Irresistibly Buttery Coconut Loaf Cake

 

I don’t know what it is about spring, but the moment the days grow warmer, I start craving coconut cake. Perhaps it goes back to my childhood. Every Easter, our neighbor baked those classic molded lamb cakes and blanketed them in snowy shredded coconut. They always looked hideous, but there was something about a cake that stood on its own that intrigued me.

Over the years I’ve shared plenty of coconut cake recipes here—each one different, each one delicious, and every single one easy enough for a relaxed weekend bake. This version, though, is my current obsession. Baked in a simple 9×5 loaf pan, it’s extra buttery, deeply flavorful, and laced with coconut milk and three kinds of extracts. If you like coconut as much as I do, you are going to love this!

Buttery Coconut Loaf Cake

Cake:

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1½ c. sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

½ t. vanilla extract

½ t. almond extract

½ t. coconut extract

1½ c. flour

½ t. baking powder

¾ t. kosher salt

½ c. unsweetened coconut milk

1 c. sweetened shredded coconut

 

Coconut Glaze:

1 c. confectioners’ sugar

⅓ c. unsweetened coconut milk

½ t. vanilla extract

½ t. coconut extract

Extra shredded coconut, for sprinkling

 

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan generously with Baker’s Joy and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

While the butter and sugar are beating, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, almond, and coconut extracts. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the coconut milk. Begin and end with the flour. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then gently fold in the shredded coconut.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 60–75 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan and cool completely before glazing.\

 

 Coconut Glaze

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, coconut milk, vanilla, and coconut extract until smooth and pourable. Drizzle generously over the cooled cake and immediately sprinkle with extra shredded coconut.

Slice thick, serve with coffee or tea, and enjoy every coconutty bite. This loaf keeps beautifully for days—though in my house it rarely lasts that long. 

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Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Maple Bourbon Glaze

 

Generally speaking, I get a craving for pumpkin in mid-August, which is why you’ll find a lot of pumpkin recipes here on the blog during that time. I got the same craving this past August, bought quite a few cans of pumpkin purée, and then I never got around to using them. That changed last weekend when I was a whirling dervish in the kitchen. Over the course of three days, I spent about 24 hours on my feet in the kitchen experimenting with recipes. This one is delish! It’s good at breakfast, brunch, as a dessert at dinner, or any old time of the day. I found that it tasted better the second day, so that makes it wonderfully make ahead.Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Maple Bourbon Glaze

1¾ c. flour

1 t. baking soda

2 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

1/8 t. ground cloves

½ t. kosher salt

½ c. vegetable oil

½ c. sugar

½ c. packed dark brown sugar

1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree

2 large eggs, room temperature

¼ c. milk, room temperature

Crumb Topping

¾ c. flour

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. packed brown sugar

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

6 T. unsalted butter, melted

Maple Icing

1½ c. confectioners’ sugar

2 T. pure maple syrup

2 T. bourbon

 Preheat oven to 425°F. Line  an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2” overhang on two sides; spray with nonstick spray. .

 For the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.

 Pour into prepared pan.

 For the topping: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Stir in melted butter with a fork until crumbs form.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 30-40 minutes.

Lift cake from pan using parchment paper overhang and place on serving plate. Slide the parchment out from beneath the cake and drizzle on glaze.

 Make the glaze: Whisk glaze ingredients together until combined and smooth. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I think this tastes better on Day Two.

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