When I think of piña coladas, I think of warm tropical climes, toasted sandy beaches, crashing ocean waves, and me sitting in a lounge chair soaking up some sun with a sweet pineapple-coconut blended beverage in one hand and a good book in the other. I’m not likely to find myself in this scenario anytime soon so I thought I’d try the next best thing: baking my piña colada into a loaf of delicious sweet bread. Not what you expected? I know it’s not a classic piña colada but it sure is tasty!
Quick bread is one of my favorite things to bake because the process is super simple. For this recipe, you’ll need some of the same ingredients you’d expect to find in a piña colada – cream of coconut and pineapple. Most of the usual suspects are still there too, making this tropical bread cocktail familiar and easy to whip up.
What makes this bread so amazing is just how moist and flavorful it is, as it’s punctuated with bits of crushed pineapple for a beautifully sweet and citrusy taste. Pineapple juice and cream of coconut, along with a little bit of sour cream, help to keep the loaf super delicious. One important word on baking quick breads: you don’t want to overfill the loaf pan! Be mindful of this as you don’t want a big mess in your oven.
Once the bread is cooled, I’ll take a few moments to toast up the coconut, keeping a watchful eye on it as it toasts in the oven; no one likes burnt coconut! And the glaze is super simple too, just a drizzle of some of that cream of coconut over the top and finish with the toasted coconut. When I can’t enjoy a classic piña colada, I figure the next best way to indulge in this delicious cocktail is in quick bread form, and boy, it sure is good.
Piña Colada Quick Bread
1 hour to prepare 1 loaf, 8-10 servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1 (15 oz) can cream of coconut, divided
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, butter, pineapple and juice, and 2/3 cup of the cream of coconut, and sour cream. Add to flour mixture, mixing until just moist.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.
- Let cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack and letting cool completely.
- While cake cools, make the topping. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining coconut cream and toasted coconut flakes. Spread over cooled bread and slice and serve. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Gather for Bread.