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A slice of coconut loaf cake on a plate with the loaf next to it.

Coconut Loaf Cake

5 from 2 votes
A simple not-too-sweet coconut loaf cake with flaked coconut, adapted from a recipe by Bill Granger.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Australian
Calories: 374
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled sightly

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper sling for easy removal.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 large eggs, 1 ½ cups whole milk, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamonand sugar. Add 1 ½ cups unsweetened flaked coconut and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, pour in the egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter and stir until just smooth.
  4. Pour the batter into the pan smooth the top. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Make it gluten-free: Substitute a gluten-free 1:1 flour by weight for the all-purpose flour to make a gluten-free coconut cake.
  • Dairy free: Subsitute non-dairy milk and butter for the milk and butter. Or try melted coconut oil.
  • Add frosting: King Arthur Flour's coconut loaf cake recipe calls for adding cream cheese frosting, which looks delicious! You could also try a chocolate buttercream frosting.
  • Serving ideas: Whipped cream, coconut cream, fresh fruit like sliced strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries, a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, or a scoop of ice cream.