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Mini Coconut Heart Cakes – A Valentine’s Tribute to Edna Lewis
Love, legacy, and a little rum on the side.
There are coconut cakes… and then there’s Edna Lewis’ Coconut Lane Cake—a legendary, tender-crumbed beauty that tastes like Southern grace with a wink of kitchen rebellion. We took her iconic recipe and gave it the Moody Eater Valentine’s Day treatment: mini heart-shaped cakes, baked in silicone molds and served with a side of rum raisin ice cream, because—well, feelings.
Why This Cake Is the Main Character
We’re talking:
- Soft, snowy sponge that holds its shape and your secrets
- Just the right balance of sweet + light (thank you, egg whites)
- Mini molds that say “I love you” or “I forgive you” or “you’re cute but this is cake for me.”
- A coconut glaze so glossy, it deserves its own mood board
- Topped with red sprinkles and candied hearts because we don’t do subtle on this site
And that rum raisin ice cream sidekick? Bold, nostalgic, and probably writing a breakup poem in its Notes app.
A Nod to Edna Lewis
Edna Lewis wasn’t just a cookbook author—she was the matriarch of American Southern cooking. Her recipes don’t just feed; they hold cultural memory. This coconut cake is a classic example of her genius: deeply textured, simple to make, but layered with technique and care.
Turning this recipe into individual heart-shaped cakes was our way of saying:
"We see you, Miss Edna. We love you. And also—we had extra silicone molds." - Moody Eater
How We Made It Moody
- Used silicone heart molds instead of a full cake pan
- Decorated with coconut glaze, red sprinkles, and candy hearts
- Served with rum raisin ice cream because it’s giving emotional dessert core
- Shot it like it was a rom-com baking montage. Because it was.
Final Thoughts
Would we make these again?
Yes. Every Valentine’s. Every breakup. Every Sunday in February.
They’re soft, nostalgic, and respectful of Black culinary heritage—while still looking cute on a dessert plate next to a glass of prosecco and your ex’s unanswered texts.
So here’s to cake. To legacy. To coconut-flavoured love stories.
And to Edna Lewis, the original kitchen romantic.
#EdnaLewis #MiniCoconutCakes #ValentinesDessert #MoodyEater #HeartShapedCake #CoconutCake #RumRaisinIceCream #DiasporaDesserts
✰✰✰✰.5 star TRY
EDNA LEWIS’ FAMOUS COCONUT LANE CAKE (modified)
Equipment
- 2 small heart molds
- 2 Bowls
- immersion handmixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients
For COCONUT LANE CAKE
- 16 tbsp butter, 2 sticks at room temp
- 3½ cups cake flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup coconut milk, or regular milk, at room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups sugar
- 8 large egg whites, at room temperature
For COCONUT GLAZE
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice, can swap for lime juice
- 1 tsp coconut flakes, (optional)
Instructions
Making the Coconut Cake
- Preheat oven 325°F, grease and line with parchment paper three 9-inch pans. In small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- In another bowl mix milk and vanilla, set aside.
- In another bowl whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Then with an electric mixer on medium, mix sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Reduce speed and add flour and milk mixtures in 2 or 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour.
- Then mix in 1/3 of the egg whites in the batter. Fold in renaming egg whites until just incorporated.
- Pour into molds and bake until cakes are springy and edges slightly pull away from the sides, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove for oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then invert and cool completely before frosting.
For the Coconut Glaze
- In a bowl sift the icing sugar and salt together.
- Add coconut milk and lemon juice to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth, liquid texture. If too runny, add more icing sugar until desired consistency.
- Pour mixture over cakes. Add sprinkles, coconuts and red candy hearts for decoration. Let it set until glaze has hardened.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Please let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @moody.eater on Instagram and hashtag it #moodyeater #moodyeatersclub .
