Apricot & Coconut Loaf Cake

When I saw this cake over at Poires au Chocolat last week, I instantly decided that I was going to bake it this weekend. After all, coconut cakes belong to my favorites - although, boy, trying to decide on favorite cakes always gets me in trouble... Anyway, browsing through my recipe list, I just found out that I've made a very similar coconut cake about one and a half years ago. Only, this one here's not only glazed with apricot jam, it's also got apricot jam in the cake batter - it's like a much more sticky and sweet version. Perfect on a rainy, lazy autumn day.

Recipe
(from: here)

For the cake:
200g butter, at room temperature
180g caster sugar
3 eggs
120g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of fine sea salt
80g desiccated coconut
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar 
6 tbsp apricot jam/preserve

For the glaze:
1.5 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp water about
1 tsp of desiccated coconut

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 23 x 10cm loaf tin with greased parchment paper. 

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl and, with an electric hand mixer, and cream until light and fluffy This takes at least four or five minutes. In another bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Whisk the eggs together. Add the egg in small additions to the creamed mix, making sure you beat in between each addition until the mixture has totally incorporated the egg you've added. Add a tablespoon of flour about half way through and again near the end to help prevent curdling. 

When you've finished the egg, add the rest of the flour mix and the coconut and briefly beat to combine. Add the milk and vanilla and stir briefly again until you have a uniform mixture.

Spread 3 tbsp of the jam over the bottom of the tin. Scoop 2/3 of the cake batter on top and level it. Swirl in the remaining 3 tbsp of jam then top with the rest of the cake mixture and level off again. Bake for 45-55 minutes until deep golden brown and a wooden skewer can be removed cleanly from the middle. I covered my cake with aluminium foil for the last then minutes because I was afraid the top was going to turn too dark.

Combine the jam and water for the glaze in a small saucepan and heat until you have a syrup. Brush it over the top of the hot cake, using all of the glaze. Sprinkle the coconut over the top. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then lift out onto a wire rack to cool. Keeps for 3-4 days in an airtight tin.