Coconut Cake with Lemon Sour Cream Icing

It was a colleagues birthday last week and as a treat I decided to make him a cake. I'd planned on making him a chocolate cake, since I remember him saying he loved that, in the past. However, when I mentioned 'mysteriously' to him a couple of days before that I had to make a cake for someone, he asked 'what kind?' to which I replied 'chocolate'. He thought for a moment before saying 'what about a coconut cake?' Now, I'd heard of making icing with coconut, or sprinkling it on top of a cake - but I've never actually had a coconut cake. I went to my safety net - Google - and was surprised to see how many cakes instantly came up. I decided on this Lemon Coconut Cake from Taste,  as it sounded simple enough, but I thought the lemon would add a bit more flavour. My colleague loved the cake by the way - well I assumed so by all the 'hmmm mmmm' noises he was making!

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1 large lemon, rind finely grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf pan and line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a little to overhang at both long ends.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved.

3. Add lemon rind and half the egg. Beat well. Add remaining egg and beat until well combined.

4. Using a large spoon, gently stir flour, milk and coconut into butter mixture.

5. Spoon mixture into prepared loaf pan. Smooth surface.

6. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow cake to cool a little in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Icing:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 lemon, rind finely grated
1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add sour cream and lemon rind. Stir until well combined. Pour icing over cake. Allow to set.

Recipe Source:
Taste website's Coconut Cake with Lemon Sour Cream Icing

Coconut Cake with Lemon Sour Cream Icing Ingredients: 125g butter, softened 1 cup caster sugar 1 large lemon, rind finely grated 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted 1 cup milk 1/2 cup desiccated coconut Lemon sour cream icing: 1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture 1/4 cup sour cream 1 lemon, rind finely grated Method: 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf pan and line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a little to overhang at both long ends. 2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved. 3. Add lemon rind and half the egg. Beat well. Add remaining egg and beat until well combined. 4.  Using a large metal spoon, gently stir flour, milk and coconut into butter mixture. 5. Spoon mixture into prepared loaf pan. Smooth surface. 6. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow cake to cool a little in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 7. Make lemon icing: Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add sour cream and lemon rind. Stir until well combined. Pour icing over cake. Allow to set. Serve.