If I had to pick my favourite all-time loaf recipe, this would be it. I’ve made this loaf countless times over the years, it’s a no-fuss, one bowl recipe that’s reliable and sure to satisfy any cake cravings. And it can also be made dairy-free!

If you’re a fan of coconut, you will love this loaf. Desiccated coconut adds a lovely texture and mouthfeel to each bite, it’s a match made in heaven when paired with the zingy lemon.

Variations

This recipe is super versatile and I like to vary it depending on the ingredients I have at home.

The lemon zest can be substituted with any other citrus fruit in season – lime and orange are my two favourites. You could also swap the citrus zest for passionfruit, just reduce the amount of milk by a tablespoon or two if you do.

If you don’t have full cream milk, you could use a non-dairy milk like almond milk, or greek yoghurt watered down with a bit of water. You could even make it a little healthier by using wholemeal self-raising flour.

I love eating this loaf warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or double cream. It gains a lovely golden caramelised crust in the oven, and stays super moist for a couple of days.

Lemon Coconut Loaf Recipe

My recipe is adapted from this recipe by Taste.

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter, softened (can substitute for dairy-free butter like Nuttelex)
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (use 1 for a more subtle lemon flavour)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted (white or wholemeal)
• 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup milk (full cream or unsweetened almond milk)
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius (fan-forced) and line a 24cm x 13cm loaf tin with baking paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and caster sugar with an electric beater until light, pale and fluffy. If you don’t have an electric beater, you can do this with your hands and a wooden spoon.
3. Add lemon rind and lime rind to the mixture and beat briefly. Add eggs, one at a time, waiting until the first egg is fully incorporated before adding the second one.
4. Add half of the flour, desiccated coconut and milk to the bowl and mix using a wooden spoon until just combined. Add the remaining flour, coconut and milk and fold until just combined. At this stage the batter may look quite runny and curdled, but don’t worry, this is how it’s meant to be.
5. Pour the loaf mixture into the lined pan and lightly bang the tin on the table a couple of times to remove any air bubbles and smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cakecomes out clean. If the top starts getting too brown before it’s finished cooking, place a piece of foil lightly on top of the loaf to stop it from browning further.
6. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer cake out of tin to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar if desired. Best served warm as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Notes

• For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free spread like Nuttelex in place of the unsalted butter and almond milk instead of full cream milk.
• Cooking time will vary depending on your oven, when I’ve baked this it has taken anywhere between 45 minutes to 1 hr so I like to check it after 45 minutes to gauge how much longer it needs.
• You can substitute the lemon zest for any other citrus zest like lime or orange. You could also swap out the zest for 2 tablespoons of passionfruit pulp. If you use passionfruit instead, reduce the amount of milk by 2 tablespoons.
• It keeps in an airtight container for 3 days and in the fridge for up to a week.

For more seasonal cooking inspiration, check out my other lemon recipes here and other Seasonal Cooking Project posts here.