I'm breaking a few traditional rules here but I'm allowed since this recipe is both gluten free and vegan. The truth is you can use the recipe as a guide to make the sweetbread just the way you like it. You can grate the coconut, buy grated coconut, blend the coconut until fine, whatever is your preference you can incorporate it here. The result will always be tasty if not perfect. The things to look out for would be the amount of liquid you need (more than what you would normally use) and how much leavening (baking powder or baking soda) is optimum. The flour blend you use will also affect the end result. A bread flour mix, may need more water and leavening than a cake mix. Don't let these details stop you from trying the recipe, you can only perfect it with practice (1/2 a recipe is just fine for a practice run). If you try the recipe, I would appreciate your feedback.
Ingredients
Coconut Crumb Topping
(this recipe can easily be doubled for more topping)
¼ cup sugar ¼ cup water ¼ cup very finely grated coconut pinch of salt (optional)
Coconut
70 g of fresh coconut cut into small pieces (about ¼ of a large coconut)
½ cup water
Note: If you are using freshly grated coconut or pre-packaged grated coconut or flakes (unsweetened), you will need about 1/3 cup. Add the ½ cup of water (or milk if you like), to the dry ingredients along with the flax mixture and add the coconut along with the dried fruit
Muffin
2 tbsp flaxmeal
½ cup sugar (or more to preference)
½ cup water
2 cups gluten free flour blend
1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if it is in your flour blend)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup of dried mix fruit & raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups
To prepare the coconut
I opted to blend the coconut instead of grating. That way you can use the coconut milk from blending. Add the ½ cup of water and the fresh coconut to a food processor and blend until the coconut is chopped into smaller pieces (somewhat chunky or whatever you prefer). Set aside. See my note above if you do not want to blend the coconut.
To make the coconut crumb topping:
This is not a lot of topping so you will have to watch this mixture carefully
In a small saucepan dissolve the sugar in the water and bring up to a rolling boil. Reduce until it reaches the consistency of a thick syrup. Add the salt if using and stir in the grated coconut. Allow most of the liquid to dry off. If you're familiar with Caribbean sugar cake, the final mix will resemble a loose crumbly version of this.
To make the muffins
To your mixing bowl add the flax meal, ½ cup of water and the sugar. Whip, beat or mix until slightly thickened. Turn off the mixer or stop beating and leave to rest for about 5 minutes
Combine the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside
Resume mixing or beating the flax and sugar mix gradually adding the oil. Whip until the oil is fully incorporated and the mixture lightens in colour. Mix in the vanilla extract and the apple cider vinegar
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the flax mixture and the coconut milk blend. Mix by hand until combined. The batter should be like a regular muffin batter and not as thick as regular sweetbread. Add more water, a little at a time if needed, to get this consistency
Add the dried fruit and stir gently to distribute throughout the batter
Fill each muffin cup to 2/3 with batter. Sprinkle the tops with the coconut crumb topping. Bake until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean about 12 to 15 minutes
Turn out muffins onto a wire rack, and let cool completely