Coconut Key Lime Angel Food Cake Roll

Coconut Key Lime Angel Food Cake Roll is light and fluffy angel food cake filled with tangy, key lime curd and topped with whipped coconut cream.  It’s one heavenly dessert!

I made this cake for someone I’ve never even met.  As strange as that sounds, it’s true.  I may not have physically met Zainab over at Blahnik Baker, but when I connected with her 2+ years ago, I knew she was a very special person.  She’s not only a very talented, self-taught baker, baking masterpieces like pink velvet cupcakes, coconut lemon layer cake, and her raspberry lemon meringue tart, but she’s also a neuroscience PhD student, a wife, and now soon-to-be-mom!  She’s a true inspiration, and I’m so happy we’ve crossed paths.  So you see, I made this special cake for Zainab’s virtual baby shower, and the only way it could have been more special was if I could have eaten it with her, too.  One day, one day….:)

I’m thrilled for Zainab and Mr. J, and I was so excited to hear they’re having a boy, being that I have 2 of my own. It’s challenging, rewarding, and everything in between, and I know they’re going to be phenomenal parents!  🙂

If this little boy is anything like his mom, he will be a huge fan of coconut.  I think Zainab and I bonded over coconut, in fact. 🙂  She loves her tropical flavors, and key lime is one of them.  It happens to be one of mine as well, and I knew I had to make a coconut-key lime dessert for this very special occasion.

I’ve got plenty of key lime desserts here on the blog, but this one takes the cake (pun intended). 😉  Light, fluffy angel food cake with tangy key lime curd, and plenty of coconut flair just sent me straight to heaven.  Coconut-key lime heaven. 🙂

I was originally planning to do angel food cupcakes filled with curd and topped with cream, then the cake roll idea came to me.  If you hang out around here much, you know I love my cake rolls.  They’re so fun and easy to make, and I knew that would be extra special for this occasion.   Since I’ve never made an angel food cake version, I found a recipe over at Taste of Home that I used.   It was full proof, and yielded the fluffiest angel food cake ever.

The key lime curd was adapted from my lime curd recipe, and makes enough for this cake plus some extra for whatever else you may want to use it with.  The amount that you need for the cake may not look like a lot, but trust me, it will ooze out the sides when you roll it up if you use too much.  OK, I may have done that, but lucky for me it was easy to fix. 🙂

As for the coconut cream, that couldn’t be easier.  Just be sure you chill your coconut cream overnight and that your mixing bowl is chilled too.  This will help it whip up nice and fast, with beautiful soft peaks.  If you don’t have coconut cream on hand, whip up some heavy whipping cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Spread this beauty with the cream and garnish the cake with sweetened angel flake coconut, and it truly looks like it was heaven sent.  And it tastes like it too!

Don’t forget to check out the other fabulous recipes for Zainab’s baby shower.  I want to try them all!

Blackberry Coconut Cupcakes, by Baking a Moment
Blueberry Coconut Meusli Bars, by The Spiffy Cookie
Blueberry-Ginger Coconut Cheesecake Popsicles, by Floating Kitchen
Caramel Coconut Cluster Bars, by Eats Well with Others
Chocolate Coconut Cake, by Brunch with Joy
Coconut Breakfast Pudding with Sauteed Nectarines, by Cooking and Beer
Coconut Cake, by I am Baker
Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream, by The Recipe Rebel
Coconut Energy Bites, by The Kitchenarium
Coconut Key Lime Angel Food Cake Roll, by Flavor the Moments
Coconut Key Lime Pie Cookie Bars, by Two in the Kitchen
Coconut Key Lime Macarons, by Life Made Sweeter
Coconut, Lime, and White Chocolate Milkshake, by A Clean Bake
Coconut Pineapple Banana Smoothie, by The Bitter Side of Sweet
Coconut Pineapple Fried Rice with Shrimp, by Healthy Nibbles and Bits
Coconut Sweet Potato Muffins, by Luci’s Morsels
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Coconut, by The Cooking Actress
Key Lime Coconut Button Sandwich Cookies, by Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Key Lime Coconut Pound Cake, by Grandbaby Cakes
Lavender Coconut Macarons, by Broma Bakery
Macaroon Tarts with Ginger Coconut Whipped Cream and Pineapple, by A Cookie Named Desire
Mango Coconut Donuts, by Chez Catey Lou
Mango Coconut Smoothie, by Jessica in the Kitchen
Mango Summer Cake, by Keep it Sweet Desserts
Mini Coconut Cream Pies, by Hip Foodie Mom
Pina Colada Pie, by Life, Love, and Sugar
Skinny Blueberry Lime Scones, by Club Narwhal
Spiced Lentils with Toasted Coconut, by This Gal Cooks
Toasted Coconut Banana Meringue Pie, by The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Triple Coconut Rum Layer Cake, by bethcakes
Tropical Pineapple Coconut Sangria, by Shared Appetite
White Chocolate Coconut Key Lime Cookies, by Culinary Couture

