Friday, November 17, 2006

Do Monkies Live Here?

I know, I know! Somehow I keep posting banana bread recipes. This one is also very good. It comes from a Guiltless Desserts Class that I attended a couple of years ago and The Everyday Gourmet. The recipe is acually for a Banana Cake but I put it in a loaf pan and omitted the frosting...viola...banana bread!! Because the recipe is actually for a cake, this is extremely moist. This time I decied to try it with a bit of Splenda instead of all sugar. I think it turned out find; you couldn't really tell the difference. Roomie liked it, too. I'll include the topping directions in case you want to use this in its original cake form. I've never actually made the topping but it looked good at the class.

Banana Bread (or Cake with Macadamia Nuts and Coconut)
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup Splenda and 1/4 cup granulated sugar)
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
sprinkle cinnamon (I KNOW I use more than a sprinkle!)
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Spray 9X4 loaf pan. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in a bowl. Combine the banana and the next 6 ingredients (through egg) and beat for 1 minute or until well blended. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until blended. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool and serve.

FOR CAKE:
Spray 9 inch round cake pan and line with wax paper. Spray the paper as well. Follow mixing instructions above. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and peel off wax paper.
Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon water
2 teaspoons butter
2 Tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts (toasted)
2 Tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

Combine brown sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, sitr constantly. Remove from heat and stir in nuts and coconut. Spread over cake and serve warm.

17 comments:

Lauren said...

I'm on the banana train with you. The loaf looks so yummy and healthy too which is always nice.

Anonymous said...

Looks good. I love the addition of macadamia nuts.

Linda said...

Honestly, there is no such thing as too much Banana Bread. I like to have it with a nice warm cup of tea. I am totally craving Gingerbread right now. I love it with a warm lemon sauce. I will have to dig up my favorite recipe for that and forward it to you.

Unknown said...

Lauren - this one is a good one...I might try this recipe with some whole wheat flour or wheat bran some time to make it healthier.

Peabody - The macadamia topping was good, I just never make it.

Linda - i have never had Gingerbread and would LOVE to see a recipe!

Ziz said...

yummy! i love the addition of macadamia nuts and coconut :)

Unknown said...

Alicat - I think I'm going to have to do this recipe soon in its original form. I've recently discovered that I DO like coconut, now I have to decide about macadamia nuts!

Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane said...

Oh my, I do love banana bread! That looks so good, Claire, and I'm jealous you took a class at Everyday Gourmet - fun, fun :)

cookiecrumb said...

Claire! That middle picture looks so yummy, was it a toasted slice?
(Thanks for dropping by my place.)

Unknown said...

Stacy - It was SO much fun. I want to take another but just haven't paid much attention to what they're offering.

Cookiecrumb - This slice was not toasted, but I usually do toast my banana bread. Because it is so moist it doesn't NEED toasting but having the crispiness on the outside and moist on the inside is delicious!

Anonymous said...

Gosh, you have so many wonderful banana bread recipes posted that I'm tempted to make one. :) Maybe you'll convert me!

Anonymous said...

Man...you people and your gorgeous banana breads! I am going crazy wanting to make one but I can't leave the bananas alone long enough to get them to their speckled devilish-ness delight for baking a loaf. Oh well, I can dream on!

Anonymous said...

Hey I'm not complaining, I love banana bread! And adding coconut to my next loaf is an excellent idea. Mmm hmm. :)

Ari (Baking and Books)

Unknown said...

VC - Pick one and go for it. I might try this one first because it's a little more cake-like.

Kate - What if you put the bananas is a paper bag and hid them. Then a week later they'd be too brown to eat but perfect for banana bread! :-)

Ari - Coconut is such a refreshing flavor. It works great in banana bread, too.

Annie said...

Hi Claire, that bread looks so good. I'm actually craving it now, thanks a lot!!

Btw, I checked out your mashed potato post and it looks great. I never would have thought of using buttermilk.

Only thing is my sister doesn't want garlic or cheese, just basic mashed potatoes (boring isn't she?). But I am going to try this recipe for myself someday. Thanks for directing me to it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane said...

Ok, the monkies must have come to my house - I made a loaf of banana bread last night for my husband to take to work today. You're rubbing off on me, Claire!

Have a good day and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Heather said...

these does look really good!

Unknown said...

Annie - I hope that you found a recipe to use for mashed potatoes! Sorry I made you want some bread, maybe you should try some!

Stacy - I'm glad to see I'm rubbing off on someone...hope they liked it!

Heather - Thanks! it's nice and moist.