Now, you all know I love a good sweet loaf (don’t get me started on banana bread!), but I’m also quite partial to a lovely light and moist piece of teacake with a cuppa when a friend pops around. So how about we combine the two?
This Raspberry and Coconut Loaf provides the best of both worlds, still a loaf (tick!), but also surprisingly light and summery thanks to the coconut, raspberries and lemon (tick! tick!). In fact, I’m pretty sure you could substitute the berries for any delicious summer stone fruit you have on hand…arghhh juicy peaches anyone?
The loaf is gluten-free thanks to the use of coconut flour, which surprisingly really ‘works’ in this case. Why am I surprised? Well because coconut flour and I are not usually friends. It glides in as the new ‘it’ flour, which you attempt to use in your baking, until you realise it’s a greedy bast#$% and sucks the life out of you cake batter (it’s super absorbent), turning your baking efforts into a veritable, albeit gluten free, disaster! Generally the outcome is crumbly-dense-nothing-like-you-had-anticipated baked goods.
It does, however, work well in recipes…if you know WHEN and HOW to use it. Don’t go subbing out your wheat flour for the same quantity of coconut (hashtag disaster), but it works wonders when you need something to suck up a little extra liquid in a runny batter or when you are willing to pour a bucket load of eggs, oil and milk into your batter to ‘Make. It. Work. Dammit.’ In all cases you will need less coconut flour then you would wheat flour. I read somewhere that the substitution ratio is usually 1/3 cup for every cup of wheat flour, but then again be mindful that because coconut flour is not only super absorbent but also free of gluten, it will not work in many recipes.
I think I’ve been too hard on dear coco flour, I’m going to give it a second chance, even if it’s only to make 100 versions of this loaf.
Happy baking people!
Raspberry and Coconut Loaf
Makes 1 loaf.
1 cup coconut flour
½ cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup natural yoghurt
2/3 cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup maple syrup
3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
½ tsp vanilla bean powder (or 1 tsp of vanilla extract)
1 medium lemon, finely grated rind
1.5 cups of frozen raspberries (or any other berries)
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Grease and line a loaf tin (approx. 12 x 22 cm) with baking paper.
In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients (coconut flour, coconut, bicarbonate soda).
In another large bowl, whisk together the yoghurt and milk. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients (olive oil, eggs, maple) and whisk again to combine
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and stir until mixture thickens. (Please note: It will appear as if you have flooded the mixture with liquid, but coconut flour is a liquid greedy guts and will soak all that goodness up after a few seconds).
Gently fold in the frozen raspberries.
Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and distribute evenly using a spatula.
Place into preheated oven for around 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer (inserted into centre of loaf) removes clean. If you find the loaf browning too quickly, simply cover with a sheet of baking paper.
Leave loaf to cool for 10-15 mins before removing from pan and allowing to further cool on a wire rack. Loaf will be easier to slice when completely cool, so “attempt” to be patient.
Loaf is best eaten fresh on day of baking but keeps deliciously moist for 3-4 days. Don’t be perturbed by the blue staining effect that the berries will create.
Notes
Maple syrup can easily be substituted with honey or your preferred liquid sweetener.
Also feel free to substitute raspberries for blueberries or any other frozen berries. I also have a feeling this loaf would taste amazing with fresh, diced peach too but I am yet to try!
