Holidays and all that is associated with them – food, drinks, gifts, decorating – eventually get to you sooner than you think, regardless of how much you try to resist them. No matter how tired or busy you are, eventually you get around to doing something in the spirit of the season. Oh, and then there are those people who love Christmas so much that by the end of September, it is all they can talk about – making lists, sharing decoration ideas and potential recipes for the big meal. I am not one of those people. However, last week, with quickly ripening bananas, I tried something that I think you will like, giving you a pre-holiday taste that works perfectly as a tea bread/loaf.
I love quick breads because they are very easy and simple to put together and as the name suggests – it’s always quick. Therefore, having people over at short notice is never really a problem. Quick breads can be sweet or savoury.
I bought bananas with the plan to make morning shakes, but things got hectic this past week and I found myself leaving home earlier than usual, never getting around to making the shakes, hence fast ripening bananas. Usually, I would freeze the bananas, but didn’t. Laziness. I decided to make banana bread topped with walnuts. As I gathered the ingredients, I thought, why not put in some of my 10-year-old rum-soaked fruits. Oh yeah, see how the holidays start to sneak up on you?
I made a loaf and shared it with friends who routinely have coffee breaks at work in the mornings. It was a huge hit. You gotta try this. I am not a fan of the traditional dense, heavy Christmas/Great/ Black cake. I like the idea of the cake more than the cake itself and usually have a tiny piece because I enjoy the boozy flavour of the cake. This banana bread hits the spot, especially, if like me, you are about the flavour without the overly richness of the real thing.
Here’s what you need and how to make it.
INGREDIENTS
▪ 2 cups all-purpose flour
▪ 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
▪ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
▪ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
▪ A pinch of fine table salt
▪ ¾ cup West Indian brown sugar (substitute with white sugar)
▪ ¾ cup room temperature whole milk
▪ 1 large egg, room temperature
▪ 1 teaspoon mixed or vanilla essence
▪ ¼ cup melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil
▪ ½ cup rum-soaked fruits
▪ ½ cup chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F with the rack in the middle.
2. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt, and sugar.
4. In a bowl or jug, whisk together the milk, egg, essence, and butter/oil.
5. Add the milk-egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix gently to ensure there is no dry flour before folding in the rum fruits.
6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, sprinkle the top with the nuts and transfer to the oven.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before slicing.
NOTES
▪ This tea bread/loaf gets better the day after.
▪ Add a whole cup of sugar if you like things on the sweeter side.
Enjoy!
Cynthia
