Get transported to a tropical island with the fresh, zesty, and sweet flavor of this lime drizzle cake – plus, it’s dairy and gluten-free with an easy keto option!
- What Is A Drizzle Cake?
- What Do I Need to Make This Cake?
- How To Make The Lime Drizzle Cake
- Can I Make Lime Drizzle Cake With Gluten-Free Flour?
- What Can I Substitute For Coconut Cream?
- How Can I make Lime Drizzle Cake Keto-Friendly?
- Can I Use a Cake Pan For The Lime Drizzle Cake Instead?
- Can I Make A Drizzle Cake With Other Fruit?
- Lime Drizzle Cake Recipe:
Dessert is a nightly occurrence in my household.
And before anyone starts with, “but Nicole, that’s not healthy, ” I ask that you have a seat and listen.
Dessert doesn’t have to be overindulgent.
It can be a light fruit salad and some mixed, raw nuts (as we often have).
But a couple of times a week, we have something “richer, ” like this lime drizzle loaf cake (or this decadent chocolate keto torte)!
The best part is that it’s made with gluten-free coconut flour which makes this cake SO MOIST!
As if that isn’t reason enough for you to make this, the coconut cream makes it a dairy-free tropical paradise in each bite!
Did I mention that this lime drizzle cake can be made keto with the swap of just one ingredient?
We are ticking all of the boxes with this dessert – let’s get to it!
What Is A Drizzle Cake?
This is a sponge cake enjoyed during afternoon tea in the U.K. and is drizzled with a citrus glaze while it is still warm, immediately after it is taken out of the oven. British baker and T.V. personality Mary Berry made the lemon version of this cake a household favorite! Think of it as the British version of the airy, fluffy angel food cake that we are familiar with, covered with thin, sweet icing.
My version of this drizzle cake made with lime is likened to a heavier, more moist texture of a traditional pound cake, thanks to the dense coconut flour and the rich and moist coconut cream.
What Do I Need to Make This Cake?
Supplies
- mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl
- hand held mixer, whisk, or electric mixer
- spoon or spatula
- standard loaf pan (8.5 in/21cm)
- parchment paper
- microplane or grater
Ingredients
For The Cake
- coconut flour
- granulated sugar
- coconut cream
- eggs
- vanilla powder or vanilla extract
- baking powder
- lime zest
For The Lime Drizzle
- powdered sugar
- lime juice
- lime zest (garnish)
How To Make The Lime Drizzle Cake
Step 1:
Place the eggs, sugar, coconut cream, vanilla, and lime zest into the mixing bowl. Whisk until everything is incorporated and you see small bubbles (air) in the mixture.
Step 2:
Add in the coconut flour and baking powder. Whisk until everything is mixed well.
Step 3:
Spread the batter evenly into a lined loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees (180 celsius) until done. Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes before adding the drizzle.
Step 4:
In a small bowl mix the powdered sugar with the lime juice until it is smooth with no lumps. Pour it over the cake and garnish it with grated lime zest.
How To Know When Your Lime Drizzle Loaf Is Done:
Every oven is different: convection, standard, gas, old, new, etc. Here is the rule of thumb: after 25 minutes begin the “toothpick test” in the center of the cake. Check every five minutes until the toothpick is clean (but a light crumb is okay).
Pro tip
Can I Make Lime Drizzle Cake With Gluten-Free Flour?
You can absolutely make this drizzle loaf with gluten-free flour – I highly recommend this one. Then, you only need to make the following two adjustments (this option is included in the recipe card below):
- increase the amount of gluten-free flour (coconut flour is more absorbent, therefore you need less)
- add an extra egg
More Gluten-Free Recipes:
What Can I Substitute For Coconut Cream?
There are two ingredients that I recommend for a substitution that will work with absorbent coconut flour*:
- Butter may be used in place of coconut cream in this recipe, and great news – they can be substituted 1:1 so you just keep the same measurement.
- Heavy Cream may also be used 1:1 for the coconut cream
However, if you want a more rich and tropical coconut flavor, keep the coconut cream in the recipe!
*(Both work for the keto version)
How Can I make Lime Drizzle Cake Keto-Friendly?
Well, as if by coincidence, this lime cake is already made up of mostly keto-friendly ingredients!
