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Orange, Lime, or Lemon Coconut Sour-Cream Cake with Fresh Fruit

Orange, Lime, or Lemon Coconut Sour-Cream Cake with Fresh Fruit

Jan 23, 2026

This Citrus, Coconut and Fruit Sour-Cream Cake is a just yummy. The shredded coconut adds texture and natural sweetness, while fresh citrus juice and zest bring brightness and balance. Sour cream keeps the crumb soft and moist without heaviness.

This cake is perfect for afternoon tea, entertaining, or an easy dessert. Served with cream, mascarpone, yoghurt. or buttercream. This simple, reliable recipe is the basis for a variety of cakes. Change the citrus variety and stone fruit/berries to suit what you have on hand and what flavours compliment each other. 

Photo Above: Fresh apricot and orange sour cream coconut cake

Ingredients

  • 200g all-purpose flour
  • 150g sugar
  • 70g unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 120g butter, room temperature
  • 3 size 7 eggs or 4 size 6 eggs
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8vtsp salt
  • Zest of 2 oranges or 4 limes or 2 lemons
  • 100ml of juice (about 1-2 orange,  4-5 limes, 2 lemons)
  • 120g sour cream
  • 1/2tsp vanilla essences
  • 200g fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, pineapple, cherries), pitted/cored and chopped or blueberries, or raspberries

Lime and Raspberry Butter Cream Filling

  • 100 g butter, softened
  • 1½ cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • Finely grated lime zest (to taste)
  • 2 tsp dehydrated raspberry powder

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 20cm round cake pan.
  2. cream the soft butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the zest
  4. Add sour cream and citrus juice. mix to combine.
  5. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and shredded coconut. 
  6. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
  7. Gently fold in the chopped fruits or fresh or frozen berries, reserving some for the top.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Arrange the reserved stone fruit pieces on top of the batter.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  10. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Photo Above: Lime, peach, raspberry, coconut, sour cream cake makes a beautiful statement cake.

Make the Buttercream

  • Beat butter until pale and creamy. This takes ages.
  • Gradually add icing sugar, beating until smooth.
  • Add juice, zest and dehydrated fruit powder
  • Beat until light and spreadable.

Serving Suggestions

  • Slice the cake into wedges and arrange each piece on a dessert plate. Add  whipped cream/yoghurt/mascarpone on the side and add the fresh fruit used in the cake
  • A light dusting of icing sugar over the top of the cake
  • Slice cake in half horizontally and sandwich the layers with citrus buttercream
  • Dust with icing sugar 
  • Excellent with a drizzle of orange blossom syrup or homemade Lemon, Orange or Mandarin 'Cello'
  • Even better the next day as flavours settle

Photo Above: Peach, Raspberry, Lime, sour-cream coconut cake cut in half ready for the buttercream icing.

Variations

There are so many variations to this cake. Below are some suggestions

  • Orange and Apricot
  • Orange and Cherry
  • Lime and Peach
  • Lime Peach and Raspberry
  • Lime and Nectarine
  • Lime and caramelised Pineapple
  • Lemon and Blueberry
  • Lemon and Plum

Photo Above: We made a Lemon blueberry cake, using this recipe, for Gwen's 5th birthday cake. I made a lemon buttercream (white), added dehydrated raspberries (pink), and then added blue food colouring to the pink icing (purple).The cake was a hit.

Helpful Hints

Photo Above: The butterfly cake cut in half.  Cake was lovely and moist with a delicate lemon and blueberry flavour.

  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days; the flavours will continue to develop beautifully over time!
  • For an extra burst of flavor, add a splash of orange or lemon liqueur  such as orangecello, to the batter—this enhances the citrus profile.
  • Ensure your butter is at room temperature for better incorporation—softened butter creams better and yields a lighter cake.
  • Use ripe but firm fruit to prevent excess moisture
  • If fruit is very juicy, toss lightly in 1 tsp flour before topping
  • If you want to layer the cake, make sure the cake is cool before adding buttercream, otherwise the buttercream will start to melt.

Photo Above: Peach and Raspberry Lime sour-cream coconut cake. The icing is melting because the cake was still warm., but this cake tasted divine.

Photo Above: Lime, nectarine, coconut, sour-cream cake