Pineapple Coconut Bread

This Summer I've been craving tons of tropical flavors, especially coconut.  Coconut is one of those foods people love or hate and too much coconut can easily over power other flavors.  This dessert has a mild coconut flavor with a bit of crunch which compliments the sweet pineapple.  The girls loved this and we ate it for breakfast instead of dessert.  It has more of cake like consistency than a quick bread, so you'll probably want to use a fork since it is a bit crumbly.  This recipe also would make a good cupcake, but I need to figure out what temperature to bake them and for how long. I definitely see some experimentation on the horizon along with a gooey batch of coconut cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
20 ounce can of  pineapple chunks in juice, drained well -- pineapple tidbits work great too.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour pineapple chunks into a strainer and drain well.
• Spread coconut on a large baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Watch carefully.  I burnt my first batch.
• Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
• Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt then set aside.
• Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
• Fold pineapple and 1 cup toasted coconut into batter. 
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut. 
• Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cover pan with foil halfway through so coconut doesn't burn.
• Let cake cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Servings
8 to 10 slices

A Broken Oven Tip
This batter would be a good base for most quick bread recipes. The batter is a nice thick and would hold up well to heavier add-ins like nuts and dried fruits.