The Best Coconut Loaf Cake

This coconut loaf cake is buttery and full of coconut flavor! It’s easy to make and has a 3 ingredient homemade coconut glaze poured over the top. The perfect recipe for brunch and Easter!

In the fall we are obsessed with making our pumpkin loaf and starting in spring, we’re all about using coconut in our recipes! The tropical flavor makes us excited for warmer days, sitting outside with a coconut rum pineapple popsicle or a coconut margarita in hand and enjoying the beautiful spring evenings!

If you’re looking for a deliciously, sweet and buttery bread to add to your spring menu you must try this coconut loaf cake! It’s the perfect dessert to add to your brunch menu.

You may also love our monkey bread recipe as well as monkey bread muffins for brunch too!

Coconut Loaf Cake Video

What Is a Loaf Cake?

A loaf cake is a buttery, moist cake. It usually features fruit flavors such as strawberry, pumpkin, and, in this case, coconut. Then it’s usually topped with a glaze or icing and served at room temperature.

It gets its name because it’s made in a bread loaf pan.

How to Make a Coconut Loaf Cake

Ingredients

• Butter – Unsalted butter. Use good quality butter when making this recipe.

• Granulated Sugar – Used to sweeten this loaf cake.

• All-Purpose Flour – We love King Arthur Flour for our recipes.

• Baking Powder – This helps the loaf rise.

• Eggs – Use organic eggs if possible. Eggs help stablize and add moisture to the recipe.

• Vanilla Extract + Almond Extract – Both should be pure extracts.

• Unsweetened Coconut Milk – Canned coconut milk is great.

• Shredded Coconut – Any brand of shredded coconut you like.

• Salt – Enhances the flavor of other ingredients.

Tip: Leave a small amount of parchment paper hanging out for easy removal of the loaf.

Tips for Making a Loaf Cake

• Always use the highest quality ingredients when making loaf cake. This means, whole butter, good flour, organic eggs, and good quality extracts.

• Use a ceramic loaf pan for even baking.

• We estimate the cooking time to be 60-70 minutes. However, everyone’s oven is different so check the loaf after 50 minutes. Always use a toothpick to check the center before removing the loaf from the oven.

• Use room temperature ingredients when possible.

• Always scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

The pan you use affects the cooking time. Glass, tin, or ceramic are all completely different materials and the cooking time will vary depending on this.

We personally like the ceramic loaf pan and the cake does bake a little quicker when using it. The bottom line is, bake the cake until it’s done! The middle will rise and the cake will be done.

How to Make Coconut Glaze

The coconut glaze is created with only 3 simple ingredients, one bowl, and no mixer! It’s poured over the top of the loaf and adds a little extra sweetness and flavor.

If you don’t want to make this glaze, you can also try our homemade caramel sauce over the top.

Ingredients for Coconut Glaze

Coconut Milk – Use the leftover milk in the can from the loaf.

Confections’ Sugar – Used to sweeten glaze and frostings.

Vanilla Extract – Enhances and adds flavor.

Pro Tip – Use canned coconut milk as it’s different from the coconut milk you drink in the carton. Canned is thicker and has more coconut fat.

Removing the Loaf Cake

When the loaf cake is done, you serve it from the pan, with the glaze poured over the top OR remove the loaf cake from the pan, serve it on a small platter and pour the glaze over it.

The easiest way to remove the loaf cake is by pulling it up on the two sides of the parchment paper. This is why we always suggest leaving a small amount at the top to grab for easy removal.

How can you tell if a cake is done without a toothpick?

Insert the toothpick into the center of the cake and if the toothpick comes out clean the cake is done. If it comes out with batter, the cake needs more time to cook.

If you take the loaf out too early it will fall in the center. However, we personally do like to take it out about a minute before it is fully done cooking so it’s not overcooked.

Additionally, you don’t have to have a toothpick to test the center. A clean sharp knife will work as well.

Loaf Pan

A loaf pan is a rectangular pan that is used for baking bread and loaves. If you like to bake, it’s a good idea to invest in one good loaf pan that you will have forever.

Our favorite is Emile Henry’s ceramic pan. It’s made from Burgundian clay, which absorbs, distributes, and retains heat evenly, so bread and casseroles bake and brown to perfection.

When to Serve this Coconut Loaf Cake

This buttery loaf cake is perfect for so many occasions! Here are a few of our favorites:

Easter Brunch

Easter

Tea Party

Spring Snack

Mother’s Day Brunch

Potluck

What to Serve with Coconut Loaf Cake

We love this recipe year-round! Here are some recipes you can serve with this coconut bread:

• Fruit platter and fruit dip.

• Any of these delicious brunch recipes.

• Smoothies

• Serve it with one of our fabulous brunch cocktail recipes!

Frequently Asked Questions

The challenge that every baker faces is learning how to get each of their favorite recipes perfect. This often takes years of practice. Many bakers will tell you some recipes are more fickle than others.

How, for example, do you make the perfect coconut loaf cake? What prevents it from drying out in the oven? What’s the best pan to bake it in?

These are excellent questions that experienced bakers ask themselves before starting a new recipe. Read on for some great baking tips and answers to your coconut loaf questions.

Is Loaf Cake the Same as Pound Cake?

No, loaf cake and pound cake are not the same. A pound cake gets its name from the traditional way of making it. This requires a pound of each ingredient to make the batter.

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