coconut bread with creamy pineapple butter

Coconut Bread with Creamy Pineapple Butter

Coconut Bread
1 cup butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted (see note)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Pineapple Butter
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter.

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In another large bowl, whisk together the melted butter with the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold everything together with a spatula until the batter is smooth. Gently fold in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and set it on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the bread. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning. Cool the bread in the pan for 20 minutes or so; then cool enough to handle, remove the coconut bread to a cutting board and let cool completely before slicing.

Press the liquid out of the crushed pineapple using the back of a spoon. (If there is too much juice, the fruit will separate from the butter.)

In a small bowl, mash the pineapple with the softened butter until well blended. A food processor is a quick alternative to making the compound butter, so use it if you have one.

Mound the butter in a small serving bowl. Toast the slices of coconut bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with the Creamy Pineapple Butter.