. But then the frosting got too warm. It would not release from the tip. I put the cake and the frosting in the fridge hoping to cool it down a bit. I must have left it in too long. The frosting would not come out of the tip. Finally it did, but I still had the same problem with it not releasing from the tip. When I was finished, I put the cake in the fridge because I was worried about the frosting. When I served the cake, it was dense in texture and tasted only okay. The next day, after being left out, we tasted it again. Everyone commented that it was delicious! “tasted like a wedding cake.” I’ll try it again after practicing piping. BTW, I didn’t post it on Instagram because my frosting did not look very good.

          2. Hi Carla,
            Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear you had issues with the piping. You can easily just spread the frosting on the top and skip the piping:) xTieghan

    1. Hi Marcia,
      Sorry, I have not tested this recipe with those ingredients. I would recommend using a gluten free flour blend, I probably would not sub all of the granulated sugar for the honey. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx

      Reply

    1. Hey Jannine,
      I would keep the temperature the same and start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Please let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        I just made these as cupcakes (baked for 23 min) and they turned out delicious. Will absolutely be making the cake in the future. Thanks for the great recipes 🙂

        Reply

        1. Hey Emily,
          Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xx

          Reply

    1. Hey Ashley,
      Yes, 1 cup of any other neutral oil will work well for you. I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xx

      Reply

  15. I’m new to using coconut oil. Do I measure one cup of solid oil then melt it? Or do I measure one cup of melted oil.

    Reply

    1. Hey Kathy,
      You will want to measure 1 cup of melted coconut oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

      Reply

      1. I just measured the coconut oil in the cup and melted it, didn’t measure after melting. I hope this doesn’t ruin the cake that is currently in my oven?

        Reply