Vegan Coconut Cake + Black History Month Virtual Potluck

Last Updated on April 25, 2022 by Chenée Lewis

The best vegan coconut cake with a rich lime glaze! This egg and dairy free coconut cake recipe is a deliciously easy celebration dessert! And if you like this vegan coconut and lime cake, try my Vegan Olive Oil Cake with Lemon and Pistachio, my Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake, or my Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies!

*This post contains affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure for details*.

Vegan Coconut and Lime Cake Recipe

This egg and dairy free coconut cake recipe is a winner! It's so moist, buttery, and decadent, you'll have vegans and non-vegans alike coming back for seconds. And the flavor combination of coconut and lime is so perfect. Best of all, because this is a single layer vegan coconut and lime cake with a simple glaze, it's so easy to make!

Black History Month Virtual Potluck 2022: Afrofuturism

I’m proud to collaborate with more than 30 Black recipe developers as we celebrate Black History Month 2022. This Virtual Potluck explores Black food through the lens of Afrofuturism. Our collaboration of recipes explores the intersection of the Black diaspora via culture, future, geopolitics, imagination, liberation, culture, and technology.

Cook and share the inspiring recipes by checking out the list of participants below. Follow each participant and continue the discussion with us on social media using the hashtag #BHMVP2022!

What is Afrofuturism?

Afrofuturism is a fluid ideology shaped by generations of artists, musicians, scholars, and activists whose aim is to reconstruct “Blackness” in the culture ... The term was coined by Mark Dery in 1993 but birthed in the minds of enslaved Africans who prayed for their lives and the lives of their descendants along the horrific Middle Passage ... Afrofuturism evaluates the past and future to create better conditions for the present generation of Black people through the use of technology, often presented through art, music, and literature.

Taylor Crumpton, "Afrofuturism Has Always Looked Forward," Architectural Digest, August 24, 2020

How does this vegan coconut and lime cake explore Afrofuturism?

Past and Present: Coconut cake is a dessert with a rich history in the soul food tradition of Black people in the United States, often made with a buttery, decadent cake layers and cream cheese frosting. Its origins are with enslaved Africans and it has become a celebration dessert for generations of Black Americans.

Future: With this recipe, I aim to evoke the cherished tradition of soul food desserts like coconut cake, while looking ahead to a future that is more plant-based and health-conscious. Whereas soul food is often associated with decadent comfort foods heavy with meat and dairy, traditional foods throughout the African diaspora include colorful whole food ingredients, and fit perfectly with a plant-based diet. In fact, Black Americans are now the fastest-growing vegan demographic in the United States, citing health, ethical, and environmental reasons. So with this cake I aim to connect a cherished soul food tradition with the direction Black food is headed, and our conscious culinary future.

What is the meaning of coconut cake?

Coconut cake can trace its origins back to enslaved Africans in the southern United States, who brought with them the knowledge of working with coconuts. Coconut cake then became a part of plantation life for enslaved people, often given as a prize for the winner of a cakewalk. Over the years, coconut cake has become a favorite celebration dessert for Black Americans, and is a popular soul food dessert to this day.

How is vegan cake different?

This vegan coconut cake is different from a typical coconut cake because it's made without any animal products -- so no eggs, milk, or cream cheese. We're also using organic cane sugar instead of regular granulated sugar, which is often processed using animal products. We're also adding a bright boost of lime, which complements the coconut flavor so well and is another common ingredient in foods of the African diaspora.

Vegan Coconut Cake Topping

Instead of the traditional cream cheese frosting with sweetened shredded coconut, we're making this coconut milk cake with a simple coconut-lime glaze. It's easier to make and plant-based, but still rich and decadent the way coconut cake should be. And we'll top it with a layer of unsweetened shredded coconut to offset the sweetness of the glaze.

What is vegan coconut cake made of?

