There is something so deeply nostalgic for me about banana bread. The minute I smell it, it takes me back to warm memories of my childhood, my grand parents and school lunch boxes.
I remember eating it in the holidays at my grandparent’s house after digging in the garden for worms with my grandfather. A great cup of sweet tea and loads of butter always accompanied it. Shortly afterwards we would go fishing with the worms we caught in his strawberry patch.
I was never short of a sandwich trade when ever I opened my lunch box and the wonderfully sweet smell of the banana bread would float out and kiss the noses of my friends. They would all lunge at the opportunity of grabbing a bite or a trade!
This banana bread is great because I have kicked it up a notch with a rich cream cheese frosting, which is silky smooth. You can always leave it off and just have it with butter. Plain or not this banana bread is quick to make and stays beautifully in the fridge for any occasion.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
• 3 ripe bananas, smashed - don't have ripe bananas? Put them in the oven at 100 degree Celsius for 30 minutes
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup pecan nuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 250g cream cheese
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Pecan nuts for decoration
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°c
Grease your bread loaf tin a 4x8 inch or 10 x 20cm
In a large bowl using an electronic mixer mix the butter and the mashed bananas.
Next mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla.
Next add the baking soda and salt and mix it into the batter
Add the flour to the batter and mix it in, careful to not over beat the batter.
Lastly add in the pecan nuts and coconut. Mix again just until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
Add your mixture to your baking tin and bake for 1 hour.
Allow to cool on your cooling rack in the tin for 15 minutes and then let it cool further out of the tin.
Now lets get started with the cream cheese frosting:
Sieve your icing sugar into your mixing bowl.
Add all the remaining ingredients and mix. Do not over mix the cream cheese or it will go too soft.
Ice your banana bread and top with pecan nuts for decoration.
Enjoy!
-Melissa