Coconut Key Lime Angel Food Cake Roll

 

Print

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Coconut Key Lime Angel Food Cake Roll is light and fluffy angel food cake filled with tangy, key lime curd and topped with whipped coconut cream. It's one heavenly dessert!

Author: Flavor the Moments

Serves: 10 servings

Ingredients

For the curd:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup fresh key lime juice (about 1 bag of key limes)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1½ tablespoons lime zest

For the cake:

• 9 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¾ cup cake flour, sifted
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

For the coconut cream:

• (1) 13.5 ounce can coconut cream, chilled overnight
• 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened angel flake coconut, for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the curd:

1. Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs, and lime juice in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat. Whisk constantly to keep the eggs from curdling until the mixture thickens to the consistency of sour cream, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the curd through the fine mesh strainer, using a spoon to help it through. Whisk in the butter, and stir until completely melted, then stir in the lime zest. Let the curd stand at room temperature until completely cool -- it will thicken as it cools.
2. Once the curd has cooled, place a piece of waxed paper over the surface of the curd to keep a skin from forming, and store in the refrigerator. Serve chilled. The curd will keep in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Prepare the cake:

1. Position the oven rack to the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan measuring about 17½" x 12½" x 1"h lightly with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper large enough to provide a small overhang over the sides of the pan. Cut a line from each corner of the parchment down into the corner of the pan so the parchment fits snugly. Spray the parchment generously with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk in the vanilla and cream of tartar. Attach the whisk attachment to the mixer and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer running on medium speed, sprinkle in the granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at time until all the sugar has been added. Continue mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form. The egg whites are done when you dip the whisk attachment into the egg whites, turn it right side up, and the whites stand straight up on the tip.
3. Gently fold in the flour ¼ cup at a time, careful not to deflate the egg whites.
4. Gently spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until light golden brown on top, and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and the cake springs back when pressed gently with your finger. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
5. Lay a kitchen towel large enough for the cake on the counter. Dust the towel with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar so that the towel is completely covered. Pick up the cake pan with pot holders, holding it upright from the top with the cake facing away from you, making sure the pot holders are around the top of the cake slightly to keep it in place. Hold the cake at an angle over the sugar dusted kitchen towel, remove your hands and turn the cake out quickly onto the kitchen towel. Gently remove the parchment paper, roll the cake from the short side in the towel, and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the coconut cream:

1. Place the bowl of your stand mixer in the refrigerator and chill it about 1 hour before you whip the cream. Place the coconut cream, sugar, and vanilla in the chilled bowl and using the whisk attachment, whip on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Assemble the cake:

1. When the cake has cooled completely, unroll it and trim off the outer edges of the cake with a serrated knife. Spread the curd evenly over the cake about ⅛" or so thick, leaving ½" border on all sides. Don't spread more than that or it will ooze out the sides! Gently roll the cake tucking it in so that it's not too loose. Place the cake on a serving platter seam side down.
2. Spread the cake evenly with the coconut cream and garnish with the angel flake coconut. Chill for 1-2 hours, then slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Prep time does not include chilling the curd or the cake.
Curd is best when made ahead and chilled several hours or overnight.
Coconut cream may be subsitituted with 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with the same amount of sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Key limes may be substituted with bottle key lime juice if fresh isn't available. Fresh lemons or regular limes would be great, too!
Angel food cake recipe adapted from Taste of Home's Moist Lemon Angel Cake Roll.
Curd and coconut cream recipes by Flavor the Moments.

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