Raspberry Coconut Bread, or is it Cake? - vegan, or not

Friends, I have a problem. I can't decide what to call this sweet, delicate, summery thing I'm eating. On the one hand, it's a quick bread, totally appropriate for toast and a pat of butter (or perhaps this new coconut spread? I sampled it, and it was delicious. And, no, not sponsored, just my own two cents). On the other hand, I'm sitting here, feeding myself with a fork between sentences. Who eats bread with a fork? Not me. sigh #firstworldproblems

But moving on. This raspberry coconut yummyness is like summer in a bottle loaf pan. Fresh raspberries give just a touch of tart that plays very nicely against the sweet coconut. The crumb is especially delicate (for a bread), but the coconut gives it some chewiness not normally associated with cake. However, to eliminate any chewiness, I think pulsing the coconut in a food processor briefly would work.

I suspect that Mr Official Taster is going to steer clear of this, ok, dessert, which I am totally fine with. He seems to avoid certain exotics, like, you know, coconut. More for me.

Raspberry Coconut Bread, or is it Cake? - vegan
adapted from moi via Smitten Kitchen

Not vegan? Use regular milk and melted butter in place of the oil. You can use eggs, too, if you'd like by eliminating the applesauce, baking soda, and lemon juice. Instead, whisk two large eggs into the milk mixture.

If you want to use less sugar, try using unsweetened dried coconut. If you want to serve this as cake rather than bread, by all means, do so. I think it would be fun to dress it up by sprinkling some coarse sugar on top of the batter before baking. And if you are lucky enough to have room in your kitchen for a toaster? Please, please toast a slice for me.

I chose to use grapeseed oil for my vegetable oil because it doesn't have a strong flavor (I used applesauce for the same reason). However, if you want to amp up the coconutyness, melt some coconut oil and use that. Any kind of vegetable oil will work. The non dairy milk is up for negotiation as well. Up the coconuttyness by using coconut milk from a carton, or simply use whatever is in your fridge.

I used fresh raspberries, but I think this recipe would work with frozen, probably thawed and drained. While I wish there were more raspberries throughout my loaf, I'm hesitant to suggest more for fear of undercooked dampness. However, smooshing or chopping the fruit up first might be a good compromise.

Deb's (non-vegan) loaf, once baked, entirely filled and towered above her 9x5x3 (8-cup) loaf pan. That didn't happen with mine, but if yours is smaller, you may want to pour off a little batter into greased muffin tins. Those will probably (though I haven't tested) take 20-30 minutes to bake.

Vegetable oil, shortening, or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan
1/4 C (60ml) unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) non dairy milk (see note)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
heaping 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
5 ounces (140 grams) sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 C + 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (see note)
3/4 C (about 6 oz) fresh raspberries, plus more for sprinkling (see note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan (all the way to the top!), or coat it with a nonstick spray.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together applesauce, milk and vanilla. Set aside.

In a large bowl (Yes, a large bowl. Trust me), sift or whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, pour in milk mixture and lemon juice, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add oil and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix. (overmixing cake or cake-like batters can make them more tough and less delicate because you start to develop the gluten.) Fold in raspberries.

Spread batter in pan, sprinkle with extra raspberries/coarse sugar as desired, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan five minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.