Soft, fluffy and zesty vegan avocado cake with the tropical flavors of lime and coconut. This decadent cake is decorated with an avocado ganache, quick raspberry jam and vanilla lime buttercream.

Cross section of light green colored cake with raspberry jam in middle. Cake is covered in green and white icing.

What to expect from this cake

TASTE/TEXTURE: This cake tastes like a tropical holiday with a hint of avocado. It’s superbly fluffy and moist!

DIFFICULTY: The sponge cake layers and buttercream are straightforward to make. Typical of white chocolate ganaches, the avocado ganache is a little finicky. However, I’ve provided a few tips in the blog post below.

Alternatively, check out my vegan avocado muffins or avocado strawberry smoothie!

Ingredients you’ll need

Flat-lay of ingredients for avocado lime coconut cake.

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Notes about the ingredients

Ripe avocado makes the cake extra velvety and moist.

Lime juice and lime zest. I added lots of lime juice/zest for the best flavor but not too much that it weighs down the avocado cake (yes, citrus can do that!).

Coconut extract complements the lime without changing the texture of the cake. I experimented with dried coconut and coconut milk and don’t recommend them for this recipe.

Green food coloring (optional) makes the cake a pretty green color! Without the food color, your cake will be a light pastel green.

TIP: Don’t be tempted to add more avocado or lime juice as it will make the cake dense and stodgy.

Making the cake batter

The avocado cake batter comes together in one bowl!

If you have a stick blender, puree all the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Alternatively, use a stand blender or food processor to puree the ingredients, then transfer the mixture to a bowl. Just make sure that there are no chunks of avocado!

The color of your avocado mixture will be similar to the color of your final cake. So, feel free to add more coloring if desired!

Then add all your dry ingredients and mix until the mixture is well combined.

Four image collage showing how to make batter in one bowl.

Baking the cake

The avocado cake layers usually take 30 minutes to bake. If you insert a toothpick in the middle, it should come out relatively clean. If your toothpick has a few moist crumbs on it, that’s fine but there shouldn’t be any wet batter.

The cake will deflate a little when you take it out of the oven and that’s okay!

TIP: If you own cake strips, I recommend using them for this cake. The cakes dome a little but the flatter the cakes, the better they’ll be for stacking!

Two image collage showing before and after green cake has been baked.

Making the avocado ganache

White chocolate ganache is notoriously fiddly and more temperamental than regular chocolate ganache. If it’s too warm, it will drip to the bottom of the cake. If it’s too thick, it won’t drip much. My top tips are:

  • Make sure your ganache is slightly warmer than room temperature
  • Definitely test your ganache on the side of a bowl or cup or do one test drip on the side of your cake. If your ganache drips too far, let it cool for a few minutes. If it doesn’t drip much, microwave your ganache in 10 second increments.

If you want to make the ganache but don’t want to fuss around, I recommend using for just the top of your avocado cake. Pour the ganache on top and spread it with a spatula or spoon :).

Fully decorated cake focusing on green colored ganache.

Preparing the jam filling

You can use store-bought jam or make a homemade cheat jam using 3 ingredients. Just make sure that the jam is thick so it doesn’t ooze out of the cake.

If you use store-bought jam, I strongly recommend cooking it with cornstarch on the stovetop to thicken it.

Before you spoon your jam in your cake, I suggest creating a ‘dam’ of frosting. This ensures the jam doesn’t leak out the cake and down the sides. You can see how to pipe a ‘frosting dam’ in this helpful post by Life, Love and Sugar.

Close up of one slice of avocado cake.

Decorating the cake

You’re welcome to decorate this cake in whatever way you wish. However, to achieve the look of the cake in the pictures, here are my top tips:

  • Prepare all the components (jam, buttercream and ganache) before you start decorating the cake.
  • Make sure your cake layers are chilled or at room temperature. Warm cakes melt frosting!
Slice of cake on plate showing distinct layers.

Customizing the cake

Can I use baby spinach instead of green food coloring?

You can, however, spinach makes the cake denser just like my avocado muffins and affects the flavor. If you use spinach, I recommend using 1/2 cup (15g) and blending it with the avocado.

Can I replace the oil with more avocado?

Yes, however, the cake will be much denser and almost muffin-like.

Can I replace the sugar with banana or applesauce?

I don’t recommend any additional fruit to this recipe. I have tried this and it resulted in thick dense lines at the bottom of the cake.

