Can I tell you guys about one of my favorite baking ingredients? It’s not chocolate, peanut butter or salted caramel, though they’re all certainly somewhere in my top 10 as well. No, it’s buttermilk, and I am completely obsessed with it lately! Whether it’s used in biscuits, pancakes, bread, or cake, I love the slight tanginess it lends. It’s thick and rich and adds a lot of flavor without a ton of fat (despite its name, there’s no butter in it).
Oh, and possibly my very favorite thing about buttermilk? It has an unusually long shelf life so even if it gets hidden behind things in the fridge and forgotten about for a week (*ahem*), odds are low you’ll end up having to throw it away. There’s nothing I hate more than wasting food!
Another thing I’m loving right now is coconut, so you can imagine how excited I was when I came upon this coconut-buttermilk pound cake recipe. I wasted no time jumping into my kitchen and pulling out the ingredients to give it a try. I find coconut tends to elicit a strong reaction one way or the other – there’s not much middle ground where it is concerned. So out of curiosity, I did an informal poll on my Facebook page yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by how many of you are coconut lovers too!
And for everyone who said they hated it… Well, you can take some comfort in knowing the rest of this week’s recipes will be coconut free π
The coconut and buttermilk are incorporated in both the bread itself and the glaze/topping here so the flavors are really enforced. If you wanted to kick it up even a notch more, I think you could add some coconut extract to the batter as well. As you’d expect from a pound cake, the crumb on this cake is tight and it’s slightly dense, but I also thought it was more tender than most pound cakes I’ve made in the past. I devoured a slice for brunch recently as I plowed through cooking shows on my DVR, and I would be a-ok with more mornings starting off that way around here!
Coconut-Buttermilk Pound Cake
from Martha Stewart
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature, divided
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread the coconut in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the coconut is golden brown. Don’t walk away, it can burn *very* quickly. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the coconut cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Maintain oven temperature.
Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 8 minutes (scrape down the bowl as necessary). Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and 1 cup of the buttermilk in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, mix in 1 1/4 cups of the toasted coconut until evenly distributed. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with the spatula to make sure all of the ingredients are well combined.
Transfer the batter to the pan and spread in an even layer (it will almost completely fill the pan). Bake for about 1 hour, or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 1 hour before turning it out to cool completely.
To make the glaze: Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of buttermilk with the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth – the mixture will be thick. Pour the glaze over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup toasted coconut over the cake.
Looks fabulous and I love the chunky toasted coconut on top. The cake looks lovely and fluffy too
What a genius combo! Do you have any leftovers? Because I’d gladly help you out in that area!
” It has an unusually long shelf life so even if it gets hidden behind things in the fridge and forgotten about for a week (*ahem*), odds are low you’ll end up having to throw it away.” — AMEN!!!! I have a carton right now (and lately, more often than not) just hanging out. For $1.69 from TJs, even if I waste 50 cents worth, I feel I’ve done it proud most times. Lol
I am also in love with coconut (oil). I have recipes for tons of buttermilk things + coconut oil things lately. This bread is the best possible combo!
What a great combination. Love the look of this pound cake. It looks amazingly good.
I think I may be the only person who has a middle ground between coconut. Sometimes I like it, and other times I want it as far away from me as possible. I think it’s the sweetened coconut I have trouble with… or maybe it’s the unsweetened… oh I don’t know. Anyways, this poundcake looks beautiful π
Buttermilk really is a great ingredient (although I sometimes end up using plain yogurt instead). I love Dorie’s perfect party cake made with buttermilk rather than regular milk. And even though I’m one of the coconut haters, I do think your cake looks really pretty with the flakes of coconut on top. =)
I agree with you 100%! Nothing is as great as buttermilk in baked goods. (Though I also love subbing yogurt or sour cream when I don’t have any.) I’ve been know to use buttermilk for a good few weeks past the “expiration date” too!
I am a huge coconut lover and this cake looks just wonderful. I will no doubt be making it soon!
This is a gorgeous poundcake, Tracey!
I’m not a big coconut fan but I’d happily try this especially with that amazing glaze!
Mm I remember this featured in Everyday Living. I always end up with random amounts of buttermilk sitting in my fridge so I’m glad to know that it has a long shelf life. I’ve always been so nervous to use it later on.
