Sunday Brunch

My grandmother was the kindest, most loving woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. The moment she heard that someone had died, a banana bread was immediately put in the oven and within an hour she would be at the door of the grieving with a banana bread in hand. I have not fallen too far from the tree, as her spirit is still alive in me.
I'm really not sure of how I came across the recipe that I've attached today, but when I read it, I thought that it would be a nice addition to my banana bread repertoire. I did make a few changes. As you see above, the bread was baked in a cake pan rather than a bread pan. I've highlighted the changes I made underneath the original ingredients.

 Because I baked mine in a cake pan, the coconut is on the bottom of the bread.

I added slivered almonds to the bread. If you look closely, you can see the slivers lying just below the surface. The addition of almonds and maraschino cherries made an excellent bread. This is a recipe that is very quick to put together and perfect for any occasion when you need something good fast. Enjoy!

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

adapted by Our Best Bites from Cooking Light
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/04/coconut-banana-bread-with-lime-glaze/
adapted again by Rhonda Buss
(My changes are highlighted below the original ingredients)
2 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar
I used 3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 C (4 Tbs) real butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
1/4 C sour cream or plain yogurt
3 Tbs apple juice or milk*
(*as in: don’t go buy apple juice just for this recipe. If you don’t already have some, just use milk!)
I used 3 tablespoons of applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
I used almond extract
1/2 C coconut
I added to the mixture;
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries

Topping: 2 Tbs additional coconut

Glaze: 1/2 C powdered sugar whisked with 1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice
*as in: don’t go buy apple juice just for this recipe. If you don’t already have some, just use milk!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs and beat to combine. Add banana, sour cream or yogurt, apple juice (or milk), and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add flour mixture and beat at a low speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 C coconut.
Pour batter into a 9×5″ loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle additional 2 Tbs coconut on top.
Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a knife or skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Note: Check bread after about 40 minutes. If the top has browned and the coconut pieces are looking toasty, cover top of bread lightly with a piece of foil. Continue baking until done.
When done, remove pan from oven. Let cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes and then carefully remove from pan. Whisk powdered sugar and lime juice together for the glaze and then drizzle over top. Cool for another 15 minutes before slicing.

Sara and Kate of www.ourbestbites.com, the creators of the original recipe.
"We’re just two girls who love to cook! We’re also both wives and mothers balancing home management, part-time work, church and community involvement, and a myriad of other things. So we’re probably just like you! We want to show you that cooking at home can be a delicious, fun, and easy way to express yourself and to care for your families and friends."
 
Last July I posted my grandmother's banana bread recipe. You can see that post here. I've included the recipe below.
Vera's Banana Bread


2 cups flour (I use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of white flour)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3 bananas mashed
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.


Stir all ingredients together until well mixed. I like to add raisins or dried cranberries. Today I added dried cranberries.
Bake at 300 degrees for one hour or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.