The only two ingredients you need to substitute to make this recipe keto are the granulated sugar used in the cake and the powdered sugar used for the drizzle.
Can’t believe it? Let’s have a look at the net carbohydrates in this drizzle cake:
| Ingredient | Net Carbs (per cup/90-gram serving) |
| Coconut Flour | 15 grams |
| Coconut Cream | 3 grams |
| Eggs | .7 grams |
| Fresh Lime juice* | 7.2 |
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What Can I Use As A Sugar Substitute?
You can substitute the granulated and powdered sugar with:
- erythritol – this is the most popular of keto sweetners. It is found naturally in fruit and has 60-70% the sweetness of sugar
- monkfruit sweetner – is derived from the monk fruit that is native to China. It is a 1:1 substitute for sugar.
- allulose – is a sugar found naturally in small amounts in foods like figs, wheat and raisins and is 70% as sweet as sugar.
I do not recommend stevia, or xylitol especially (dog owners beware) for different reasons:
- Stevia is a sweetener derived from the South American stevia plant, and is up to 400 times sweeter than sugar! It is too easy to over-measure as an ingredient in baking.
- Xylitol is found naturally in many fruits and probably tastes the closest to real sugar with only 40% of the calories and a 1:1 substitute for sugar. Sounds perfect right? However, xylitol is extremely poisionous for dogs – not worth it in my opinion if one were to accidentally eat some lime drizzle cake off the floor!
Do You Enjoy Keto Baking? Grab These Delicious Keto Dessert Recipes!
Can I Use a Cake Pan For The Lime Drizzle Cake Instead?
Yes, you can make this cake in a 9-inch cake pan and keep the same baking time (I know from experience). You can even do it in an 8-inch pan, just keep your eye on the baking time if it needs a bit longer.
This cake even works in a bundt pan with great results.
Just note that this will not be a “tall” cake because of the gluten-free and dense nature of coconut flour.
Can I Make A Drizzle Cake With Other Fruit?
Yes, but citrus fruits work best. I recommend trying orange, lemon, and even grapefruit!
Lime Drizzle Cake Recipe:
Tropical Lime Drizzle Cake (Dairy Free, Keto Option)
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ cup coconut flour (90 grams) (approx. 2¼ cups or 270 grams gluten-free flour)
- 1 cup coconut cream (250 grams) (can substitute equal parts butter or heavy cream)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams) (⅔ cup erythritol, ½ cup monk fruit, ¾ cup allulose)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla powder)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 limes (reserve the juice for the drizzle)
- zest of one lime
Lime Drizzle
- ½ cup lime juice (4 oz, 118 ml) (or the juice of two limes)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (130 grams) (or powdered sweetener of your choice)
- zest of one lime
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 375° (180° Celcius)
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the eggs, sugar, coconut cream, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients on medium speed until all of the ingredients are incorporated and you see little bubbles on the surface.
- Add the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix well until all ingredients are blended. The batter will be thick.
- Place your cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake and the top is golden brown. Allow the cake to cool no longer than 10 minutes before icing (you may remove the cake from the pan if you wish at this time).
Lime Drizzle
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the drizzle. Juice the limes into a bowl. Add the powdered sugar and stir until the glaze is slightly thick but still runny enough to drizzle.
- Pour the drizzle over the cake while it is still warm. Garnish with grated lime and allow it to cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
- The nutritional values above are for the recipe as written. To check values for substituted ingredients, you can visit a site like https://www.nutritionvalue.org/
- Limes come in different sizes and sometimes yield different amounts. Bottled lime juice will work as well if you do not have fresh, or if you need to compensate for the recipe.
- You may adjust the amounts of lime juice and powdered sugar according to your need or preference for the consistency of the drizzle.
Nutrition
Have you tried lime drizzle cake?
Will you be trying a keto version of this recipe?
Let me know in the comments!
Great content! Keep up the good work!
Author
Thank you very much! I am so glad you like the recipe. Please let me know if you give it a go!
That looks so tasty and I can’t believe it’s gluten free! This is on my to-do list now! Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!
Author
Thank you Denise! This gluten-free cake is heavenly, do make it and let me know how it turns out!😋