More avocado desserts

Close up of avocado muffin focusing on top which has dark and white chocolate chips and chopped pistachios.

Vegan Avocado Muffins
Tall glass with a layer of red strawberry puree, milk and green avocado milk. All layers are slightly merged with each other.

Avocado Strawberry Smoothie

Avocado Chocolate Tart
Vegan pistachio cake on rustic platter with ingredients in foreground and background

Vegan Pistachio Lemon Avocado Cake

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Cross section of light green colored cake with raspberry jam in middle. Cake is covered in green and white icing.
5 from 3 reviews

Vegan Avocado Lime Cake

Yield: 16 serves
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Author: Anthea
Soft, fluffy and zesty vegan avocado cake with the tropical flavors of lime and coconut. This decadent cake is decorated with an avocado ganache, quick raspberry jam and vanilla lime buttercream.
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Ingredients

Cake Wet ingredients

  • 1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk
  • ~1 (200g) large avocado, or 2 medium avocados (weighed after removing the skin and seed, note 1)
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup (165g) neutral flavored oil
  • 3 tablespoons (45g) lime juice, (note 2)
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon green food coloring, as needed (optional, note 3)

Cake Dry ingredients

Buttercream frosting

Raspberry jam filling (note 5 for store-bought jam)

  • 1 cup (125g) fresh or frozen raspberries, or strawberries, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar, or any light coloured sweetener, to taste
  • 1 ½ tablespoon (11g) cornstarch / corn flour

Avocado ganache

To decorate (optional)

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease or line 2 x 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.

Make the vegan avocado lime coconut cake:

  • Add all the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and blend with a stick blender. Alternatively, blend all the wet ingredients in a stand blender or food processor, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until well combined. A few small lumps are fine, as long as they aren't lumps of dry flour.
  • Divide the cake batter into your prepared cake pans.
  • Bake the cakes for around 30-35 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. A few crumbs on the toothpick are fine.
  • Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the buttercream:

  • Add the vegan butter to a large bowl or stand mixer and beat until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar, lime juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add more sugar for a firmer frosting or more lime juice (or dairy-free milk) for a softer frosting. Set aside until needed.

Make the quick jam:

  • Add all ingredients and a dash of water to a small saucepan and stir until combined. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes while stirring and mashing the berries. Add more water for a thinner jam or cook longer for a thicker jam.
  • When the jam has thickened, set aside to cool. It will thicken more while it cools.

Make the avocado ganache (optional):

  • Melt the coconut cream in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat. Add the white chocolate and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes to soften the chocolate. Mix until combined.
  • Add the avocado to the mixture. Blend with a stick blender or stand blender until smooth.
  • Allow the ganache to cool until it's a drizzle consistency. If needed, add a dash of milk to thin the ganache or more coconut cream to thicken the ganache. You'll need to work with the ganache quickly.

Assemble the cake:

  • Use a serrated knife to cut the domes off the cakes, if any. Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
  • Spread or pipe around ¾ cup of buttercream on the cake. If you're using the jam, create a 'frosting dam' then spread the raspberry jam in the middle. Place the remaining cake on top. Spread around 1 ½ cups of frosting around the tops and sides of the cake.
  • Optional: Drizzle the avocado ganache down the sides of the cake. If the ganache is too thick, warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave (see the blog post for more tips). Pipe the remaining frosting on top of the cake. Decorate the rest of the cake, as desired.
  • Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge. Allow the cake to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

Notes

  1. I strongly recommend weighing the avocado flesh. Avocados vary a lot in size and adding too much avocado will make the cake dense.
  2. You’ll need approx 2-3 medium limes for the cake and buttercream combined.
  3. All brands of food coloring vary in intensity so you may need to adjust accordingly. If you use a green coloring gel, I suggest using less than 1/8 teaspoon. Alternatively, you can use 1/2 – 1 cup of baby spinach leaves if you don’t mind a denser cake. Puree the spinach with the avocado mixture.
  4. Vegan spreadable margarine (in a tub) will create a much softer frosting. If you only have access to this, I recommend increasing the amount of powdered sugar (for stability), minimizing or omitting the lime juice and keeping your cake chilled until 1-2 hours before serving. You can also add some vegan shortening to your frosting to make it more stable.
  5. Alternatively, use 160 grams of store-bought jam and 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch. Mix them in a saucepan and cook until thickened.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 slice of cake without decorations, Calories: 250kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Sodium: 119mg, Potassium: 91mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 1mg
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