Pumpkin Coconut Bread

If you read this blog, you know I love anything and everything about Fall.  Sweaters, boots, pretty leaves, pumpkins, what's not to love?  Over the years I've posted about a bazillion recipes using pumpkin (slight exaggeration).  Point is, I like to cook with pumpkin, it's good and good for you.  I've made a lot of pumpkin bread in my life, but this recipe, that I ran across in an old Southern Living cookbook, is the best I've ever tasted.  Seriously, it's moist and flavorful and tastes like Fall.  It uses coconut cream pudding mix in the batter, which is what makes it so moist.  It's almost like cake.  Yum!  Trust me, it's good.

*Note:  If you don't dig coconut (or are allergic) you can use vanilla flavored pudding mix instead.

  

PUMPKIN COCONUT BREAD

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 small box coconut cream instant pudding
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl slightly beat eggs.

Add the sugar and oil and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well combined.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pudding mix, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon,  I like to use a whisk to combine them well.

Alternately add the flour mixture and the pumpkin to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in the chopped pecans.

Grease a loaf pan.  You can use cooking spray but I like to use shortening.

Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and spread evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn it out and let it cool completely on a rack.

This bread is just plain delicious.  It's moist and flavorful from the spices.  The coconut pudding mix gives it a little something extra.  It's awesome with a cup of coffee on a cool morning!  

You will definitely want to make this pumpkin coconut bread.  Invite a friend over for coffee and share this yummy treat (or save it all for yourself, I don't judge).

Vanilla Wafer Cake

The weather has finally started to cool off a bit.  It's been lovely.  I've tried my best to enjoy it, but I've been busy.  I was working on a t-shirt quilt made from vintage LSU tees.  I'm raffling it off to raise money for families affected by the Louisiana flooding.  So many people I know are struggling.  Family, friends from college, friends from high school, etc.  This flood did not discriminate.  It hurt anyone and everyone it could.  I felt guilty, at first, that my house didn't flood, too.  But, like my Mama said, "If you flooded then where would we stay?"  They are living with us until they can rebuild.  I wondered what I could do to help others, like my brother, who lost everything?  I can't do much, but I can sew.  So, I sewed a quilt and am hoping to raise some money for those folks who need it right now.  Wish me luck!

Now, let's talk about food.

This cake recipe is unique in that it doesn't use flour.  Instead, it uses vanilla wafer crumbs.  This gives it such a wonderful flavor.  I really love this cake!  It disappeared so fast, I can't wait to make it again (and again).  Here's how I did it:

VANILLA WAFER CAKE

Half of a 12 oz pkg vanilla wafers

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 TBS vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups shredded coconut

1/4 cup milk

Glaze:

2 TBS butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBS milk

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy (that just means beat it like crazy using a whisk or a mixer).  

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Add milk and mix well.

Using a food processor, crush the vanilla wafers into fine crumbs.  If you don't have a processor, put them in a large zip top bag, close it up and gently pound them with a rolling pin or a small pot, or a water bottle, etc, until crushed into crumbs.

Do the same with the pecans.

Add the wafer crumbs, pecans, coconut and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.

Butter an 8x8 baking dish.  TIP:  I save the wrapper from the stick of butter that I softened for the cake.  It usually has enough butter left on the wrapper to grease the pan.

Lightly flour the buttered pan (just sprinkle in a little flour then gently move the pan around until it is completely coated in flour, bottom and sides).

Spread batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the glaze.  Blend all the glaze ingredients together well with a whisk (or a fork).  It should be thick enough to coat the cake but thin enough to pour.  It should flow off the spoon easily.  If it comes out too thick, just add a drop more of milk (not too much!) and whisk until you get the right consistency.  If you accidentally make it too thin, just add a little bit more of the powdered sugar and whisk.

Once the cake has cooled, spread the glaze on top.

Let it sit and set up before cutting into squares.

This cake is moist and delicious!  It almost tastes like a carrot cake (without all those pesky vitamins from the carrots lol).  Seriously, it's a really good cake.  Very unique.  You can double the recipe and make it in a 9x13 baking dish.  It would be great for a potluck.  Give this one a try and let me know how you like it.