Sweet Pumpkin Loaf

Before I became vegan I used to bake a lot. In fact I was pretty darn good at it too, if I can say so myself.

However vegan baking can be a little bit more tricky and there's a few more expensive ingredients to buy than what you're going to find in your local Tescos.

But once you've splurged a little and got all the key ingredients, vegan baking is fabulously fun.

There's a little surge of pride one feels when perfecting one of your old favourites into a new vegan one.

Plus, usually seeing what goes into baking can be enough to put you off eating it, especially if you're a little weight conscious, which is another reason why vegan baking is so great, because most of the time it's a lot lower in fat and sugar by using natural supplements instead.

This recipe here however... is not the case. But hey, I believe vegans leave a pretty healthy lifestyle so why can't we have our cake and eat it too?

This recipe is another one from my much loved Post Punk Kitchen. http://www.theppk.com/

I halved the recipe because I only have one cake tin... also to resist the temptation of eating not just one but two loaves.

Pumpkin Loaf

Equipment
(2) 8″ x 4″ loaf pans

Ingredients
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup flaked coconut

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Grease and flour two 8″ x 4″ loaf pans.
2. Spread walnuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin puree, oil, and coconut milk, and mix until all of the flour is absorbed. Fold in the flaked coconut and toasted walnuts. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and cover loaves tightly with foil. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove foil, and turn out onto a cooling rack. Tent loosely with the foil, and allow to cool completely.