You look like you could use a slice of coconut cake…
A big slice of soft coconut cake… for breakfast!
Yes, coconut cake for breakfast.
Cake so soft and crumbly and sweet, bursting with juicy pineapple and luxurious vanilla… You’ll feel as if you went to bed and woke up in paradise, and then you won’t want breakfast to end!
Above, glazed with coconut milk and Sugar-Free Powdered Sugar.
Brunch time!
This year, I celebrated Easter twice. Emily’s parents drove up on Saturday morning, and she and I hosted a fancy Easter brunch. (Emily is my friend with whom I share a house. I call her my roommate, but luckily we have our own rooms!)
And Emily made mimosas, as well as some non-vegan foods. It was quite a big mess to clean up afterwards. So many dishes…
Her parents loved the coconut cake and had two slices each, even though there was a ton of other food!
I was originally calling it coconut bread because it’s cooked in a loaf pan, but they said the recipe was so soft and cakey that it was more like a breakfast cake than a bread.
Coconut Breakfast Cake
(makes 1 large loaf)
- 1 cup spelt or white flour (or this: gluten-free version)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp Ener-g or 2 tbsp ground flax (If you must, you can omit. The loaf just won’t rise as much)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar, unrefined if desired, or xylitol
- 1/8 tsp uncut stevia OR 1/4 cup more sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) crushed pineapple, drained (You can sub ripe banana)
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk (see nutrition link below, for a lower-fat option)
- optional ingredients: chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts, shredded coconut, rum extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine dry and stir well. Mix dry into wet, but don’t overmix. Pour into a greased or sprayed loaf pan, and cook for 35-38 minutes. Let cool at least ten minutes before going around the sides with a knife and removing from loaf pan. As mentioned above, I used a simple glaze of the sugar-free powdered sugar mixed with a little leftover coconut milk. But my absolute favorite way to eat this recipe is spread with coconut butter! Store very loosely covered overnight, or cover with saran wrap and fridge for a few days. This cake/loaf tastes even better the longer it sits, because it keeps getting sweeter! This recipe freezes well.
Have you ever been to Hawaii?
Or any tropical location? We visited Hawaii a lot when I was little, because it was a good connecting point between Japan (where we lived) and the US. My other favorite tropical location is Thailand… one of the best things about these tropical locations is the plethora of tropical fruits, especially coconut! Side note: I also have a tab just for coconut recipes:
Link Of The Day:
Wow! This cake is amazing! I used chia seeds instead of flax, WW flour, really over ripe bananas instead of pineapple (only Stevia & 4Tbsp palm sugar b/c the bananas add sweetness) & added shredded coconut & walnuts. It’s soooooo moist with amazing flavor. Didn’t want to add extra sugar for a glaze (where on earth do you find unsweetened powdered sugar?) so I melted a bit of coconut oil & mixed it with some coconut milk, poked holes in cake, drizzled over top & sprinkled unsweetened coconut. A keeper!
instead of spelt flour and or white flour can I sub with coconut flour? and if so, is the ratio the same?
I made this this evening and it was delicious! Even my dad (who would normally turn his nose up at a healthy dessert) loved it! I made it in a circular cake tin instead of a loaf and reduced cooking time to 20 mins which worked perfectly. Also added some shredded coconut to the dry mix
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now – love it! Great flavours and hits the spot with a cup of tea. My version uses whole wheat pastry flour, banana and coconut sugar. After finding my first loaf a bit crumbly I have been adding 1 egg and that’s worked well. This loaf does not rise very high, but bakes nicely. I bring it to my gym for our after-workout treat and everyone loves it! Thanks!
Hi Katie! I have a question for you –
What is your opinion about erythritol? I noticed that a lot of your recipes call for xylitol, but the Whole Foods in Columbus, OH doesn’t have it! D: Can erythritol be used in place of xylitol?
Thanks for everything you are! I am completely addicted to your blog. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with (healthy) baking! 🙂
Hey Katie! I have decided to make this coconut cake because it looks absolutely scrumptious! I don’t understand what this means though: 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp xylitol or sugar (or brown sugar or coconut sugar are also fine.)
I don’t have xylitol so i have decided to use brown sugar. Now how much do I need to add? 1/4 cup or 2 tbsp. I don’t understand. Please heelppp!!
You use 1/4 cup brown sugar plus 2 tbsp brown sugar.
I just made your Big Fat Coconut Breakfast Cake. Wow! This is fabulous! The is worthy of a dessert being served to company who are omni’s. This is a keeper! Thank you.
Hey, I was just wondering if anyone had tried this with puréed strawberries and how it worked. Thanks!
i wwas just wondering how to crush pineapple…sleep deprived brain wanted to let toddler for at it with a toy wooden mallet. maybe i will have a coffee and pulse it in the vitamix 😉
Katie,
I made this recipe for Easter Sunday but made a few substitutions: Instead of crushed pineapple, I used sugarfree applesauce, then added dried pineapple and cranberries. The bright cranberries made the whole thing pop.
We served it with a tropical fruit medley of pineapple, papaya and mango, and everyone gobbled it down.