Mmm what a fabulous quick loaf! Yum!
Thank you so much for sending us home with some of this cake yesterday. Loved the cake and frosting. It reminded me of a coconut cake my parents used to get from Roselawn Farm in Fairhaven. I loved that cake and this one tasted just like it. Delicious. Thanks again.
Beautiful pound cake! Happy National Pound Cake Day! π
Delicious! And I believe it’s not the first time you have made something without apparently knowing the “holiday”–today is National Pound Cake Day. Did you know that? Anyway–you rock. Love coconut.
I always seem to have buttermilk to use up and I love that it generally lasts well beyond it’s expiration date lol. The tang of the buttermilk sounds like it pairs perfectly with the richness of the coconut!
This recipe looks awesome! Did you know that today is National Pound Cake Day?!? I posted a vanilla-buttermilk pound cake recipe on my blog today in honor of it being a national holiday & all π Buttermilk is one of my favorite ingredients too! It really adds flavor to any dish I’ve used it in. Definitely want to try this recipe now – I’m not huge fan of coconut but many people in my family are!
This is beautiful! I love coconut and am on a huge kick lately!! YUM!
What a pretty loaf! The glaze looks amazing!
Somehow it feels tropical to eat coconut in the winter. One could almost pretend it was a mini vacation as they munched on a slice. π
Well, we finished the last piece…that was incredible! After saving a couple of slices for us, I brought the rest to lunch at my sister’s today and you received rave reviews! (Although I wish I saved a few more slices for us!) Thanks for sharing this!
This looks awesome – so moist! It makes me wish it were 80 degrees outside and I was sipping a fruity beverage π
Just popped over here from Pinterest. This recipe looks WONDERFUL because I love buttermilk and coconut. Did you hear that “pin”?
PS Did you know you can make your own buttermilk with milk and a little buttermilk to start off? Yup. And then you always have buttermilk and all you have to buy is milk and use your own buttermilk to make more, just like yogurt.
Well, coconut is one of my favorite ingredients, so I can’t get enough coconut recipes! And I love buttermilk as well. This looks fantastic!
Wow! I love coconut too and this cake would be such a hit in my household! Love the buttermilk glaze
I do believe I have some buttermilk hiding in the back of my fridge right now. . . π This looks so good. The coconut is so pretty on top.
I love coconut and I love this pound cake! Great idea to add more flavor by using coconut extract!
That cake looks beautiful! I would love a slice to start my mornings as well. I’m not a huge buttermilk fan, but I love coconut!
I love buttermilk lately too – makes things so moist, and delicious! This cake looks so good, love the glaze and coocnut on top!
Yes, on the coconut and double yes on the buttermilk. The crumb of your cake look delicious.
I am a huge coconut fan, and I know I’ve got some buttermilk lurking in the fridge. Hmmm!
I want some of this right now…is it too late to come over for a slice? Love the combination of flavors…marking this one. Feel free to post any number of coconut recipes you like…yum!
Right there with you on the buttermilk love! And I’m also a huge coconut fan so I bookmarked this!
I just made this..it’s amazing!!
Made this last week and it’s my favorite new coconut recipe! I will use a 9×5 pan next time though because it overflowed and made a mess in my oven. Still worth it though! I’m going to try making it as cupcakes for Easter.
This was so easy to make and turned out wonderfully. I used a bundt pan and ended up baking it 10 minutes longer than the recipe says. This is an excellent cake to make for a picnic and is delicious served with fruit.
Can you substitute coconut oil for the butter in this recipe?
@Mama Jo – I’m honestly not sure. I don’t have a lot of experience baking with coconut oil so tough for me to say how the substitution would work here. If you try, please let me know if it works!
Thank you, Tracey, for the quick response…i’ll let you know if I try the coconut oil.
I can’t wait to try it. I love making sweet breads.
I love buttermilk breads too! I have made blueberry bread and banana bread. I’m going to make this one for my husband for Father’s Day since he loves coconut. Thanks!
Great way to my use my buttermilk up. i did have a small problem with it burning. i probably should have taken it out at 45 minutes or maybe cooking in a fan forced oven it cooks quicker. i cooked it at 180. Did yours go crunchy & awefully brown on top.
Tasted alright. love coconut.
Giz