Remember belting out, “I’ve got a love-uh-lee bunch of coconuts (dee-duh-lee-dee),” as a shameless teenager? While the ditty was amusing to sing, I never actually wanted my own set of coconuts standing in a row. Coconut milk made me nauseous, (virgin) piña coladas made me gag, and the actual coconut was so hairy and gross that I wanted to attack it with a razor.
Even all of our childhood vacation to Kauai failed to change my mind. My family could down as many coconut ice cream cones and smoothies as they wanted; I stuck to my mango, guava, or passion fruit desserts.
So when I consciously and purposefully tossed a bag of shredded sweetened coconut into my cart at the grocery store last week—and then paid for it—I was more than a little surprised with myself. “What am I going to do with an entire – oz bag of… coconut??” I wondered.
Well, after three batches of this coconut loaf cake, the bag disappeared completely. And I only made the second two because I ate the first loaf in one sitting, all by mself! Bet you can’t resist either…
Coconut Loaf Cake
serves 8-10
After I finished off the first loaf so quickly, I began baking the later batches into mini-loaves to avoid the temptation. Reduce the baking time by about 10 minutes if you do this, but check the loaves often depending on your oven.
2 tbsp butter, softened
½ + 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
2 eggs
1¼ c. flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ c. milk
½ c. shredded sweetened coconut
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 13×9” loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the extracts, mixing well to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix in the shredded coconut, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Hi Amy,
I was wondering if this would make a nice grown-up birthday cake. My boyfriend is in love with coconut, so this sounds like he would love it. Also, do you have any frosting recipes or ideas that would pair well with this?
Thanks so much!!
You’re so kind to bake your boyfriend a birthday cake Cassidy! If he loves coconut, I think he would like this cake. For a vanilla frosting, I’d use the one included in this recipe, and for chocolate, I love this recipe. If he’s more of a fruit fan, I also have a raspberry frosting recipe that would be fun! I really hope both of you enjoy the cake!
Hi, Amy! Cannot wait to try this, but I must get coconut extract first. Is the sugar 1/2 CUP + 1/3 CUP? Wanted
to make sure. Bet this will be my favorite even more than the carrot cake oatmeal cookies , which are
heavenly ! Thank you so much for healthier recipes. ♥
Yes, that’s correct! The sugar is 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup, or 5/6 cup total. I’m excited to hear what you think of the loaf cake, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying the carrot cake oatmeal cookies Bre! 🙂 (P.S. If you love those cookies, you’re in for a treat with my next recipe coming tomorrow morning!)
Hi, Amy,
I’m testing your recipes, one by one, to take a break from heavy workload (I’m a translator).
Now it’s the coconut cake’s turn. Delicious. Moist and light.
I will certainly make it again.
Do you know it resembles a recipe by Emily Dickinson? Apparently she liked coconut (she spelled it cocoanut) very much.
Cheers!
Oh my, you must have so much patience to be a translator Agnes! That sounds very involved. I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, and thank you for sharing that little tidbit about Emily Dickinson — I had no idea! 🙂
Do you use white whole wheat flour or regular all purpose flour? Can’t wait to make this, looks delish!!
I used regular all-purpose flour in this recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of it Alicia!
Thanks Amy!! Would it be ok if I used the white whole wheat flour instead? How would I adjust the recipe to do so? Also, would the directions be the same if I wanted to make these into muffins/cupcakes instead of a loaf/mini loaves? Thanks in advance for any helpful information!!
Yes, you can do both! The white whole wheat flour would just be a 1-to-1 substitute. The baking temperature will remain the same for muffins/cupcakes, but they’ll probably finish baking sooner. I can’t wait to hear how they turn out Alicia!
Thank you SO MUCH for the quick responses! Can’t wait to try this recipe tomorrow and some of your other recipes soon after!!
My pleasure Alicia! I’m looking forward to hearing how this turns out — and what else you try! 🙂
Hey Amy! Was wondering if I could substitute brown sugar for the white. Thanks! Looking forward to making this 🙂
Yes, brown sugar will work just fine! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake Nada!
Amy;
Hi,Ijust copied down your coconut loaf cake recipe and iIam going to bake it in the mini muffin pan to make mini muffin cakes. I was wondering what kind of icing can I use on top of these little muffin cakes?
How long can these muffin cakes be in a container?can these muffins or coconut loaf cakes be put in the freezer?
Kim
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kim! The cupcakes will keep for at least 2 days if stored in an airtight container on your counter or at least 6 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can be frozen, although it works best if they’re unfrosted. The best way to find a specific frosting/icing recipe is to use the Search Bar (located on the right side, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe!
Amy;
Hi,I am going to make your coconut loaf soon,I have all of the ingredients except for the coconut extract and the sweetened coconut flakes,and when I go to one of the grocery stores here in the city where my family and I live,I am going to make your loaf the same day after I get home.I will let you know what we think of your loaf after I bake it in the oven.I am going to invite my aunt and three cousins to our house and we will share your loaf with them.
I have a mini loaf pan that has eight little loaf sections in it to make mini coconut loafs in the pan.
Do I have to double your recipe to make the little mini loafs?do you have a healthy coconut frosting or a vanilla or a chocolate frosting recipe that is safe for diabetics or borderline pre diabetics to have on top of your loafs or even on cupcakes?
Kim
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kim! I haven’t used a loaf pan like what you described, but I have a feeling that you may want to double the recipe for your loaf pan. 🙂 I’ve already shared my chocolate frosting recipe with you (from my funfetti cupcakes!), and that would be fabulous with this! I can’t wait to hear what you and your family think of this recipe!
Amy;
Hi,I was just wondering if I could use coconut sugar in your coconut cake recipe instead of sugar?I am going to buy the ingredients to make this cake for my family,aunt and three cousins at the end of this month.I will let you know we all think of your cake.I will also make a second coconut cake and freeze it and we can eat the first cake.
Kim
Yes, you can definitely substitute coconut sugar in this cake! It’ll make the cake turn out a deep brown color, rather than pale yellow like it appears in these photos, but the flavor will remain the same. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you and your family think of this cake Kim!
Amy;
Hi,I now have all of the ingredients to make your coconut loaf and I am going to make the mini coconut loaves on Monday and I will let you know what my family and I think of your loaf or loaves on Monday after I bake these loaves and start eating them OK.I might even find a healthy Hawaiian smoothie to go with your loaves.
Kim