Almond Joy Bread

By

I immediately knew I was on to something good when I found this recipe for Almond Joy Bread that Culinary Concoctions by Peabody posted back in September of 1997. I had never visited her blog before and, believe me, I felt like I found a foodie gold mine. Peabody (yup, that’s really her name) lives here in the Pacific NW so we are practically neighbors and I know I will be stopping by often for some baking and cooking inspiration. I don’t go out of my way for candy but I have a pathetic weakness for almond joy bars…always have. I used to go through my kids Halloween bags when they weren’t looking to see if I could find a few bars they wouldn’t miss. So when I saw the name and a photo of this bread on Pinterest I knew I had to make it.


This amazing bread tastes JUST LIKE AN ALMOND JOY so if you like the flavors of coconut, almonds and chocolate you will love this recipe. It’s called a bread but has the texture of cake and the coconut syrup poured over the warm loaves creates the most divine glaze. I tried to drizzle the chocolate ganache with a little bit of artistic flair but that was a complete fizzle. I put the warm ganache in a squeeze bottle I use for other decorating purposes and all the bottle could do was burp chocolate blobs on the tops of my beautiful loaves. Next time I’m going to put almonds on the cake top and pour the ganache over it so it will not only taste like an almond joy but will look like one as well. Live and learn.

View complete recipe

Ingredients

  • COCONUT GLAZE:
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp coconut extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp coconut extract
  • CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation

Step 1

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat ingredients on medium speed for 2 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, sift and combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Starting with the flour mixture alternate flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk and flour…in that order. Mix until just combined, like you would if you were making muffins. Fold in coconut, chocolate chips and almonds.

4. Pour into two loaf pans or 8 mini loaf pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350F for 1 hours (minis take only about 10 minutes less).

5. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool. While cakes are still warm, poke several holes in the top of the cake with a wooden skewer. Drizzle Coconut Glaze into the holes.

6. Finish glazing cake by taking a pastry brush and brushing on remaining glaze (as much or as little as you would like). When cake is completely cool, drizzle chocolate ganache over cake.


COCONUT GLAZE:
Place ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about a minute. Turn heat off but leave saucepan on burner. Glaze cake as instructed above.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
Place chocolate into a bowl. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once cream has boiled pour over chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes. Stir with whisk until smooth and glossy. When cake is completely cool, drizzle chocolate ganache over cake.

View complete recipe