Coconut jam, also known as kaya, is popular in Southeast Asia. The traditional recipe requires palm sugar and pandan leaves. This is an easy cheat’s version.
Coconut and banana loaf with coconut jam
Ingredients
Loaf
- 300g self-raising flour
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) salt
- 200g butter, room temperature
- 300g castor sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 large banana, mashed
- 250ml (1 cup) coconut cream
- 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 100g (1 cup) fresh coconut, grated and toasted
Jam
- 70g butter
- 160g brown sugar
- 375ml (1½ cups) coconut milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 whole eggs
- 25g (¼ cup) fresh coconut, grated
- toasted coconut shavings, to serve
Instructions
For the loaf, preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease and line a medium loaf tin.
Sift the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs and mashed banana followed by the dry ingredients.
Stir in the coconut cream, vanilla and grated coconut. Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake for 40 – 50 minutes. Set aside to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
For the jam, melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When melted, take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the coconut milk, yolks and eggs. Place the saucepan back on the heat and stir continuously over low heat until thickened, 10 – 15 minutes. When cooked, stir in the fresh coconut and pour into a sterilised jam jar. When cooled, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Do not overheat the mixture as it can easily curdle due to the eggs.
Preheat the grill of the oven. Place slices of the loaf on a baking tray and grill until golden, 1 – 2 minutes. Serve with lashings of jam and toasted coconut shavings sprinkled on top.
