Coconut Loaf Cake with Coconut Milk

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This is a coconut packed cake. The coconut flakes in the cake batter add a lovely texture to this loaf cake, unlike most other recipes which only use coconut milk to add coconut flavor to their cakes. You get to taste the coconut flakes in the cake.
• This is a very easy to make cake, even beginner bakers can make it without a problem.
• The cake is great on its own, so if you are not into frosting and would like a simple loaf cake, this will be a great cake to try!

📋Ingredients

Cake

• Butter - I used salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add an extra small pinch of salt into the recipe.
• Granulated white sugar (caster sugar) - fine sugar works best for this recipe.
• All purpose flour + salt + baking powder - mix these ingredients well and sift before adding to the cake.
• Shredded coconut (unsweetened) - use unsweetened version to avoid the cake from becoming too sweet.
• Coconut milk - this can be purchased in cans or cartons. Look for coconut milk and not coconut water or coconut cream.
• Eggs - Use large eggs.
• Vanilla extract - adds a lovely aroma and flavor for the cake.

Lemon glaze topping:

• Icing sugar / powdered sugar (sifted) - sift the sugar first to break all lumps.
• Lemon juice - strain and remove the seeds and pulp.
• Warm water - use drinking or filtered water.

🧾Substitution and variations

• If you are using unsalted butter, you will need to add an extra small pinch of salt in the recipe.
• Shredded coconut can be replaced with fresh grated coconut. Use in the exact same quantity and make sure it is not sweetened.
• Coconut milk can be replaced with coconut cream. But you will need to dilute it first with water. For every 2 parts of coconut cream, mix with one part of water. If it is too thick, you can add more water until it is of milk consistency.
• Lemon juice can be replaced with lime juice. You can also add some grated lemon zest or grated lime zest (rind) to the glaze if you like.
• To make a layer cake, double the recipe below and bake in two 7 inches round tins and 6 inches square tins. Sandwich with buttercream or your frosting of choice.
• For extra coconut flavor, add half a teaspoon of coconut extract along with vanilla extract.

Mixing the cake batter

1. The making process for this coconut cake loaf is similar to making a pound cake. Start by creaming the butter on medium speed in a large bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar, and continue beating until they turn light and fluffy.
2. Because the proportion of sugar to butter in this recipe is almost double, to ease the creaming process, add half of the coconut milk in the recipe to the butter and sugar mixture and beat them all until they become all fluffy. For the measurement given in the recipe below, this process should take about 2 minutes.
3. Next, add the eggs, one at a time. Beat them well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through.
4. And then the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) should go in to the creamed wet ingredients, alternately with the remaining coconut milk. If your butter or eggs are not at room temperature, the coconut cake batter will tend to cuddle at this stage and that is fine.
5. Next, add the vanilla extract followed by the coconut. Mix well.
6. Pour batter into a prepared loaf pan. Grease the cake tin and line it with parchment paper for easy release of the coconut cake after baking.

Making the simple lemon glaze icing

• Sift the powdered sugar into a small or medium mixing bowl.
• Add the lemon juice and water and mix well.
• Pour the icing into a piping bag, and snip the tip to drizzle it onto the top of the cake.
• Use a sharp knife to slice the coconut cake.

🍽️Serving & storage

• The cake can last at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days. Keep it in an airtight container. If you wish to keep longer, refrigerate the cake for up to one week.

💡Expert tips

• The baking time plays an important factor is the success of this coconut cake. Because of the shredded coconut in the batter, this cake will have soft crumbs. However, its moist texture keeps the cake together. Over baking can result in the coconut loaf cake becoming too crumbly.
• When checking for doneness, remove the cake from the oven as soon as a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few soft crumbs attached to it. Waiting for a stage where the skewer comes out totally clean maybe a little too late for a moist coconut cake. 
• Use a sharp knife to cut the cake - Because of the rather long stands of coconut (shredded coconut) in the cake, cutting the cake requires one to use a sharp knife that would cut through the coconut shreds. A not so sharp knife will not be able to cut through the shreds resulting in rather crumbly cake slices.

💭FAQs