Coconut Apple Cake

The dark coming faster now. Sunset at six-fourteen this Sunday. We have crossed below ten hours of light. The body wants stew. The body wants candles.

I worked twelves Saturday and Sunday back to back. Pete asked me why and I said because I want next week off. He said, "What's next week." I said, "Nothing. I just want it off." He said, "That's the right answer. Take days off for nothing. The body needs nothing."

The hum about the ER continues. I am thinking about MSN coursework. I have not started anything formal. I am reading about it. I am asking around. Pete connected me by email to a woman named Dr. Maria Esposito at UAA who teaches simulation lab and used to be at Providence. She wrote back warmly. "We should talk eventually," she said. "When you're ready." The "when you're ready" was the gift.

I made bibingka this week. The bibingka in my kitchen is now a year-round comfort food rather than a seasonal one. I ate it with coffee at four in the afternoon while the sun set. The four-PM-sunset is the November preview. The November preview is being delivered in October this year.

I called Tita Nening on Saturday. We talked for thirty minutes. She told me about the rice harvest in Iloilo. She told me about her granddaughter who is studying nursing in Manila. She told me to come soon. I told her, soon. We do not name a date. The Iloilo Fund is at three thousand even. I will get there. The getting-there is a slow walk. The walk is the practice.

Bibingka is what I reach for when the light leaves early and I need something that tastes like being taken care of — but this week, with the Iloilo conversation still soft in my chest and the coffee already poured, I wanted to extend that coconut warmth into something I could share if Pete happened to stop by, something that felt like October and also like home. This Coconut Apple Cake is not bibingka, but the coconut milk pulls it in that direction, and the apple grounds it right here, in Alaska, in this kitchen, in this particular four-PM darkness I have decided to befriend.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and finely diced apples (about 2 medium; Honeycrisp or Fuji work well)
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided
Powdered sugar or a light glaze for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly combined. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, melted coconut oil, coconut milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in the diced apples and 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut.
Fill the pan. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded coconut across the top.
Bake. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are golden. The top should feel set and spring back lightly when pressed.
Cool and serve. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired, or drizzle with a simple vanilla glaze. Excellent warm alongside coffee.

Nutrition (per serving)

Coconut Apple Cake — The Warmth You Bake When the Sun Sets Early