• egg replacer - I used Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer and I love how it give this cake the perfect texture! You can also use flaxseed meal to make a flax egg -- see instructions below!
• cake flour - using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour in this coconut milk cake gives it a softer, more tender crumb. You can also use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend to make this a vegan gluten free coconut cake! Make sure you measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale, or by using the spoon-and-level method.
• baking powder and baking soda - these leaveners help to add lift to this cake.
• lime zest - my favorite ingredient! The brightness of lime zest makes this vegan coconut and lime cake so unique and delicious!
• salt -  to bring out the flavor in this cake and cut the sweetness a bit.
• vegan butter - I used Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread for this dairy free coconut cake recipe. Make sure your vegan butter is room temperature before adding it in.
• organic cane sugar - to keep this recipe vegan, we're using organic cane sugar instead of regular granulated sugar.
• coconut extract - this is optional, but I think that coconut extract really helps to boost the coconut flavor in this coconut milk cake!
• vanilla extract - be sure to use a high-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
• canned full-fat coconut milk - make sure you shake the can before measuring it out. Or you can use coconut milk from a carton, which has a lower fat content.
• fresh lime juice - adds more lime flavor and works with the baking soda to create a lighter texture.

And to make that creamy lime glaze, you'll need:

• vegan-friendly powdered sugar - again, make sure that you measure your powdered sugar by weight or with the spoon-and-level method.
• lime zest - to add more bright lime flavor to the glaze!
• coconut milk - using coconut milk creates a creamy glaze with more coconut flavor!
• unsweetened shredded coconut - traditional coconut cake is covered in a layer of sweetened shredded coconut, but I love using unsweetened shredded coconut in baking so that I can regulate the level of sweetness. On this cake, unsweetened coconut works perfectly with the sweet glaze.

Equipment

Part of why this dairy free coconut cake is so simple is because it's made with such simple tools! You'll only need a hand mixer and mixing bowls to whip up your cake batter, and one 8-inch cake pan to bake your cake! I also always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients by weight and a wire rack to cool your finished cake!

Tips and F.A.Q.

More Vegan Recipes You'll Love

• Vegan Couscous Salad with Charred Corn
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chunks
• Almond Lemon Cookies
• Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Banana and Cacao
• Strawberry Banana Sorbet

Full List of #BHMVP2022 Participants

Fonio Bundt Cake with Hibiscus Glaze by A Classic Twist
Collard Green Hand Pies by A Girl Called Adri
Sweet Potato Wedges with Peanut Dipping Sauce by Big Delicious Life
Sweet Potato Biscuits by Black Girls Who Brunch
Chicken Plantains and Vegetables by Black Peoples Recipes
Bobo de Camarao (Brazilian Shrimp Stew) by Brazilian Kitchen Abroad
Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart with Candied Peanuts by Britney Breaks Bread
Vegan Coconut Cake with Lime Glaze by Chenée Today
Fried Green Tomato BLT by Coined Cuisine
Shrimp Po' Boy Salad by Collards Are The Old Kale
Warm Brewed Zobo Drink by Dash of Jazz
Sorrel Martini Popsicles by Dish It With Tisha
Fish Patties with Pontchartrain Sauce by Dude That Cookz
Stuffed Shrimp & Grit Collard Green Rolls by Fior
Spicy Berbere Lentil Chili by Flights and Foods
Sankofa Bowl w/ Suya Duck Breast by Food Fidelity
Brown Stew Pineapple Chicken with Roasted Groundnuts by Geo's Table
Champurrado Custard by Global Kitchen Travels
Caribbean Fish and Chips with Tamarind Sauce by Heal Me Delicious
Curry crab stuffed dumplings by Home Made Zagat
Nigerian Chapman Cocktail by Immaculate Ruému
Dragon Fruit Pineapple Rum Punch by Jamieson Diaries
Smothered Okra & Tomatoes by Kenneth Temple
Brown Butter Sombi -  Coconut Rice Pudding Brulee by Meiko And The Dish
Coffee and Bourbon Braised Short Ribs by My Pretty Brown Fit + Eats
Fig Cake with Tamarind Glaze by My Sweet Precision
Coconut-Lime Cornmeal Tres Leches Cake by Savor and Sage
Salmorejo (Stewed Crab) over Garlic Grits by Sense & Edibility®   
Mango Cake and Coconut Cream by Sims Home Kitchen
Sous Vide Ox Tail with Coconut Rice by Sweet Tea + Thyme
Yam Gnocchi served with Oxtail Peppersoup by The Food Disciple
Brown Butter Brulé Bean Pie by The Queen of Yum
Black Eyed Pea And Cornbread by The Vgn Way