Email to Cat      

Island Banana Bread

Source of Recipe

From "Jubilee" by Toni Tipton-Martin


Recipe Introduction

"The sweet ripe bananas that grow all over the Caribbean islands, pecans, and molasses are the secret to this alluring dark breakfast cake, adapted from B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends. For the best banana flavor, be sure to use very ripe, nearly black bananas. I stash peeled whole ripe bananas in the freezer so I can bake this bread anytime I need a hostess gift. Thaw the bananas just before using."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Softened butter and flour, for the loaf pan
â—¦ ½ cup chopped pecans
â—¦ ½ cup chopped dried Medjool dates
â—¦ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or ginger
â—¦ 1 stick (4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups mashed very ripe bananas
â—¦ 2 tablespoons molasses
â—¦ â…“ cup buttermilk
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, and tap out any excess flour.

In a small bowl, toss together the pecans, dates, and 2 tablespoons of the flour and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a third bowl, combine the bananas, molasses, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture in three additions, alternating with the banana mixture, and beginning and ending with the flour. Gently fold in the nut and date mixture.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a wood skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.

Serves 8 to 10