My sister has recently started baking something sweet once a week to put in her children’s lunch box. Whilst it’s nice to provide a sweet treat it can be a struggle to find something wholesome. Home baking means that you can provide the occasional treat and have the peace of mind of knowing exactly what’s gone into it. So when my sister told me she’d been baking up a storm of banana breads and muffins I decided to get in on the act – I can now bake and give away the proceeds and not have any tempting cakes lurking in the pantry, perfect! My first contribution was this coconut and nutella loaf. My nieces loved it! I didn’t get to try any but my husband sneaked a piece and confirmed their opinion. It’s an easy recipe to whip up making it perfect for a last minute baking project. All the ingredients are mixed together in bowl and no heavy machinery is required. The only point to note is there’s not much batter so when it comes to layering the batter and the nutella, be sparing with the batter – you need just a small amount in each layer with the bottom and top layers being the most important.

Ingredients  Adapted from Noble Pig Blog

2 cups plain flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup coconut milk
⅓ cup melted butter
1 cup coconut flakes – not desiccated coconut
1 cup Nutella, slightly warmed until easily spreadable

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Butter and flour a 9 x 5 x 2.75 (correct size is important) loaf tin.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl beat egg with a fork and stir in melted butter and coconut milk. Combine well. Pour egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just enough to combine. Fold in coconut. Spoon one third of the batter into the bottom of the loaf pan – be as sparing as possible with the batter otherwise you may run short (see note above). Add half the Nutella, covering the batter as best you can without mixing the two together. Add another third of the batter and cover Nutella completely. Finish with the other half of the Nutella and then more batter to top it off.

Use a table knife and stick it down, all the way through the batter at one end of the loaf pan. Work your way from one side of the pan to the other in a zigzag motion. Make just one pass for the swirl effect.
Bake 55-65 minutes until done. Because the Nutella is melty a toothpick to test doneness is not the best method. Instead press on bread and if it feels springy to the touch it is likely finished baking. Let cool for 20 minutes in pan before flipping over and letting cool completely.