Lime and Coconut Cake

I was asked to bring dessert to a friend's house and had no idea what to make. Smitten Kitchen to the rescue - I knew we had a lot of limes sitting around, and some desiccated coconut from one of A's pancake recipes that needed using, and voilà, this lime and coconut cake fit the bill perfectly. The coconut flavor is quite mild - it's the lime that really brings this cake to life. I liked the rum in the icing as well - it made the whole thing feel a little more grown up.

Lime and Coconut Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup desiccated coconut
1 stick (113.5 grams) salted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime zest (I used zest of 1 lime)
2 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided (this was the juice of 2 limes for me)
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon rum (optional)

Preheat oven to 170°C/350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a round cake pan (mine was 24cm but I think smaller might be better since the cake seemed kind of thin).

Toast coconut in a small baking pan in oven, stirring once or twice, until golden, 5 minutes. Cool. Leave oven on.

Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir together flour and 1/2 cup coconut (reserve remainder for topping). Stir together milk and 2 tablespoons lime juice. At low speed, mix flour and milk mixtures into egg mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour.

Spoon batter into pan and smooth top. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 minutes. Cool to warm, then turn out of pan and discard parchment.

Whisk together confectioners sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and rum (if using) and pour over cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.