Molly Cookie

Banana Nut Bread with Espresso and Cinnamon

Sep 7, 2009 Bananas, Breads, Breakfast, Coffee, Desserts, Uncategorized

Today I just wanted to make something warm and delicious. Sometimes cooking is about being creative, sometimes it’s about chopping things up and making them sizzle, and sometimes it’s simply about wanting something warm and delicious. Last night I was looking around the kitchen trying to decide what that warm and delicious thing might be, when I saw some browning bananas sitting in my fruit bowl. Typically when I have over-ripe bananas I cut them up and freeze them for future smoothie-making, but today I decided that banana bread sounded good. I had everything I needed sitting around, so the entire process really didn’t take much time or effort at all. It was perfect for maintaining a relaxing day, which was just what I needed.

This recipe was good, but I think next time I would leave the cinnamon out. Everyone who tried it said it was good, but I think the cinnamon competing with the espresso caused too much of a fight, and I think in the future I want to let the flavor of the espresso come through more. I love coffee and bananas together. One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is a banana because I think it goes so perfectly with my coffee, so putting that combination in bread form sounds perfect to me. I think next time I’ll stick with that.

Banana Nut Bread with Espresso and Cinnamon

Makes one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter at room temperature

2 large eggs

3 ripe bananas (about 1 1/4 cup mashed)

1 TBS milk

1 TBS espresso powder (or finely ground coffee)

1 TBS cinnamon (again, I will probably leave this out next time, but some people liked it a lot)

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup finely chopped pecans, plus 1/4 cup chopped pecan halves (for top of bread)

First preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place chopped pecans on a cookie sheet and bake for about 5 minutes or until they are lightly toasted. Keep the coarsely chopped pecans separate from the finely chopped pecans and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar until they are smooth and creamy. Next add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well blended after each addition.

In a separate bowl, mash up the bananas and add the milk, espresso, and cinnamon. Mix until well blended. Add the banana mixture to the sugar and butter mixture and mix until blended. In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. After it’s all mixed together, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two installments, mixing until just blended after each addition. Next add the finely chopped pecans and stir until incorporated.

Butter the inside of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan and top with the coarsely chopped pecans.  Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve with butter or honey and a cup of coffee or hot tea. Mmm…