Pumpkin Coconut Loaf

A couple of years ago, my neighbour called me asking to borrow some coconut milk for a pumpkin loaf she wanted to make.  Coconut milk and pumpkin?  Yummy!  So after looking at the recipe as found on-line, I was even more intrigued as it also had no eggs in it either making it dairy-free and vegan!  That is not common in yummy baked goods!  So to make it family-friendly for us, I did swap out the flours and sugars and oils and the loaf is absolutely delicious  (as I am sure it is in the original recipe as well)!  So moist.  So yummy.  So PUMPKIN-PERFECT for fall!  You really must try it.

Pumpkin Coconut Loaf

1 3/4 cup Spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 cup pumpkin puree *
1/4 cup oil (safflower, coconut, or oil of choice)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut milk or non-dairy milk *
3/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)*

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 4"x8" loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, coconut, and nutmeg if using).
In a smaller bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil/applesauce, coconut milk, and palm sugar (or whatever sweetener being used).  Mix well.  Pour this liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until all is combined.  Pour into a prepared loaf pan (either lined with parchment or greased as required to easily remove the loaf).

Bake for 1 hour.  The original recipe says to bake for 1 hour and 15minutes but I found 1 hour was perfect.  Allow the loaf to cool for 5 - 10 minutes in the pan and then remove it and allow to cool on a cooling rack.  Enjoy!

This recipe is easily doubled to create two loaves if you prefer - one for yourself and one to give away!


Cook's Notes:
Pumpkin Puree
Canned pumpkin puree is fairly common and easy to buy and use for this recipe but you could also bake a fresh pumpkin and make your own pureed filling.  If looking for canned pumpkin, be sure to use Pumpkin Puree.  Pumpkin pie filling, the other canned pumpkin in the store,  has sugar and added spices you don't need in this recipe so you don't want to buy this for the recipe.

Coconut Milk
This milk is found in either cans or in tetra packs usually with other non-dairy milks.  Either is fine.  I have moved to buying the larger tetra pack coconut milk as I use it much more frequently in my foods. Leftovers coconut milk can be stored in the fridge for a few days and used in Thai foods or soups, or the extra frozen and thawed for later use.  If you don't have coconut milk, you could use another source of milk (dairy or non-dairy) in equal amounts.

Walnuts
I love nuts in any food I make, however, I do not like how it makes a loaf more difficult to slice.  So your choice.  I also like the "school-friendly" option without them.