I probably noted the Banana Bread recipe in my cookbook years and years ago, intrigued by this entirely American and Anglo-Saxon way of incorporating bananas into a dessert, then enriching it with hazelnuts, chocolate chips, almonds, or even with a nice spread of peanut butter. Just think, in America it first appeared around the 1930s, and from there it made its way onto every American table before taking the world by storm, just like the recipes for Pancakes and Muffins, a real hit. Could I not try it?!
Almost every time I found some forgotten bananas in the fridge or fruit bowl, I thought of making it, but then opted for other ways to use up those poor bananas. However, yesterday morning I decided to go for it; I had bananas in the fridge forgotten for quite some time, making them easier to mash (either with a fork or with an immersion blender), I had the butter, and I had lots of open packets of nuts, so here’s my version of Banana Bread, and I hope you like it because since yesterday, it’s almost gone.
I’ll also reveal why: the aroma it emits during baking will win you over, and so, slice by slice, it will disappear in a flash. Remember, it’s a dessert perfect for breakfast, but I must say a slice for an afternoon snack with a bit of chocolate or jam won’t do you any harm.
I remind you that I’m waiting for you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! An unmissable appointment for all followers to start the day together!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 685.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 91.55 (g) of which sugars 47.18 (g)
- Proteins 14.53 (g)
- Fat 31.52 (g) of which saturated 13.88 (g)of which unsaturated 10.69 (g)
- Fibers 4.32 (g)
- Sodium 443.40 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a Banana Bread:
If you want to make a Banana Bread the same size as mine, you can purchase the plumcake mold by clicking here
- 2 bananas (ripe, maximum three bananas)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (you can replace it with 1/2 cup of vegetable oil)
- 2 eggs
- 1 packet vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 packet baking powder
- lemon zest (from a whole lemon)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup sugar sprinkles
Tools
In the list of tools, you will find the electric whisks I use in my kitchen, and I love them. To purchase them, you can click here
- Bowl
- Electric Whisk
- Blender / Mixer
- Oven
- 1 Plumcake Mold
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Fork
Preparing the Banana Bread doesn’t take long, and the result is a truly delicious dessert.
Preparation of the Banana Bread
The first thing to do is to preheat the oven to 375°F. Meanwhile, mash the two bananas with a fork or immersion blender until you get a cream.
In a bowl, we’ll work the butter cut into pieces with the sugar, pinch of salt, packet of vanilla, the entire grated lemon peel, and the half teaspoon of cinnamon. Initially, work with your hands because the butter might not blend well with the electric whisk.
Once the butter has melted well, we can start using the electric whisks. We will incorporate one egg at a time, adding the banana puree last.
Now it’s time to add the sifted flour, the teaspoon of baking soda, and the packet of baking powder to our mixture. It should be a thick, not liquid, mixture.
Put aside the electric whisks, and with a spatula (or a marisa), incorporate half of the chocolate chips, half of the walnuts, almonds, and sugar sprinkles. Stir from bottom to top.
Pour our mixture into the plumcake mold, mine is 8.5 inches, sprinkle the surface with the remaining chocolate chips and nuts.
Bake the Banana Bread for 10 minutes at 375°F, always in static mode, then lower it to 350°F and bake for about 35 minutes. Always do the toothpick test before turning off the oven; the Banana Bread should be dry inside.
Let it cool in the mold for at least two hours before enjoying it. Even if the aroma tempts you, resist, you’ll enjoy this delight in a few hours.
Enjoy your meal!!!
Variants:
Some use peanuts instead of sugar sprinkles, some use only one type of nut, and some, like me, place half a banana on the surface, cut horizontally, before baking the Banana Bread.
Tip: If you want to use three bananas in the recipe, I recommend using only one egg instead of two.
If you want to use vegetable oil instead of butter, you can do so safely. You will need to replace the butter with the oil, I recommend a few grams less, and mix it with the other ingredients in the first step with the sugar.
Preservation:
The Banana Bread can be stored in a cake container for up to 4 days after preparation.
Other recipes with the plumcake mold:
If you like Plumcakes and want to try other recipes of mine, you can click here and discover many.
